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ACCORD


This page is a resource for anyone with an interest in effective joint working to support families where a parent is disabled, or has additional support needs. This includes parents, young people, practitioners, managers, policy makers, trainers and colleagues in any setting.
The page provides links to:
  • The ACCORD Protocol, Practice Guidance and "At a Glance" Guide
  • Evaluation of the ACCORD Protocol and details of briefings for 2009 
  • Associated policies and guidance for working with families   
  • Information about ACCORD Champions
  • Information about resources for families and professionals
  • Areas of Suffolk covered by the services involved
  • How to comment on ACCORD or this webpage
  • Further information for effective practice
  • Useful websites

The ACCORD Protocol and practice guidances

The Universal Protocol (PDF, 344Kb) sets out Suffolk’s co-ordinated approach to supporting families where a parent is disabled or has additional support needs.

Appendices to the ACCORD Protocol:
 Information regarding legislation and national policy relevant to working with families under ACCORD (PDF, 125Kb)
Information regarding Adult and Community Service (PDF, 115Kb)
 Information regarding Mental Health services in Suffolk (PDF, 61Kb)
 Information regarding Children and Young People Services in Suffolk (PDF, 77Kb)
 Information regarding court proceedings concerning children (PDF, 125Kb)

*NEW* for 2011

Form for referrals to adult services through Customer First under the ACCORD Protocol (Word, 37Kb). This form specifies the information required by Customer First to process a referral to adult services under the ACCORD Protocol as efficiently as possible. It can be used by any practitioner or member of the public to make such a referral.

The Protocol is accompanied by six sets of Practice Guidance to provide practitioners and managers with in depth information, tools and tips for effective practice and good outcomes around particular issues. They have been developed by groups of practitioners and are designed to complement each other and to be used together where relevant.  

    The guidances are:
  1. Practice Guidance for staff working with families where a parent has mental health support needs (PDF, 212Kb)
  2. Practice Guidance for staff working with families where a parent has substance misuse support needs (PDF, 557Kb)
  3. Practice Guidance for staff working with families where a parent has a sensory loss (PDF, 100Kb)
  4. Practice Guidance for staff working with families where a parent has a physical disability or long term illness (PDF, 118Kb)
  5. Practice Guidance for staff working with families where a parent has a learning disability (PDF, 434Kb)
  6. Practice Guidance for staff working with families where a young person has a caring role for a parent or carer who is disabled or has additional support needs (PDF, 151Kb), supplemented by Responding to Young Carers flowchart (PDF, 77Kb), which aids identification, information sharing and responding to young people with caring responsibilities.

Clarification of Parenting Tasks (PDF, 22Kb)
This guidance is intended to help families and professionals to determine what are the core parenting tasks and therefore to clarify entitlement to an assessment under Fair Access to Care. These parenting tasks are also an Appendix to the Universal Protocol.

The "At a Glance" Guide to ACCORD (PDF, 37Kb) gives an overview of the key principles, arrangements and issues in putting the Protocol and Guidance into practice 

*NEW* for 2011
 Checklist ( 84Kb ) to help workers who are not specialists in learning disability identify whether an adult may have a learning disability. The checklist aids, but does not replace, professional judgement. 

Evaluation of the ACCORD Protocol and practice guidance

An independent evaluation of the way the ACCORD Protocol is working was undertaken in 2008 / 9. Here is the full evaluation report ( PDF 250 Kb) and the recommendations ( PDF 111Kb ).

There is ongoing evaluation of the impact of joint working under the Protocol. Please use this  case summary form to contribute information which will be anonymised and used for further learning and training to improve outcomes for families.

Associated policy and guidance for working with families

The Suffolk Strategy for Parenting Support  ( PDF  Kb) ) sets out how all agencies in Suffolk will work together with all parents and each other to ensure that parents have access to, and feel able to use, services which will support them in their role as parents.
This Protocol for Mental Health Act Assessments ( PDF 33Kb ) should be followed when a parent is asssessed under the Mental Health Act and is caring for dependent children
Supporting young carers is a report from Ofsted re identifying, assessing and meeting the needs of young carers and their families. June 2009

ACCORD Champions

ACCORD Champions are practitioners whose role is to promote positive joint working and be a resource for their teams and colleagues.
Here is the contact list arranged by Area.  
Champions meet every two months at Kerrison Conference and Training Centre Thorndon, nr Eye. For details of the meetings contact Anne Rawcliffe, ACCORD Co-ordinator. Contact details above. 

Resources for families and practitioners

Suffolk Infolink is a directory of local groups, organisations, services and activities, ranging from sports and social clubs to childcare information and social care and health support
Suffolk Children's Centres offer a range of local services for families with children from birth to five and Parent Support Advisers are in schools
The Parenting Implementation Project resource kit offers tips and ideas for effective working with families including re joint working
Parenting UK the Family and Parenting Institute are national organisations providing support for professionals 

The Areas covered by services relevant to ACCORD

Children's Services in Suffolk are organised around Community Clusters.
These are the areas covered by the Adult and Community Services.

Your comments

We value your views about how to improve practice under ACCORD or about the information you would like to see on this webpage. Please email your comments to Anne Rawcliffe, ACCORD CO-ordinator to  anne.rawcliffe@suffolk.gov.uk

News and information for effective practice and joint working

This toolkit from Alcohol Concern gives information for practitioners working with families where parents misuse alcohol

This booklist contains examples of relevant national publications, books and articles.

Useful web sites

These websites provide information for practitioners and managers that is relevant to ACCORD.:

Further sites and resources on specific issues and areas of practice can be found in each of the Practice Guidance documents listed above.

Professional development and associated events

**The Joint Professional Development Strategy is currently being developed.**

Disabilities