Lead professional

The lead professional is a key element of integrated support. They take the lead to coordinate provision and act as a single point of contact for a child and their family when a range of services are involved and an integrated response is required.

Where a child or young person with multiple additional needs requires support from more than one practitioner, the lead professional is someone who:

Acts as a single point of contact that the child or young person and their family can trust, and who is able to support them in making choices and in navigating their way through the system

• Ensures that they get appropriate interventions when needed, which are well planned, regularly reviewed and effectively delivered
• Reduces overlap and inconsistency from other practitioners

Evidence suggests that the lead professional role is a key element of effective frontline delivery of integrated children's services. It ensures that professional involvement is rationalised, coordinated and communicated effectively.

More importantly, it provides a better experience for children, young people and their families involved with a range of agencies.

Who can be a lead professional?

Many practitioners in the children's workforce could take on the lead professional role, as the skills, competence and knowledge required to carry it out are similar regardless of professional background or role.

For most children and young people with additional needs requiring support from a lead professional, we anticipate that the person carrying out this role will be drawn from the range of practitioners who are currently delivering effective early intervention support.

This could include (but is not limited to) personal advisers, health visitors, midwives, youth workers, family workers, substance misuse workers, nursery nurses, educational welfare officers, community children's nurses, school nurses and support staff such as learning mentors working in schools. Practitioners could be drawn from voluntary sector organisations or from statutory services, depending on the agencies currently involved with the child or young person.

Further information on the Lead Professional is available on the Every Child Matters website including fact sheets, research reports and manager and practitioner guides. You can also contact the Integrated Services Team. Local training courses are run by the REAL Trust.

www.ecm.gov.uk/leadprofessional