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Author: Fiona Armfield
Lead Independent Reviewing Officer West Hampshire
Clarendon House
Monarch Way
Winchester
SO22 5PW
Mobile Contact Number 07540 930 259

Guidance Framework
Working Together 2013 is the overarching guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and informs the 4 LSCB procedures of Hampshire, the IOW, Portsmouth and Southampton. In addition each agency have their own internal safeguarding procedures their staff are expected to work to.
As part of your learning with respect child protection conferences it is useful to locate the guidance about child protection conferences in both Working Together and the 4 LSCB procedures. You should also ensure that you are fully conversant with your agency procedures and protocols.
The Child Protection Conference
The initial child protection conference is convened under the LSCB procedures to determine whether a child protection plan is required to safeguard the child. Regular review child protection conferences are held whenever a child protection plan is implemented to measure the progress made and to determine whether or not the threshold for continuation of the plan is met. Conferences will include the family, children (where appropriate) and all of those professionals most involved in working with them.
All professionals invited to child protection conferences have a responsibility to contribute towards:-
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the sharing of relevant information
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the assessment of risk
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the decision making regarding whether or not a child protection plan is needed
 effective planning and service delivery designed to safeguard the child.
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Stage 1 – Preparation
The key to contributing effectively to a child protection conference is preparation.
You must:
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Identify the written recordings and evidence from which you will be working in order to complete your conference report.
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Ensure you are using the LSCB approved template for child protection conferences. You will find this on the website.
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Complete your written report, paying close attention to matters which relate to the child and their welfare, how well their parents relate to them, care for them, engage with you, the presentation of both the child and the parent separately and together etc, any notable developmental delay or difficulties that the child has etc.
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Always include/advocate for what the child feels/thinks, if they have shared anything with you.
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Always use evidence of factual data or of what you have heard, experienced and/or observed to form the basis of your professional opinions, be specific, detailed and clear.
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Ensure that you have given due consideration to outlining the risk analysis in your report. This section will be very important to the chair and to other professionals at the meeting.
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Ensure that you complete the report in time to share it with the parents well in advance of the conference and have them sign it/comment on it.
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Ensure that you send the final report to the conference chair 24 hours in advance of the conference meeting.
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Print enough copies of your report to take with you to the conference meeting, usually 15.
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Ensure your diary is sufficiently well planned that you arrive at the conference 15 minutes prior to the start time to read the other reports.
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Stage 2 – Presentation
Having prepared thoroughly for the conference meeting you will be in the best position to make an effective presentation of the information you bring.
You must:
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Understand that you have been invited to the conference because you have an important contribution to make. This is in relation to all of the children being considered, not just the child/children you know.
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Always prioritise attendance at conferences or ask someone else to cover for you if you can not attend.
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Speak to the Chair about anything you feel is important for them to know that may affect the chairing of the meeting before the meeting starts.
 Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are unsure of anything.
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Ask for a confidential slot at the beginning of the meeting if you have pertinent information it is critical the parents must not know, i.e. – to protect the anonymity of someone, for safety reasons or because releasing the information to the parents might prejudice an ongoing investigation.
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Ensure everyone knows who you are during the introductions, which agency you represent and who in the family you bring information about.
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Have a thorough recollection and understanding of the information presented in your report and be prepared to highlight the salient points verbally and/or any additional information not contained within it.
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Never leave important information out because you want to maintain a good working relationship with the parents. Your first priority is always to the protection of the child.
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Make sure you feedback is open, honest and balanced in that it refers to both positive/protective factors and risks or concerns.
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Never come to the meeting with your mind made up, you can not make any final judgements until you have heard all of the information.
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Listen carefully to the other professional information shared. Make brief notes of those factors which are positive and those which are negative for reference at the end of the meeting.
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Ask questions of others to clarify and/or add context to important points.
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Never leave pertinent information until the end of the meeting or leave the meeting with information unshared.
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Stage 3 – Decision Making
Having prepared well, listened and presented effectively at conference you will in the best position to arrive at a decision.
You must:
 Listen carefully to the chair’s summary, they will provide you with valuable information with which to make your decision.
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Be prepared to give a decision about whether the child/children require a child protection plan. Consider all children subject to the child protection conference, not just the child/children you know.
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Ask the chair to go to another person if you are not yet ready to come to a decision and want to hear the opinions of others first.
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When you are ready to make your decision, make it in accordance with the threshold criteria and refer to the notes you have made. If you believe that the child likely to suffer significant harm then you should ask for a child protection plan, if you believe that they are not likely to suffer significant harm then you should say that a child protection plan is not needed. Child protection plans can not be agreed on any other grounds e.g. – the family will get more help.
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Give clear reasons for your decision and if you believe the child is at risk of significant harm say what category/categories of harm you believe they are at risk of and why, neglect, sexual abuse, physical abuse or emotional abuse.
 Don’t be afraid to give a different opinion or to disagree with other professionals.
The articulation of different views is helpful to the process of sound and balanced decision making and is often valued by others, including the chair.
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If your opinion differs from the final decision made and you feel strongly enough about this, you should ask that the minutes make a formal record that you
‘dissented.’
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Stage 4 – Planning
Having prepared well, presented effectively and contributed to sound decision making you will in the best position to play an active part in the planning process.
You must:
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Protect time in your diary to attend the core group meeting after the initial conference and core group meetings in between review conferences.
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Actively assist the initial core group to draw up the plan.
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Help to ensure that the plan targets all of the identified risks appropriately.
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Help to ensure that actions are specific, measurable, timely and that the person responsible for them is named.
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Be clear and proactive about what your role will be, what services your agency can provide, when they can be provided and what their purpose is.
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Use your own knowledge of other relevant services to make suggestions where relevant and helpful.
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Update review core groups regarding the action you have take against the plan and the engagement/progress of the family.
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Help to revise the plan at review core groups whenever the family circumstances change.
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Appendix – Risk Analysis Case Study
Risk Analysis and decision making are not specialist skills but skills that everyone can and should develop through practice.
Read this case study and using some of the learning from this pack so far to answer these questions, remember:-
What are the protective factors in this case?
What are the risks in this case?
What is the threshold for a child protection plan and is it met in this case? If so, why?
If the child is at risk of harm, what category of harm applies and why?
What might be included in a child protection plan?
*(Note to trainers – alternatively you could ask groups to identify the protective and risk factors in this case and then ask one group to make a case for a child protection plan and one group to make a case against it).*
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Appendix Risk Analysis Case Study
Casey and Sian White are aged 3 and 6 respectively and are children to Kayleigh and Scott
White. The family moved from Wembley to make a fresh start and have been housed in local council flats. The flat is adequate but cramped. The family have requested a transfer to live nearer to Kayleigh’s parents who they identify as being their main means of family support. The
Social Worker visited the home address and had no specific concerns about the property but noted it was sparsely furnished and there wasn’t much food in the fridge. Kayleigh said she was about to go and do the weekly shop.
This case came to conference following anonymous neighbourhood complaints about Kayleigh’s alcohol use, the children playing outside in cold weather with inadequate clothes and no shoes on and Casey being found on her own wandering unsupervised along a road near to the home address. Kayleigh does not work. She admits that she has had alcohol problems for a number of year, but never drank when she was pregnant. She has been clean for 8 weeks with only one
‘blip’. She is keen to engage in support services. When Casey wandered off, Kayleigh says she was not drunk, she was sitting in the outside garden with the children and got talking to a neighbour. Someone must have left the gate open because the next thing she knew, Sian was still playing on the swings but Casey had gone. It frightened her so much, she now never takes her eyes off them. Kayleigh disputes the claim that the children play outside without adequate clothes. She feels this is malicious as she has been having some difficulty with one or two families on the block. The estate manager is aware of the difficulties and has been dealing with them.
Her partner Scott has had mental health issues, but with medication he has been stable for 6 months, holds down a regular job and sees his GP for regular reviews. Dr Brown is pleased with his progress although Scott could be vulnerable in times of acute stress or change. Scott has been concerned about Kayleigh’s alcohol use and does not drink alcohol himself because it is incompatible with his medication. He has managed to get his work hours reduced so that in two months time he will get home at 2pm every day to check on Kayleigh. Scott also notes that if they c ould live closer to Kayleigh’s parents, they would also drop in regularly to check.
He is please that Kayleigh has stopped drinking and says she has never been so serious to stay off the booze. Scott gave her an ultimatum, she either stopped drinking or he would leave with the children. Last time he gave her this ultimatum she stayed off drink for 6 months and only had a few blips, it was a bereavement that started her up again, but she had still been trying to keep it more under control.
The Health Visitor and School Nurse note that neither Casey or Sian have had any immunisations and both need to be registered with a local dentist. Kayleigh says she will make sure this happens. The children have been registered in local education provisions and attend regularly.
Scott usually drops them off in the morning before going to work. Kayleigh usually picks them up, but is sometimes late. One day recently she forgot to pick Casey up from Nursery and had to be telephoned. Kayleigh says she was ill in bed and had overslept.
Casey loves going to Sunnyside Nursery and is described as a happy little girl who is friends with everyone. Casey particularly likes lots of cuddles and adult company. On 3 occasions recently
Casey has had a grimy face when being dropped off and had to be washed by the Nursery staff.
Sometime her clothes look tired and worn. Her coat was a summer one and not adequate for the cold weather, they raised this with the parents and it took them some time to replace it, but
Kayleig h’s mother then bought Casey a new coat which is appropriate.
Sian is a bright girl who likes to look after and mother other children at school. Sian has a good appetite, often having seconds of school dinners. She talks a lot about her younger sister who she clearly loves and cares about very much. Sian recently told her teacher that because her mummy is better now and doesn’t fall asleep as much daddy is less cross with her.
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