Lead Professional 

All children and young people with additional needs who require support from more than one practitioner should experience a seamless and effective service in which one practitioner takes a lead role to ensure that services are co-ordinated, coherent and achieving intended outcomes.  Children and young people access universal services and most children and young people will not need a Lead Professional.

When putting together a package of support for a particular child and their family members of the TAC will agree wtih the child and family who is most appropriate to act as lead professional, taking into account a wide range of factors. 

It is important the circumstances of each case are considered carefully by the parties concerned so the best-placed person is agreed as lead professional.  The lead professional may be based in any sector of the children, young people or family workforce, depending on the issues involved and the individual relationship with the child.

The Lead Professional is not a job title or a new role.  It is a set of functions to be carried out as part of the delivery of effective integrated support, namely:

The functions are to:

• act as a single point of contact for the child or family, who they can trust and who can engage them in making choices, navigating their way through the system and effecting change
• co-ordinate the delivery of the actions agreed by the practitioners involved ensuring that children or young people and families receive an effective service, which is regularly reviewed
• reduce overlap and inconsistency in the services received

A lead professional will be required to carry out a number of tasks, which will be a normal course of action.  These might include:

• building a trusting relationship with the child and family (or other carers) to secure their involvement in the process
• being the single point of contact for the family and a sounding board for them to ask questions and discuss concerns
• being the single point of contact for all practitioners who are delivering services to the child
• co-ordinating the effective delivery of a package of 'solution'-focused' actions.  And also establishing a process by which this will be reviewed regularly.

CAF and Lead Professional training is available.  Please see the training page.

For the Kent Lead Professional guidance for practitioners.