Risk of significant harm

Where there is reason to believe that the young person under the age of 18 years or an unborn baby has suffered, is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm, a referral should be made under the local Hertfordshire safeguarding procedures. These can be found on the HPFT intranet ‘The Hive.’ MHST Members will be responsible for completing referrals to Children’s Services and DATIX forms, which will be viewed by Team Leaders/CAMHS Clinicians.

The MHST Team Leader/CAMHS Clinician/other lead professional should seek to discuss concerns with the young person and where appropriate, their parent/carer and where possible seek agreement to making the referral. This should only be done where such discussion and seeking agreement will not place the child/young person at increased risk of significant harm.

If the MHST Team Leader/CAMHS Clinician/other lead professional is unsure about making a referral, then they can consult with the Safeguarding Vulnerable Adult Practitioner/Lead Nurse for Safeguarding Children.

All cases of suspected or actual abuse must be taken seriously and acted on, including those which initially may appear as minor as well as serious incidents. As part of a Health Trust the service is required to inform the service user’s GP of any safeguarding referrals, as they are the primary health professional involved.

Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility. All MHST staff will ensure that appropriate records are taken, and concerns/actions recorded on the EPR (PCMIS). This includes entering an alert about any Child Protection matters.

If the Team Leader/CAMHS Clinician/other lead professional has concerns about subsequent action/s taken by partner agencies, they must escalate these to the relevant line manager for discussion with the appropriate Safeguarding Lead (Vulnerable adults/children) who will advise about appropriate action.

Safeguarding Section 47 requests for information will be honoured after consideration of what information is appropriate - particularly from historical records. Child in Need requests for information for historical cases will require up-to-date consent unless (upon screening), there are possible safeguarding concerns.