What is TAF?

It is vital that children, young people and their families are at the heart of any conversations and subsequent support offered. Team Around the Family meetings should be as welcoming and inclusive as possible – practitioners avoiding jargon and being prepared to listen as well as contribute. The multi-agency My Plan/My Plan+ should be developed with the child and family so that they have ownership of the plan.

All partner agencies involved in supporting the child, young person or family should have the opportunity to contribute to the multi-agency Team Around the Family meeting. Effective sharing of information between practitioners and local organisations and agencies is essential for early identification of need, assessment and service provision to keep children safe. Serious case reviews have highlighted that missed opportunities to record, understand the significance of and share information in a timely manner can have severe consequences for the safety and welfare of children.

If advice and guidance is required around managing the risks within the family and/or escalating need, you can ask a Community Social Worker. Community Social Workers provide assistance where there are non-urgent concerns about a child or young person in order to consider levels of intervention and next steps, Community Social Worker advice can be requested by emailing mashearlyhelp@gloucestershire.gov.uk. Support will be provided to assess and manage the risk for the child and family through the multi-agency Team Around the Family group, or to make recommendations and offer support to escalate concerns where there is a need to refer into Children’s Social Care for specialist support.