The improvement of Information Sharing & Assessment is a government objective led by DfES.

The overall objective of ISA is to ensure better outcomes for children and young people through promoting improved information sharing and multi-agency working.

Within Torbay this project is overseen by the Children & Young People's Strategic Partnership (CYPSP), and its development is a key element of the integrated Children's Service agenda.

ISA will be introduced across all children's services within Torbay to ensure that all practitioners working with children, young people and their families in Torbay have the same consistent approach to information sharing and assessment activity.

ISA aims to improve outcomes for all children and young people but has a focus on more vulnerable groups of children.

The five key outcomes, as described in Every Child Matters, are:

• Being healthy
• Staying safe
• Enjoying and achieving
• Making a positive contribution
• Well-being and quality of life.

The ISA Programme in Torbay has been in development since Autumn 2003. Like most other authorities, Torbay has undertaken a considerable amount of work in the background, producing guidance and procedural material. This work has been supported by the involvement of a number of staff from across all agencies within Torbay, and has benefited from the contribution made by external consultants who were able to bring an external dimension, and a degree of capacity not available locally.

Young people in Torbay are also assisting with the design of a leaflet to explain the issues of consent that surround information sharing.

There are 3 important strands to the Torbay ISA programme:

• The Practitioner Guide – a desktop guide to the main issues surrounding ISA
• This website – which holds a number of important tools and materials
• Dissemination – a series of awareness and training events over the period February – December 2005 (with ongoing refresher / updates beyond this initial period)

As central government continues to develop and promote its intentions around information sharing and assessment, and in particular as it produces Regulations under the Children Act 2004, some of the current policies, procedures, etc. held within this website may change.

As and when this occurs, appropriate amendments will be made and publicised.

Anyone who works with children and young people and their families should be familiar with good information sharing practice.

Torbay is running programmes of training to improve information sharing practice across all agencies and staff groups, and this training is largely being provided through the Common Assessment Framework training.

If you work with children, young people and their families you would benefit from taking this short course.

Indeed, in time we intend that anyone needing to undertake common assessment activity, and accessing information about children and young people will need to show that they have successfully completed this test.

This course and test has been developed by East Sussex ISA team, and currently Torbay has the agreement of East Sussex to use this, for which we are very grateful.

Work will take place to adapt this for Torbay, but for the meantime please use the East Sussex link, acknowledging the fact that you will need to read Torbay for East Sussex

Click below for the course

http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/childrenandfamilies/keypolicies/trackingchildrenatrisk/isacourse/download.htm

Click here for the on-line test

http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/childrenandfamilies/keypolicies/trackingchildrenatrisk/isacourse/default.aspx

Link to Service Directory

Link to Glossary

Contacts

Follow the link through to the CAMHS Training Strategy website.  Information there about child and adolescent mental health generally as well as traiing and development opportunities.

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