9 Child and adolescent psychiatry9.3 Principles of service provision
9.3.2 Social care and voluntary-sector partnerships
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Written by Resident Doctor Committee · Published
New in the 2027 syllabus
The College added this topic for exams from January 2027.
Who does what
Social care assesses what support and protection a family needs, under the legal duties of the relevant jurisdiction. This covers children in need, looked-after children and concerns about significant harm.
Voluntary and community services may offer advocacy, counselling, youth activities, family support or help for young carers. Eligibility and clinical capacity vary between organisations.
Partnership working fits these services around the young person's priorities. A referral is not a handover of all responsibility.
Coordinating the plan
Task | What needs agreement |
|---|---|
Shared assessment | The child and family's needs, strengths and risks |
Roles | Who provides treatment, who gives practical support and who takes statutory action |
Information | What must be shared, with whom and on what basis |
Escalation | Who responds if risk rises or a service cannot meet a need |
Review | How progress and the young person's experience will be checked |
Discuss consent and confidentiality with the young person and their carers. Necessary safeguarding information can still be shared without consent if there is a lawful basis.
A named coordinator cuts down repeated assessments, contradictory plans and unanswered referrals.
Voluntary-sector support adds to clinical or statutory care. It does not remove the health service's responsibility for an unresolved clinical need.
Inclusion and continuity
Practical barriers such as transport, cost, language and digital access can stop a family using a service that would otherwise suit them.
Transitions need a clear plan. When an age limit, placement or funding arrangement changes, set out what support continues and who holds responsibility.
The child's own account belongs in multi-agency reviews. Do not infer it only from what the adults report.