3.1.8 Child Protection Review Conferences

Contents

1. Purpose 
2. Frequency 
3. Reports 
4. Attendance 
5. Administration 
6. Outcomes 
7. Discontinuing the Child Protection Plan
8. Minutes 

1. Purpose

The primary purpose of a Child Protection Review Conference is to determine whether the child remains at continuing risk of Significant Harm and hence continues to require safeguarding through a Child Protection Plan.

The same decision making procedure should be used to reach a judgement as is used at the Initial Child Protection Conference and the same quorum for attendance is required.

In order to arrive at this decision the conference will:

• Receive and consider reports from key professionals and agencies. 
• Review the effectiveness of the Child Protection Plan and the safety, health and development of the child against the agreed outcomes set out in the Plan.
• Consider the child’s wishes and feelings
• Analyse information about the parent’s capacity to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare
• Examine the current level of risk
• Determine the need for further assessment
• Check that inter-agency co-ordination is functioning effectively 
• Consider if the child’s need for safeguarding can be met without a Child Protection Plan in place.

The conference must consider all the children in the household, even if concerns are only being expressed about one child.

If the Child Protection Plan continues, the Categories of Abuse or Neglect must be reviewed.

If the child no longer requires a Child Protection Plan, the conference should consider whether the child would benefit from a Child in Need Plan and who is responsible for the co-ordination and implementation of the plan and how it will be reviewed on a regular basis – see Section 7, Discontinuing the Child Protection Plan.

2. Frequency

1. The first Review Conference should be held within 3 months of the date of the Initial Child Protection Conference
2. Further reviews must be held at intervals of not more than 6 months, for as long as the child requires a Child Protection Plan.
3. Where an unborn child has been identified as requiring a Child Protection Plan at a pre-birth conference, the first Review Conference should be scheduled to take place within 1 month of the child’s birth unless this would exceed the 3 months timescale. 
4. An early Review Conference should be convened in the following circumstances:
   

   If the Child Protection Plan is failing to protect the child or of there are significant difficulties in carrying out the Plan Where a person considered to be a risk to children is to join or commences regular contact with children in the household Where 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 Where a child with a Child Protection Plan is Looked After and consideration is being given to returning the child to the circumstances where the child was considered at continuing risk of Significant Harm (unless this step is anticipated in the existing Child Protection Plan).

3. Keyworker’s Report

The Keyworker should provide a typed, signed and dated report including a chronology of significant events and the views of parents, carers and children, using the relevant Pro Forma. This must be endorsed and counter signed by his or her manager. This report must be forwarded to the Conference Chairperson five working days before the Review Conference. 

Information on all children in the household must be provided and the report should be clear about which children are the subjects of the conference. 

The Conference will require as part of the report: 

• A review of the effectiveness of the Child Protection Plan and an evaluation of the progress made in reducing the risk of significant harm to the child.
• A summary of the findings and the analysis of Core Assessment, together with any specialist assessments that have been commissioned.
• Views of parents, carers and children of work undertaken.
• A view from the Core Group as to whether or not the child continues to be at continuing risk of significant harm and in need of a Child Protection Plan
• Recommendations for the Child Protection Plan should it be the decision of the conference that the child is at continuing risk of Significant Harm

The report should be provided to parents and children (to the extent that it is believed to be in their interests) sufficiently in advance, but at least five days before the Child Protection Review Conference.  This will enable parents and children to understand the concerns, prepare for the conference and seek legal advice and/or support as preferred.  Any factual inaccuracies should be identified and the report amended accordingly and areas of disagreement noted.  Comments or suggestions made by the child/parents as a result of seeing the report must be included or conveyed verbally to the conference.

In exceptional circumstances where confidential information cannot be shared with the child or parent(s) beforehand, the Keyworker should seek guidance from the manager, who may wish to consult the Conference Chairperson.

Where necessary, the report should be translated into the relevant language or medium, taking account of the language and any sensory or learning difficulties of the child/parents.

All contributors should provide a typed report to the conference which should be made available to those attending, preferably in advance of the conference.

4.  Attendance

Attendees should include the child, the parents, their supporters/advocates and those most involved with the child and family in the same way as at an Initial Child Protection Conference. 

The social worker’s manager and the Conference Chairperson have significant roles to play in ensuring that the participation of children in Child Protection Conferences is always actively considered. 

See Sections 4 to 8 of the Initial Child Protection Conferences Procedure

This is consistent with the recommendations of the West Midlands Safeguarding Children Network in relation to Improving the Participation of Children in Child Protection.

5.  Administration

Members of the Initial Child Protection Conference will be informed at the end of the Conference of the date of the Review Conference. This will be recorded in the minutes and confirmed in writing nearer the date of the review

Each Child Protection Review Conference will set the date for the next review, where the Child Protection Plan continues and note this date in the minutes.

Any dissenting views or disagreements with this decision will be recorded in the minutes.

6. Outcomes

Every Review should consider explicitly whether the child continues to be at risk of Significant Harm and therefore continues to need safeguarding through a Child Protection Plan. 

If so, the child will continue to be subject to a Child Protection Plan and the Keyworker and Core Group will continue to have responsibility for its implementation in accordance with the Implementing the Child Protection Plan Procedure.

If not, then the child should no longer have a Child Protection Plan – see Section 7, Discontinuing the Child Protection Plan.  However, in such circumstances, the Child Protection Review Conference may consider that there is a need for further services and recommend their provision either under a Child in Need Plan or within the Common Assessment Framework process.

7. Discontinuing the Child Protection Plan

A child should no longer be the subject of a Child Protection Plan in the following circumstances:

1. It is judged that the child is no longer at continuing risk of Significant Harm requiring safeguarding by means of a Child Protection Plan (e.g. the likelihood of harm has been reduced by action taken through the Child Protection Plan; the child and family’s circumstances have changed; or reassessment of the child and family indicates that a Child Protection Plan is not necessary). Under these circumstances, only a Child Protection Review Conference can decide that the Child Protection Plan is no longer necessary.
   
2. The child has moved permanently to another local authority area. In such cases, the receiving local authority should convene a Child Protection Conference within 15 working days of being notified of the move.  Only after this event may discontinuing the Child Protection Plan take place in respect of the original local authority’s Child Protection Plan.
   See Children Moving Across Local Authority Boundaries Procedure
   
3. The child has reached the age of 18 years
   
4. The child has died
   
5. The child has permanently left the UK.  In which case all reasonable efforts will be made to liaise with relevant agencies in the receiving country

In the case of the second and fifth criteria listed above, it is permissible for the Designated Manager (Children with a Child Protection Plan) to discontinue a Child Protection Plan without the need to convene a Child Protection Review Conference only when s/he has consulted with relevant agencies present at the conference which first decided that a Child Protection Plan was required, in which case the decision and the outcome of the consultation should be recorded in the child protection section of the child’s file.

When a Child Protection Plan is discontinued as a result of a Child Protection Review Conference decision, notification should be sent, as a minimum, to all those agencies’ representatives involved with the child and those who were invited to attend the Child Protection Conference that led to the Child Protection Plan.

The Conference Chairperson should also write to the parents and the child (depending on his/her age and understanding) advising them/confirming the decision. 

A child who is no longer subject to a Child Protection Plan may still require additional support and services and discontinuing the Child Protection Plan should never lead to the automatic withdrawal of services – see Section 6, Outcomes.

8.  Minutes

The record of the conference is a crucial working document for all relevant professionals and the family.

All conferences will be minuted by a person whose sole task within the conference is to provide a written record of proceedings in a consistent format.  The Conference Chairperson is responsible for ensuring that the minutes accurately reflect the discussion held and decision and recommendations made.

Conference minutes should include:

1. Name, date of birth, ethnicity and address of the subject/s of the conference, parents/carers and other adults in the household
2. Invitees, attendees and apologies
3. Any breaks in the Conference and anyone leaving or joining the meeting
4. The reason for the conference
5. A list of reports available to conference and whether open to parents or not
6. A summary of the information shared and discussion
7. Views and wishes of each child
8. Views of parents/carers
9. Opinions of agencies/professionals on the risk of continuing significant harm and the need for a Child Protection Plan.
10. The decision whether a Child Protection Plan continues to be required, with information outlining the reasons and, where appropriate, the Categories of Abuse or Neglect
11. The outline Child Protection Plan, any Child in Need Plan or a plan for support under the Common Assessment Framework process
12. The name of the Keyworker, if the child continues to have a Child Protection Plan, or Lead Professional
13. Members of the Core Group if the child continues to have a Child Protection Plan and date of first meeting
14. Date of next Child Protection Review Conference

All reports submitted to the conference will be appended to the minutes, subject to confidentiality and relevance, which should be determined by the Conference Chairperson.

Where the decision of the conference is that the child continues to be in need of a Child Protection Plan, details of the category of abuse or neglect, recommendations for the Child Protection Plan, the name of the keyworker and Core Group membership should be recorded and circulated to all those invited to attend the conference within ONE working day.  Similarly, if a decision is made that the child does not require a Child Protection Plan, but the family is in need of ongoing multi agency support, then the name of the Lead Professional/social worker and the recommendations for the Child in Need Plan should be circulated within one working day.

The minutes of the conference, signed by the Conference Chairperson, will be sent to all professionals who attended, or were invited, and to relevant family members (except for any part of the conference from which they were excluded) within 10 working days of the conference.

Minutes relating to “closed sessions” should only be distributed to those who were present during the closed session.

Extreme care should be taken to ensure the secure delivery of the minutes.  Where postal services are not reliable they should be delivered by hand.  This is the responsibility of the key worker.  Electronic systems should only be used where they are known to be secure. 

Copies of the minutes should be given to the parents and the child by the keyworker in person who should explain and discuss to facilitate understanding.

Where parents and/or the child/ren have a sensory disability or where English is not their first language, steps must be taken to ensure that they can understand and make full use of the minutes.

Where a parent or child has been fully excluded from the conference, the decision on what information they should receive will be taken by the Conference Chairperson in consultation with other conference members.

Where a supporter, solicitor, other family member or observer has attended a conference, the minutes will not be distributed to them unless they have a role in the Child Protection Plan and the conference agrees it appropriate.

Conference minutes are confidential and should not be passed to third parties, professional or otherwise, unless there is legal justification to do so.

Where there are ongoing criminal proceedings, there may need to be consultation between the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to the sharing of the minutes.

The recipient agencies and professionals should retain the minutes of the Child Protection Conference in a manner which ensures their confidentiality and in accordance with their agency’s record retention policy.  Agencies should determine who should have access to the minutes – usually this will be restricted to relevant staff, their manager and any person who has a role in the Child Protection Plan. 

Minutes should not be reproduced without the permission of the Conference Chair.

Following the discontinuation of the Child Protection Plan, the central copy of the minutes will be retained in accordance with local procedure.

Children (if of sufficient age and understanding) and/or parents on their behalf may have the right of access to their records held by the Children and Young People’s Services.  Access can be refused if it is likely to result in serious harm to some-one or on other limited grounds, but where the criteria for refusal do not apply, the Designated Manager (Children with a Child Protection Plan) may decide to release the open access sections of the conference minutes without any further checks with professional colleagues.  The closed access section of the minutes will not be released without full consultation with all parties.  However, time and events often overtake the significance of closed access, for example where court proceedings have taken place and evidence has been exchanged, and withholding access may not be justified.  There will be a presumption in favour of disclosure although while Court proceedings are ongoing, there may be legal grounds for refusing access.

End