Bexley Early Assessment of Need (BEAN) and Team Around the Child (TAC)

The BEAN provides a simplified early assessment process that links the assessments to identifying the outcomes to be achieved and the planning for this through the TAC.

A BEAN may take place as a 'step down' from Children Social Care or may be 'stepped up' to a referral.

A BEAN should be considered if the child's needs fall under Levels 1 (green) or 2 (yellow) on the Bexley LSCB Safeguarding Continuum of Need or the Barnado's Domestic Violence Risk Identification Matrix. The BEAN should been undertaken with the consent of the parent/carer and depending on age that of the child/young person.

The early assessment is most effective if there is sharing of information between all the agencies that know the child and their family. This may be shared 'virtually' and does not always have to involve a meeting.

It is important to identify what needs to improve for the child and how this can be done. This is usually through a TAC approach. The TAC plan is very important to ensure that early help is effective. To advise on and support the use of TAC a TAC Co-ordinator has been appointed to the Early Assessment Hub.

The plan should be reviewed regularly to ensure that the outcomes for the child are improving and the assessment should be updated as new information is gathered. A TAC may result as a 'step down' from Children Social Care involvement.