Tackling neglect in Barking and Dagenham

Responding to neglect

In Barking and Dagenham, we know children and young people need good quality support and help when problems arise. We also know they need that help and support as early as possible to ensure the situation they find themselves in doesn’t get worse.

Most children grow up without needing any more than our universal services. But some children will have additional needs, at any or all stages of their life journey. These children will require tailored plans of support so that they can grow up successfully, in secure and healthy home environments.

The LBBD Continuum of Need

As children, young people, and their families experience need at different points on a continuum, they can also access services across the continuum at any point. Our model in Barking and Dagenham is provide the right help to children, young people and families from the right person at the right time, to meet need at the earliest opportunity along that continuum to prevent concerns escalating further.

We have four tiers of need (outlined below) as indicators for professionals to consider against the assessed needs of the children and families they are working with.

It is important to remember that children’s needs are not static, they change, depending on age, circumstances and context so may require different levels of support at different times.

LBBD Continuum of Need Framework (PDF, 1.62 MB)

If you have a safeguarding concern about a child/ren or a vulnerable adult experiencing neglect, please follow our safeguarding procedures using the links below:

Report a serious concern about a child (MARF) for professionals

Safeguarding adults at risk of abuse or neglect

Where concerns do not warrant a referral to the MASH, the following resources may prove to be useful for staff supporting families with low level needs relating to neglect and the risk of potential neglect.

Poverty

Many people up and down the country are really struggling, and the situation in Barking and Dagenham is no different. 

Times are tough right now, so the Council and community partners have put together a range of support offers for people struggling financially:

For Targeted Early Help Hardship Fund, please email penny.pyke@lbbd.gov.uk

For Social Care Hardship Fund, please email carolyn.greenaway@lbbd.gov.uk

Condensation, damp, and mould

The Damp and Mould Checklist is designed to support health and social care professionals to:

  • recognise damp and mould concerns and issues
  • identify households most vulnerable to the health risks of damp and mould exposure
  • provide appropriate advice and take action on concerns

This is a new resource is designed by London’s public health system partners for use by frontline health and social care professionals when visiting residential properties in London. Where concerns have been identified, the checklist toolkit provides clear guidance in the form of advice, signposting to other resources and information, and with template letters that can be adapted to be sent to Local Authority housing teams and the landlord following an assessment. 

Damp and mould - Pan Thames Paediatric Long Term Ventilation Network

There are different support options available to our communities based on their housing tenure.

Private Sector Renters:

Council tenants and leaseholders

Family support

Clutter 

This tool can help professionals measure the level of clutter in a person's home and measure improvements being made: