Child Protection Plans

The purpose of a child protection plan is to facilitate and make explicit a co-ordinated approach to:

• Ensure that each child in the household is safe and prevent them from suffering further harm;
• Promote the child's welfare, health and development;
• Provided it is in the best interests of the child, to support the family and wider family members to safeguard and promote the welfare of their child.

It must be clarified for parents:

• What the causes for concern are that have resulted in the decision that a child needs a child protection plan;
• What needs to change and contingency plans if not;
• What the intended outcomes of the intervention and services are;
• What is expected of them as part of the plan for safeguarding the child.

Review of progress on achieving the outcomes set out in the child protection plan and consideration as to whether changes need to be made should be an agenda item at each review conference and core group meeting. Contingency plans should be made, if there is no evidence of change in relation to the child's safety and welfare.

The lead social worker must ensure that there is a record of the core group meetings and must ensure that they formulate the detailed Child Protection Plan setting out timescales and expected outcomes for the child.

The child protection plan/agreement should take into consideration the wishes and feelings of the child, and the views of the parents, insofar as they are consistent with the child's welfare. The lead social worker should make every effort to ensure that the child/ren and parents have a clear understanding of the planned outcomes, that they accept the plan and are willing to work to it.

The completed child protection plan/agreement should be explained to the child in a manner which is in accordance with their age and understanding. The child should be given a copy of the plan written at a level appropriate to their age and understanding, and in their preferred language.

Professionals should ensure that the parents understand:

• The evidence of the child suffering significant harm, or likely significant harm, which resulted in the child becoming the subject of a child protection plan;
• What needs to change;
• What is expected of them in the plan to safeguard the child.

If the parents' preferences have not been accepted in the plan/agreement about how best to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child, the reasons for this should be explained. Parents should be told about their right to complain and make representations, and how to do so.

All parties should be clear about the respective roles and responsibilities of family members and different agencies in implementing the child protection plan/agreement.

Copies of the notes and the written agreement should be circulated to core group members within five working days of the core group meeting. Implementation of the child protection plan must begin immediately.

Any disagreements should have been discussed at the core group meeting, recorded with reasons and reflected appropriately in the written plan/agreement. It is permissible to rely on electronic signatures or emails confirming acceptance of an agency's responsibilities under the Child Protection Plan, but all such signatures and emails must be collected in the child's social care record.

The Child Protection Plan/agreement should also be on the adult service user's record if the parent is known to adult social care or health services.

All agencies are responsible for the implementation of the child protection plan and all professionals must ensure they are able to deliver their commitments or, if not possible, that these are re-negotiated.

The core group is responsible for the detailed formulation and implementation of the child protection plan, previously outlined at the conference. Agencies should ensure that members of the core group undertake their roles and responsibilities effectively in accordance with the agreed child protection plan.

All members of the core group are jointly responsible for:

• Collecting information to assist the lead social worker in completing the assessment;
• Participating in the compilation and analysis of the assessment;
• The formulation and implementation of the detailed child protection plan, specifying who should do what, by when;
• Carrying out their part in implementing the plan including the commitment of identified resources;
• Monitoring and evaluating progress against specified outcomes for the child of the detailed child protection plan;
• Making recommendations to subsequent review conferences about future protection plans and the child's needs being met stipulating specific outcomes;
• Attending core group meetings and reviewing progress to ensure that there is no drift in achieving the aims of the Child Protection Plan;
• The core group must ensure that the child protection plan sets out the frequency for all core group members to see the child and the frequency of all contacts;
• All action points must be clearly recorded, analysis of the risk of harm to the child should be made and all the information should be shared with the lead social worker and the core group. All core group members are responsible for keeping a record of the outcome of the meeting.

If the lead social worker or any other involved professional has difficulty obtaining direct access to the child, the Children's social care manager/child protection adviser should be informed, as well as other core group members. This must result in a plan of action agreed between core group members and the police including consideration of convening a review conference.

Membership of the core group will have been identified at the initial child protection conference and must include:

• The lead social worker/first-line manager. Which one of these professionals chairs/leads the core group is dependent on the complexity of the case;
• The child if appropriate;
• Parents and relevant family members;
• Professionals involved with the child and/or parent;
• Foster carers or residential care staff who will have direct contact with the family.

Core groups are an important forum for working with parents, wider family members, and children of sufficient age and understanding. Where there are conflicts of interest between family members in the work of the core group, the child's best interests should always take precedence.

The date of the first core group meeting must be within ten working days of the initial child protection conference. After that, the core group should meet within six weeks of the first meeting and at a minimum frequency of once every two months following the first review conference. More regular meetings may be required according to the needs and age of the child.

The first core group meeting date must be arranged at the end of the conference, along with the required frequency of subsequent meetings.

Dates for future meetings must be agreed at the first core group meeting following each conference. Where a meeting needs to be rescheduled, this must be confirmed in writing to all concerned by the lead social worker.