We recognise the most important influence in a child’s life is family. Children who grow up with safe, stable and nurturing relationships form stronger friendships, develop greater resilience, achieve more in school and are more likely to build positive relationships throughout their lives.
We are child focussed in our intent but recognise that the most effective way to help and protect children is to work alongside the whole family. Therefore strengthening families is central to our aims as we know that families have greater capacity for change when we work with them as partners. This is part of an evidence based approach known as Restorative Practice.
We aim to embed a culture across our workforce where dignity and respect is the basis for our interventions. Every member of staff will understand the principles of Restorative Practice and its ethos will underpin all of our work and align to the borough vision of ‘Forging a Future for all’.
Dudley Lighthouse Links
Dudley Lighthouse Links is the new emotional health and wellbeing service for Children Looked After and Care Leavers.
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The service is a joint provision between Dudley Children’s Services, CAMHS and Dudley CCG.
The aim of the service is to improve the emotional health and wellbeing for children looked after and help them engage in meaningful relationships, participate positively in the community, and take advantage of opportunities in education and learning and benefit from living within a stable care placement or those subject to a Special Guardianship Order (SGO).
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In developing this service, we have taken the decision to re-provide the Flipside Programme and the Children Looked after Psychology Service into the new service. The foster carers in Flipside will transfer to the current Fostering Service.
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Therefore, from Monday 8 October staff will be required to refer to Dudley Lighthouse Links for children and young people who require a service from the new team.
Please note Dudley Lighthouse Links is not a crisis / emergency access service.
Who can refer?
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• Child’s social worker
• Supervising social worker
• Children looked after nurse
• CAMHS for Dudley children looked after
• Manager from Dudley children’s homes
• Virtual school
• School Nurse
Referral criteria
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• Child looked after by Dudley Local Authority
• Resides within 20 miles boundary of Dudley area
• Has a permanence plan
• Age between 0 – 18 years – up to 25 for care leavers
• Presenting with emotional / behavioural / social / mental health difficulties that are having an adverse impact upon the young person at home or school or on the stability of the placement link to more information on referral criteria
More information on the referral criteria
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Before referral you can:
• telephone the Duty Worker between the hours of 9.00am – 5.00 pm on 01384 812352 or
• email: lighthouse.links@dudley.gov.uk for an informal discussion.
Make a referral
To make a referral you must complete a Dudley Lighthouse Links Referral Form (External) and email it back to us, or for Internal Referral you can use CCM to make your referral.
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In the case of an emergency
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If a child or young person has an urgent, high risk or emergency mental health need (e.g. those who have rapidly developed a serious of life threatening mental health condition, acute psychotic episode, significant self-harm or suicidal thoughts or poses a significant risk to themselves or others as a result of their mental state) the referrer should:
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contact the ICAMHS team directly on 01384 324 689 between the hours of
9 am and 5 pm daily.
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outside of these times, it is recommended that the local A&E department at Russells Hall on 01384 456111 is contacted to request the number for the ICAMHS nurse on duty or the young person's out of hour GP service.
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