Child Protection Conferences

The children's social care team manager is responsible for making the decision to convene a Child Protection Conference and the reasons for calling the conference (or not calling a conference following completion of a Section 47 Enquiry) must be recorded.

Where there is disagreement about a decision not to hold a conference, which cannot be resolved, the conflict resolution procedures should be applied.  See Section 11, Professional Dissent from the Conference Decision.

A Child Protection Conference brings together family members (and the child/ren where appropriate), supporters / advocates and those professionals most involved with the child and family to make decisions about the child's future safety, health and development.

Also see the guidance Expectations to Partners Regarding their Engagement within Online Child Protection Conferences, if it is Agreed that you Attend Virtually.

If concerns relate to an unborn child, consideration should be given as to whether to hold a Child Protection Conference prior to the child's birth.

Purpose

 To bring together and analyse, in a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary meeting, all relevant information and plan how best to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child and protect them from harm. It is the responsibility of the conference to make recommendations on how organisations and agencies work together to safeguard the child in future. Practitioners and parents should be provided with clear and accurate information about the conference process to support effective planning. All practitioners should approach the work with parents and carers in line with the principles set out in chapter 1 of the guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children.

The tasks for all conferences are to:

• Bring together and analyse, in an inter-agency setting, the information which has been obtained about the child's developmental needs, and the parents' capacity to respond to these needs to ensure the child's safety and promote the child's health and development within the context of their wider family and environment;
• Consider the evidence presented to the conference and taking into account the child's present situation and information about his or her family history and present and past family functioning, to decide whether the child is at risk of significant harm;
• Recommend what future action is required in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child, including the child becoming the subject of a Child Protection Plan, what the planned developmental outcomes are for the child and how best to intervene to achieve these;
• Appoint a lead social worker from children's social care for each child who requires a Child Protection Plan. The social worker is responsible for ensuring that the Child Protection Plan is developed, co-ordinated and fully implemented to timescale;
• Identify a core group of professionals and family members to develop, implement and review the progress of the Child Protection Plan;
• Put in place a contingency plan if the agreed actions are not completed and/or circumstances change impacting on the child's safety and welfare.

The conference chair:

• Is accountable to the Director of Children’s Services, where possible the same person should chair subsequent child protection reviews;
• Should be a practitioner, independent of operational and/or line management responsibilities for the case;
• Should meet the child and parents in advance to ensure they understand the issues, the purpose, the process, and possible outcomes of the conference;
• Should be prepared to answer questions openly;
• Should approach the work with parents and carers in line with the principles set out in chapter 1 of the guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children;
• Should consider whether members of the family network should attend and participate in the conference;
• Should ensure all participants are encouraged to contribute views independently.

Lead practitioners should:

• Convene, attend, and present information about the reason for the conference, their understanding of the child’s needs, parental capacity, family and environmental context (including extra-familial contexts), and evidence of how the child has been abused, neglected, or exploited and its impact on their health and development;
• Analyse the information to enable informed decisions about what action is necessary to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child who is the subject of the conference;
• Share the conference information with the child and family beforehand (where appropriate);
• Prepare a report for the conference on the child and family which sets out and analyses what is known about the child and family and the local authority’s recommendation;
• Record conference decisions and recommendations and ensure action follows.

All involved practitioners should:

• Work together to safeguard the child from harm in the future, taking timely, effective action according to the plan agreed;
• Attend and present information about their understanding or the child’s needs, parental capacity, family, and environmental factors (including extra-familial contexts) and evidence of how the child has been abused, neglected, or exploited and its impact on their health and development;
• Bring their agency perspective, expertise and challenge and contribute to decisions about actual or likely significant harm and actions to address by contributing to the plan to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child who is the subject of the conference.

Safeguarding partners should:

• Monitor the effectiveness of child protection conference arrangement.

Depending on the circumstances there are several different types of Child Protection Conferences:

• Initial Conferences;
• Pre-birth conferences;
• Transfer in conferences;
• Review Conferences.

Note: All types of child protection conferences should not only include information on the child who is the subject of the specific concerns but must also include consideration of the needs of all other children in the household, those visiting /staying in the household and those who may come into contact with the parent / carer for whom concerns have been identified.

An Initial Child Protection Conference must be convened following a s47 enquiry to safeguard and promote the welfare of a child who is suspected of, or likely to be, suffering significant harm.

The Initial Child Protection Conference should take place within 15 working days of:

• The strategy discussion at which S47 enquiries were initiated;
• Notification by another local authority that a child subject of a Child Protection Plan has moved permanently into the area (i.e. they have been resident within the area in excess of 3 months and they have a confirmed home address within the locality).

Where a Emergency Protection Order (EPO) has been made and it is decided to hold a Child Protection Conference, the conference should be held before the EPO expires.

Where a Child Assessment Order has been made, the conference should be held immediately on conclusion of examinations and assessments.

Where there is any anticipated delay in respect of such processes, this must be reported to the children's social care manager (including reasons for the delay) and children's social care must ensure the risk of any harm to the child is monitored and action taken to safeguard the child.

Conferences should routinely seek to establish / confirm the nationality and immigration status of children and families. This will ensure that, where required, families can be signposted for immigration advice and support. Furthermore, if as EU / EEA nationals they have been granted pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme - it will ensure practitioners can also support them to apply for settled status at the point at which they accrue 5 years' continuous residence in the UK (see Switch from pre settled status to settled status (GOV.UK)).

A pre-birth conference is an Initial Child Protection Conference concerning an unborn child. Such a conference has the same status as, and must be conducted in a comparable manner to an initial child protection conference.

The conference should be held as soon as the assessment has been completed and taking into consideration the requirement in the statutory guidance (1) that:

'Where the local authority is considering proceedings shortly after birth, the timing of the sending of the pre-proceedings letter or letter of issue should take account of the risk of early birth and help to ensure that discussions and assessments are not rushed. Ideally the letter should be sent at or before 24 weeks.'

Pre-birth conferences should always be convened where there is a need to consider if a Multi-Agency Child Protection Plan is required for an unborn child. This decision will usually follow from a pre-birth assessment.

A pre-birth conference should be held where:

• A pre-birth assessment gives rise to concerns that an unborn child may have suffered, or is likely to suffer, significant harm;
• A previous child has died or been removed from parent/s as a result of significant harm;
• A child is to be born into a family or household that already has children who are subject of a Child Protection Plan;
• An adult or child who is a risk to children resides in the household or is known to be a regular visitor.

Other risk factors to be considered are:

• The impact of parental risk factors such as mental ill health, learning disabilities, substance misuse and domestic abuse;
• A mother under 18 years of age about whom there are concerns regarding her ability to self-care and / or to care for the child.

All agencies involved with pregnant women, where there are concerns about the unborn child, should consider whether there is the need for early help to be offered and/or a referral to children's social care so that all assessments are undertaken as early as possible in the pregnancy.

The pre-birth conference should take place as soon as practical and at least 20 weeks into the pregnancy, so as to allow as much time as possible for planning support for the baby and family. To agree any arrangements which are needed at the point that the baby is born, such as the timing and location of a discharge planning meeting (including who should attend). Hospital discharge meetings must take account of the child protection plan when one is in place. If there is a known likelihood of a premature birth, the conference should be held earlier.

In cases where it is suspected that a pregnancy may have been concealed please refer to the Berkshire LSCP "Guidance on the Management of Concealed Pregnancy".

Transfer in conferences should take place when a child who is the subject of a Child Protection Plan within another Local Authority, moves to live into another local area on a permanent basis e.g. for a period of more than 3 months. Children's social care, designated health professionals and the police should be notified promptly.

Responsibility for the case rests with the original authority until the conference has been held, but local staff should co-operate with the Lead Social Worker from the originating authority to ensure the implementation of the existing Child Protection Plan and to address any additional risks associated with the families relocation.

The Transfer in Conference should receive reports from the originating Local Authority, and the Lead Social Worker from that authority should be invited and must attend the conference, which should take place within 15 working days of the formal acceptance of the transfer of the child by the receiving Local Authority. Such a conference has the same status and purpose, and must be conducted in a comparable manner to, an Initial Child Protection Conference.

Child protection review conference

 The review conference procedures for preparation, decision-making and other procedures should be the same as those for an initial child protection conference. The purpose is to review whether the child is continuing to suffer or is likely to suffer significant harm; to review developmental progress against child protection plan outcomes; to consider whether the child protection plan should continue or should be changed.

Lead practitioners should:

• Attend and lead the organisation of the conference;
• Determine when the review conference should be held within three months of the initial conference, and thereafter at maximum intervals of six months;
• Provide information to enable informed decisions about what action is necessary to continue to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child, and the effectiveness and impact of action taken so far;
• Share the conference information with the child and family beforehand, where appropriate, and ensure that they understand the information provided;
• Approach work with parents and carers in line with the principles set out in chapter 1 of Working Together to Safeguard Children;
• Engage the family network where this is appropriate to support the child. If there is family group decision-making, such as a family group conference, parents and family networks should have the opportunity to prepare for it in advance;
• Record conference outcomes;
• Decide whether to initiate family court proceedings (all the children in the household should be considered, even if concerns are only expressed about one child) if the child is considered to be suffering significant harm.

All involved practitioners should:

• Attend, when invited, and provide details of their involvement with the child and family;
• Produce reports for the child protection review. This information will provide an overview of work undertaken by family members and practitioners and evaluate the impact on the child’s welfare against the planned outcomes set out in the child protection plan;
• Approach work with parents and carers in line with the principles set out in chapter 1 of Working Together to Safeguard Children;
• Be sufficiently skilled and experienced to prepare for and engage with the review, and able to critically assess and challenge their own and other’s input.

Every review should consider explicitly whether the child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm and hence continues to require safeguarding from harm through adherence to a formal Child Protection Plan. If the child is considered to be suffering significant harm, the local authority should consider whether to initiate family court proceedings. For further guidance see the Public Law Outline.

Where it is agreed that a child no longer meets the criteria above, the conference should carefully consider what continuing support services may be required in order to sustain the progress made and make recommendations accordingly.

Thorough regular review is critical to achieving the best possible outcomes for the child and includes:

• Sharing and analysing up-to-date information about the child's health, development and functioning and the parent's capacity to ensure and promote the child's welfare;
• Maintaining contact with Health professionals such as GPs and Health Visitors about the child;
• Considering the impact on the child of the capacity and functioning of the parent/care giver;
• Ensuring that the measures already in place to safeguard the child from harm are effective and in line with local arrangements;
• Regularly reviewing the progress of all aspects of the Child Protection Plan;
• Making changes to the Child Protection Plan (e.g. where a family is not cooperating or a service is no longer available);
• Deciding what action is required to safeguard the child if there are changes to the child's circumstances;
• Setting or re-setting desired outcomes and timescales;
• Seeking and taking into account the child's (possibly changed) wishes and feelings;
• Making judgements about the likelihood of the child suffering significant harm in the future;
• Deciding specific areas for consideration within the ongoing assessments of risk/need.

The first Child Protection Review Conference should be held within three months of the date of the Initial Child Protection Conference.

Further reviews should be held at intervals of no longer than six months throughout the period the child remains the subject of a Child Protection Plan. If the Initial Conference was a Pre-Birth Conference a review child protection conference or a core group should be held within 10 working days of the birth of the baby (20 days if the mother is not medically fit to attend a meeting within the first 10 days).  This should be decided upon within the pre-birth child protection conference and included within the resultant child protection plan.  If a core group is held at this point then the Review Child Protection Conference should take place within one month of the child's birth, or within three months of the date of the Pre-Birth Conference, whichever is sooner. Subsequent Review Conferences should take place within six months thereafter.

A hospital discharge meeting must be held prior to the newborn baby being discharged.

All Review Conferences should consider the timescales to meet the needs and safety of the individual child. Where there are serious concerns about an infant, or child under the age of 5, the levels of risk might require the timescales to be shorter than those set above. The decisions should reflect the circumstances of the child and its impact on them, rather than any agency constraints.

Reviews should be brought forward where / when:

• Child protection concerns emerge relating to a new incident, or allegation of abuse have been sustained;
• There are significant difficulties in implementing the Child Protection Plan;
• A child is to be born into the household of a child or children already subject of Child Protection Plans;
• An adult or child who poses a risk to children is to join, or commences contact with, the household;
• There is a significant change in the circumstances of the child or family not anticipated at the previous conference and with implications for the safety of the child;
• A child subject of a Child Protection Plan is also looked after by the local authority and consideration is being given to returning them to the circumstances where care of the child previously aroused concerns (unless this step is anticipated in the existing Child Protection Plan);
• The core group believe that a Child Protection Plan is no longer required.

See also: Flowchart 5 Action Following a Strategy Meeting and Flowchart 6 What Happens After the Child Protection Conference.

Children, who are already in the care of the Local Authority will not usually be the subject of child protection conferences, though they may be the subject of a s47 enquiry. The circumstances in which a child who is already in the care of the Local Authority may be considered for a Child Protection Conference or may be subject to a child protection plan can vary. The Care Plan and Placement Plan for a child who is in care (whether there are proceedings pending an outcome, an interim Care order or a Care order in place) should provide the means to safeguard the child. The Care Plan and Placement Plan should be reviewed and updated regularly and in response to new information or concerns about the welfare of the child.

If it is proposed that a child subject to a care order should be returned to their birth family / returned home, the members of the statutory looked after child case review (see The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review) when considering the proposal for rehabilitation must decide and record whether an initial child protection conference should be convened prior to the change. If the decision of the Review is that an initial child protection conference should be convened, the child's social worker must request it to take place within 15 days of the case review decision.

A child looked after under s20 of the Children Act 1989, who has been or is about to be returned to a parent's care about whom there are concerns in terms of safeguarding the child's welfare, may be subject of a s47 enquiry and a child protection conference. See The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review and the Practice Guidance for the use of S20 Provision in The Children Act 1989 in England and the equivalent S76 of The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.

If a parent removes, or proposes to remove a child looked after under s20 from the care of the Local Authority, and there are serious concerns about that parent's capacity to provide for the child's needs and protect them from significant harm, the social worker must discuss the case with the social care manager, who will make a decision about whether a child protection enquiry should be initiated. If a child protection enquiry is initiated, the reasons for this must be clearly recorded on the child's record and may lead to an Initial Child Protection Conference. Any plan should be based on the child's welfare needs and avoid delay. In these circumstances, the social worker and manager should consider whether legal action is required to protect the child.

Where concerns arise about the ability of a carer / care provision to safeguard children who are looked after by the local authority, the social worker should consult with their manager to determine which course of action should be taken (e.g. S47), the IRO should also be notified without delay.

If a child subject of a Child Protection Plan comes into Local Authority care under s20, their legal situation is not permanently secure. As a result the Core Group and subsequent Review Child Protection Conference should consider the child's safety in the light of the possibility that the parent can simply request their removal from the local authority's care. The Child Protection Review Conference must be sure that the child in care plan and Placement Plan provide adequate security for the child and sufficiently reduces or eliminates the risk of significant harm identified by the Initial Child Protection Conference.

If a child ceases to be subject of a Child Protection Plan as a result of a decision at a Child Protection Review Conference, and the parent then unexpectedly requests the return of the child from the local authority's care, the social worker and their line manager should discuss the need for an Initial Child Protection Conference. The line manager must record the reason for the decision whether or not to hold a child protection conference.

If a court grants a care order in respect of a child who is subject of a Child Protection Plan, the subsequent Child Protection Review Conference must make an assessment about the security of the child, considering issues such as contact and the child in care plan for the child. If the care plan for the child involves remaining in or returning to the family of origin, the Child Protection Review Conference should give careful consideration to whether the child can be adequately protected through the framework of the child in care reviews.

Where a lchild in the care of the Local Authority remains the subject of a child protection plan there must be a single plan and a single planning and reviewing process, led by the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO). This means that the timing of the review of the child protection aspects of the care plan should be the same as the review under The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (also see the IRO Handbook). This will ensure that up to date information in relation to the child's welfare and safety is considered within the review meeting and informs the overall care planning process.

Consideration should be given to whether the criteria continue to be met for the child to remain the subject of a Child Protection Plan and whether a Review Conference should be convened. Significant changes to the care plan should only be made following the child's child in care review.

Consideration should be given to the IRO chairing the Child Protection Conference where a child in the care of the Local Authority remains the subject of a Child Protection Plan, despite there being:

• Different requirements for independence of the IRO function compared to the chair of the Child Protection Conference; and
• A requirement for the Child Protection Conference to be a multi-agency forum while children for the most part want as few external people as possible at a review meeting where they are present.

This should be decided on an individual case by case basis and managed to ensure that the independence of the IRO is not compromised. Similarly the child might benefit from another independent chair and wherever possible, should be consulted about the use of the IRO as chair. Where it is not possible for the IRO to chair the Child Protection Conference, the IRO will attend the Child Protection Review Conference.

The location and timing of the conference should be planned to ensure maximum attendance from the most critical attendees. In some exceptional circumstances it may be appropriate for key professionals to contribute online. Conferences should not be scheduled for times when parents will be busy looking after children at home (e.g. after the end of the school day). Wherever possible, children's social care should provide parents with the opportunity to utilise appropriate day care for their children to enable their attendance at the conference.

Children's social care is responsible for taking into account health and safety issues and security arrangements when planning each conference. See also Section 5, Exclusion of Family Members from a Conference.

As a minimum (quorum), at every conference there should be attendance from local authority children's social care staff and at least two other professional groups or agencies, which have had direct contact with each child who is the subject of the conference. In addition, attendees may also include those whose contribution relates to their professional expertise or responsibility for relevant services. In exceptional cases, where a child has not had relevant contact with three agencies (that is, local authority children's social care and two others), this minimum quorum may be breached.

In appropriate circumstances, the Chair may decide to proceed with the conference despite lack of agency representation. This would be relevant where:

• A child has not had relevant contact with three agencies (e.g. pre-birth conferences);
• Sufficient information is available from the relevant agencies; and
• A delay will be detrimental to the child.

Where an inquorate conference is held, the Chair will determine if an early review conference needs to be convened. The Chair must ensure that the reasons for proceeding with the conference and any arrangements to safeguard the child in the meantime are noted in the conference records.

If a key agency working with family is not present at conference the chair may make a decision that it is not possible to end a child protection plan due to non-attendance.

The primary questions to be addressed are:

• Does the child have sufficient capacity for understanding the process?
• Have they expressed an explicit or implicit wish to be involved?
• What are the parent's/carer's views about the child's proposed presence?
• Is inclusion assessed to be of benefit to the child?

The test of 'sufficient capacity to understand' is partly a function of age and partly the child's capacity to understand which may be affected by other factors including the impact of trauma. The following approach is recommended:

• A (rebuttable) presumption that a child of less than twelve years of age is unlikely to be able to be a direct and/or full participant in a forum such as a Child Protection Conference;
• A presumption (also rebuttable by evidence to the contrary) that from the age of twelve and over, a child should be offered such an opportunity.

A declared wish not to attend a conference (having been given such an explanation) must be respected.

Consideration should be given to the views of and impact on parent/s of their child's proposed attendance.

The potential impact of the conference on the child (e.g. if they have a significant learning difficulty or where it will be impossible to ensure they are kept apart from a parent who may be hostile and / or attribute responsibility onto them) must also be taken into account and steps taken to minimise any negative effects. Consideration must be given in particular to the extent to which it is appropriate for a child to hear details of a parent's personal difficulties and a parent's view about this must be respected.

In such cases, energy and resources should be directed toward ensuring that, by means of an advocate and / or preparatory work by a social worker, the child's wishes and feelings are effectively represented.

In advance of the conference, the Chair and social worker should agree whether:

• The child attends for all or part of the conference, taking into account confidentiality or parents and / or siblings;
• The child should be present with one or more of their parents;
• The Chair meets the child alone, or with a parent prior to the meeting.

If a child attends all or part of the conference, it is essential that they are supported by the social worker or independent advocate who can help them prepare a report, or rehearse any particular points that the child wishes to make.

Provision should be made to ensure that a child who has any form of disability or other specific needs is enabled to participate.

Consideration should be given to enabling the child to be accompanied by a supporter or an advocate.

Indirect contributions from a child should, whenever possible, include a pre-meeting with the Conference Chair.

Other indirect methods include written statements, e-mails, text messages and taped comments prepared alone or with independent support, and representation via an advocate.

Childcare professionals should all be able to represent a child's views and a particular responsibility falls upon the social worker to do so.

It is more important that the child feels involved in the whole process of child protection assessment rather than merely receiving an invitation to the conference.

Children's social care should provide all conferences with a written report that summarises and analyses the information obtained in the course of the assessment undertaken in conjunction with the child protection enquiries under s47 of the Children Act 1989 and information in existing records relating to the child and family. Reports to Review Conferences should include a clear analysis of the implementation and progress of the Child Protection Plan including any new information or obstacles to implementation. It should also take into account any other plans in place around the child such as an EHCP or PEP.

Where decisions are being made about more than one child in a family the report should consider the safeguarding needs of each child.

The record of the assessment by the social worker should form a part of the report.

The conference report should include information of the visits to the child by the social worker during the course of the section 47 enquiries, if the child was seen alone and if not, who was present and for what reasons.

The safeguarding of all children in the household need to be considered and information must be provided about the needs and circumstances of each of them, even if they are not the subject of the conference.

The report should be provided and discussed with the parents and (to the extent that it is believed to be in their interests) with older children at least two working days in advance of the Initial Conferences and a minimum of five working days before review conferences to enable any factual errors to be corrected and the family to comment on the content.

The report should be available to the Conference Chair at least two working days prior to the Initial Conference and five working days in advance of the Review Conference.

Information by all agencies about their involvement with the child/family should be submitted within the agreed child protection conference report proforma.  It should be legible and signed by the author of the report. The report should be available to the Child Protection Conference Chair two working days in advance of an initial child protection conference and in advance of five working days for a review child protection conference.  

Unless deemed inappropriate, all agencies are responsible for sharing/discussing their report with the parents and, to the extent that it is believed to be in their interests, to older children, at least two working days in advance of the Initial Conferences and a minimum of five working days before review conferences to enable any factual errors to be corrected and the family to comment on the content. 

If any professional does not feel it is appropriate to share/discuss their report with the family before the conference the report must state the reason for this decision clearly and this must be discussed and agreed by the Child Protection Conference Chair in good time before the two, or five day, deadline for sharing the report with the family. In these circumstances the professional should be clear to what extent information can be shared with the family within the conference.

Where there is more than one child in the family and there are different parents involved it is essential that a separate report is written for each child to avoid risk of a data breach occurring.

Children and family members should be helped in advance to consider what they wish to convey to the conference, how they wish to do so and what help and support they will require (e.g. they may choose to communicate in writing, by audio/video recordings or with the help of an advocate).

Families may need to be reminded that submissions should to be sufficiently succinct to allow proper consideration within the time constraints of the Child Protection Conference.

See Section 4, Involving Children and Family Members.

The Chair of a Child Protection Conference will be a children's social care manager or an independent Chair, accountable to the Director of Children's Services. They must not have or have had operational or line management responsibility for the case. Wherever possible, the same person should also chair subsequent child protection conferences in respect of a specific child. Independent Reviewing Officers who have had the necessary training and experience can also chair Child Protection Conferences.

If a decision is made that a child requires a child protection plan to safeguard their welfare, the Chair should ensure that:

• The risks to the child are stated and what is needed to change is specified;
• A qualified social worker is identified as a Lead social worker to develop, co-ordinate and implement the Child Protection Plan;
• A core group is identified of family members and professionals;
• A date is set for the first core group meeting within ten working days of the Initial Conference and timescales set for subsequent meetings;
• A date for the Child Protection Review Conference is set;
• The outline Child Protection Plan is formulated and clearly explained and understood by all concerned including the parents and, where appropriate, the child.

If the conference determines that a child does not need the specific assistance of a protection plan but does need help to promote their welfare, the Chair must ensure that:

• The conference draws up a child in need plan or makes appropriate recommendations for a plan;
• The conference considers any local protocols in place referred to as 'step down procedures' or Family Group Conference processes.

In exceptional circumstances, the Chair is responsible for ensuring that decisions are made which, in the opinion of the Chair, most clearly reflect the best interests and wellbeing of the child and these procedures. On this basis, the Chair has the power to veto, or override, the decision of the professionals at the child protection conference. Contrary to the majority decision, the Chair may decide to make the child subject to a Child Protection Plan where, in their opinion, the criteria for significant harm are met, or equally decide not to do so. Were such an event to occur the Child Protection Chair must fully record their reasons for doing so within the child protection minutes and remind all professionals present within the conference they have the right to dissent and to have this recorded within the Child Protection minutes. They should also be reminded by the Child Protection Chair of their right to escalate their concerns via the Pan Berkshire Resolving Professional Difference of Opinion and Escalation Procedure.

The conference should consider the following question when determining whether a child requires a Multi-Agency Child Protection Plan:

• Has the child suffered significant harm? and
• Is the child likely to suffer significant harm in the future?

The test for likelihood of suffering harm in the future should be that either:

• The child can be shown to have suffered maltreatment or impairment of health or development as a result of neglect or physical, emotional or sexual abuse, and professional judgement is that further ill-treatment or impairment is likely; or
• A professional judgement, substantiated by the findings of enquiries in this individual case or by research evidence, predicts that the child is likely to suffer maltreatment or the impairment of health and development as a result of neglect or physical, emotional or sexual abuse.

If a child is likely to suffer significant harm, then they will require multi-agency help and intervention delivered through a formal Child Protection Plan.

The primary purposes of this plan are to:

• Ensure the child is safe from harm and prevent him or her from suffering further harm;
• Promote the child's health and development; and
• Support the family and wider family members to safeguard and promote the welfare of their child, in the best interests of the child.

If a decision is taken that the child has suffered, or is likely to suffer Significant Harm and hence in need of a Child Protection Plan, the Chair should determine which category of abuse or neglect the child has suffered or is likely to suffer. The category used (that is physical, emotional, sexual abuse or neglect, see Recognising Abuse and Neglect Procedure for definitions) will indicate to those consulting the child's social care record the primary presenting concerns at the time the child became the subject of a Child Protection Plan.

The need for a child protection plan should be considered separately in respect of each child in the family or household.

Where a child is to be the subject of a Child Protection Plan, the conference is responsible for recommendations on how agencies, professionals and the family should work together to ensure that the child will be safeguarded from harm in the future. This should enable both professionals and the family to understand exactly what is expected of them and what they can expect of others.

The outline Child Protection Plan should:

• Describe specific, achievable, child-focused outcomes intended to safeguard each child;
• Describe the types of services required by each child (including family support) to promote their welfare;
• Set a timescale for the completion of the assessment, if appropriate;
• Identify any specialist assessments of each child and the family that may be required to ensure that sound judgements are being / can be made on how best to safeguard each child and promote their welfare;
• Clearly identify roles and responsibilities of professionals and family members, including the nature and frequency of contact by professionals with children and family members;
• Identify the resource implications for each agency as far as possible and determine the agency representation, who can commit agency resources, to the first core group meeting;
• Lay down points at which progress will be reviewed, the means by which progress will be judged and who will monitor this;
• Develop a robust contingency plan to respond if the family is unable to make the required changes and the child continues to be at risk of significant harm (e.g. recommend the consideration of legal action and the circumstances which would trigger this).

The conference should use the same decision-making process to reach a judgement for when a protection plan is no longer needed as is required when initially placing them on plans. This includes situations where other multi-agency planning might need to replace a protection plan.

A child may no longer need a child protection plan if:

• The outcome of a review child protection conference is that the child is no longer likely to suffer significant harm and no longer requires safeguarding by means of a Child Protection Plan. It is best practice to have discussed this recommendation within the preceding Core Group;
• The child has moved permanently to another local authority. However, a Child Protection Plan can only cease after the receiving authority has convened a Transfer Child Protection Conference and confirmed in writing responsibility for case management;
• The child has reached eighteen years of age, has died or it has been clearly established that they have permanently left the UK (in these circumstances the relevant Authority within this Country must be notified).

It is permissible for the Child Protection manager to agree to discontinuing a Child Protection Plan without the need to convene a Child Protection Review Conference only when:

• One or other of the latter two criteria in the paragraph above are satisfied; and
• The manager has consulted with relevant agencies present at the conference that first concluded that a Child Protection Plan was required;
• Or the reason the child protection plan was put into place clearly no longer applies e.g. the death of a perpetrator of abuse, a subsequent police investigation concludes that the offence leading to the need for a child protection plan did not occur.

When the process carried out at in the paragraph above is followed, the consultation with other agencies and the decision to discontinue the Child Protection Plan must be clearly recorded in the children's social care child's record.

When a child is no longer subject of a Child Protection Plan, notification should be sent, as a minimum, to the agencies' representatives who were invited to attend the Initial Conference that created the plan.

When a Child Protection Plan is discontinued, the social worker must discuss with the parents and child/ren what services might be needed and required, based on the re-assessment of the needs of the child and family. A Child in Need Plan should be developed for any continuing support. It must remain open for a minimum of 3 months and be subject to management scrutiny and review before closure. Any exceptions to this must have senior management agreement. The plan should be reviewed at regular intervals of no more than every six weeks.  Professionals are reminded of the ability to escalate (see section below) if there is a difference of opinion regarding the decision to step down to Child in Need.

If there is a significant change within 3 months of the conference that removes a child's name from a Child Protection plan then a multi-agency strategy meeting should be convened, to determine whether a section 47 enquiry is necessary to enable the local authority to decide whether it should take any action to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child, for example, a CP conference should be held.

This is not an exhaustive list, but an example of a significant change could be:

• Relapse within the home;
• Pregnancy;
• Termination of pregnancy;
• Disclosure from parent/family member or child;
• New relationship / an adult moves into the family home;
• Disguised compliance / non engagement with the plan;
• Criminal Conviction.

To note, it is good practice that if a significant change of this nature has occurred at any point after a step down from a Child Protection Plan, you should consider a multi-agency strategy meeting.

The outline plan, signed by the Conference Chair, should be sent together with the decision from the child protection conference, to all those who attended or were invited to the conference, including the parents and where appropriate the child, within 24 hours of the conference. The information provided should give details of conference decisions and recommendations, the name of the social worker and details about the right to complain. Safety concerns should be considered when sending any documents to parents particularly in cases involving domestic abuse.

Each Local Authority should designate an experienced social care manager who has responsibility for:

• Ensuring that records on children who are subject of a Child Protection Plan are kept up to date;
• Ensuring enquiries about children about whom there are concerns or who are subject of Child Protection Plans are recorded and reviewed in the context of the child's known history;
• Managing notifications of movements of children who are subject of a Child Protection Plan, looked after children and other relevant children moving into or out of the local authority area;
• Managing notifications of people who may pose a risk of significant harm to children who are either identified within the local authority area or have moved into the local authority area;
• Managing requests for local authority checks to be made to ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children. E.g. prospective child minders, foster carers etc.

Information on each child known to children's social care should be kept up-to-date on the electronic record system. This information should be confidential but accessible at all times to legitimate enquirers. The details of enquirers should always be checked and recorded on the system before information is provided.