Have a difficult time figuring out how to protect your child or children from dangers or situations that give them a hard time? Here is a solution for you: Basically, this article entails what an initial child protection conference is all about, the scoring, & what happens after coming up with a plan.
Child Protection Conference
A Child Protection Conference is a discussion regarding a child’s future safety, health, and development amongst family members, the child, and experts working with the family.
In other words, this is a multi-agency gathering that the local government has organized. The meeting brings together you and all of the experts who are already working with your child, for example, your child’s social worker, health visitor, teacher, etc., to discuss your child’s situation. Other professionals, such as the police or a pediatrician, can occasionally come as well.
A child protection conference director will organize the meeting. This individual will be distinct from the social work team that investigated your child’s condition. The chairperson’s responsibility is to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and that you have an opportunity to express yourself. The chairperson will meet with you before the conference to clarify the meeting’s procedure and address any issues you may have.
Is It Necessary For Me To Attend The Child Protection Conference?
It is critical that you attend the child protection conference and take notes beforehand to help you articulate what you believe is best for your child and what assistance you require to care for them. Generally, you can bring someone to the conference with you, such as a family member, to assist you in remembering what you want to say and also to help you recall the conclusion at the last meeting afterward. While it is not customary to bring a solicitor to a Child Protection Conference, and legal aid is unlikely to be available, you should consult a solicitor if you believe you will require representation at the meeting for any reason, such as complex or disputed medical evidence or an ongoing criminal investigation.
Are My Children Going To Be Included At The Child Protection Conference?
If your child is of appropriate age (often 10 or older), they may be in demand to attend the conference. The head will determine whether your child will attend the entire meeting or just a portion of it based on the needed information. Your child’s perspective is important, and he or she should reach out to a children’s advocate, whose role it is to assist children in communicating what they have and what they require. If your child does not wish to attend the conference, the advocate may accompany them. Whether an advocate is in it or not, communicating your child’s thoughts and perspectives is critical to the social worker’s job.
Is It Possible For The Child Protection Conference To Take My Child Away From Me?
Please keep in mind that the child protection conference cannot take your child away from you. This can occur only if you consent or if the Court issues an order authorizing the removal of your child. However, if Social Services believe your child’s condition is not improving and your child remains at risk, they may convene a legal planning meeting to determine whether they should petition the Court to take your child from your care. If they do this, they will usually write to inform you, and you should promptly consult an attorney.
What Is The Purpose of The Conference On Child Protection?
The purpose of the conference is to review all pertinent information presented by all attendees and determine what should happen next.
- If those present believe your child is (or may become) vulnerable to harm in the future, they must develop a child protection plan. This plan will specify what you have to do and by whom to ensure your child’s future safety and well-being. The plan should detail how professionals will recognize when your child’s situation is improving. The plan will be reviewed after three months and after six months to determine whether your child’s situation has improved.
- If those present believe that your child is not at risk of harm but still needs further assistance, specialists may advise a lesser level of participation, such as a child in need plan, or the establishment of other support services.
- The plan should be explicit about what is required of you and what you can anticipate from others who will assist you in improving your child’s circumstances. If you are unsure or unsure of what you need to do or do differently, request a written explanation from the social worker following the conference and, if necessary, consult an attorney.
What Is A Child Protection Conference?
A child protection conference is called when social services or another organization that works with your children believes your children are in substantial danger of harm and that further help for you, your family, or your children is necessary to guarantee their safety.
The meeting will be led by a child protection consultant who is unfamiliar with how you or your family manages your daily needs. The child protection supervisor’s role is to ensure that any decisions or plans made at the child protection conference are extremely well thought out and that everyone has an opportunity to speak.
The objective of the meeting is to ensure that everyone knows your children’s worries and is clear about what is going well.
Who Will Be Present At This Meeting?
Where applicable, members of your family and any professional agency working with your children will attend. Agencies that are involved in child protection (such as the police) will be there as well, even if they have not dealt directly with you or your family.
It is critical that you attend these sessions; thus, if you wish to bring someone to assist you, please notify either the chief executive or your social worker.
Whenever possible, all adults who play a significant role in the child’s life will have to attend the meeting. While this may not always be possible, the CPC has the last say on who attends or does not attend the conference.
At this conference, information will be sent out to any adult who plays a significant role in the child/life. This information will be open to all participating agencies. It is critical that this information remain private for individuals attending and not be released in any form outside of the conference.
How Long Will My Child Be In Protection Under A Child Protection Plan?
Typically, a child needs a child protection plan for a maximum of two years. By that point, the work with the family has typically shown that the child is no longer at risk. In a tiny proportion of cases where there is no improvement, the court may be in the quest to intervene.
Working With Children Who Have Child Protection Plans
If your child becomes the subject of a child protection plan, it indicates that the network of agencies believes he or she is a danger of serious damage in one or more of the following four categories:
- Physical mutilation
- Sexual exploitation
- Emotional exploitation
- Neglect
If a kid is the subject of a child protection plan, a social worker may make both scheduled and unscheduled home visits to ascertain the child’s well-being. Now let us go over to child protection conference scoring.
Child Protection Conference Scoring
In child protection conference scoring, before the commencement of the meeting, the child protection coordinator will greet you, and walk you through the conference’s procedures. They will also verify that you have read all pertinent reports and that there are no factual inaccuracies. The meeting’s professionals will be in another room reading the reports you have already seen. This is called a pre-meet.
The professionals will join you in the conference room, and they will ask everyone to provide any information they have; which the child protection coordinator will record on a whiteboard. They will also ask Everyone to provide their information in a non-discriminatory and polite manner.
In a child protection conference, once they deliver all of the information, they will ask each participant to rate the presentation on a scale of 0 to 10. This is a sliding scale, with a value of 0 indicating no safety and 10 indicating maximum safety. This is referred to as the “Safety Scale.”
As a consequence of the information supplied and the safety score in the child protection conference scoring, a plan will be developed, and a determination will be made as to whether the plan should be a child in need of a child protection plan. If they determine that the best method to assist you is through a child protection plan; then there will be a determination regarding the title that this plan will bear. Essex uses the same four titles (categories) as the rest of the country. There are four types of abuse: physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect. During child protection conference scoring, your child protection coordinator will discuss the distinctions between child protection and child-in-need plans and their involvement in determining this decision. Additionally, they will discuss the four categories during your pre-meet.
What Happens After The Meeting?
Whether they decide it to be a child protection plan or a child in need plan; there will be more additional meetings. The objective of these meetings will be open to your social worker and the protection coordinator.
Now let us see what happens after the child protection plan
What Happens After Child Protection Plan
To comprehend what happens after a child protection plan; the attendees will develop a plan to safeguard their child this is referred to as a ‘child protection plan. Then determine who is eligible to attend a child protection conference.
Furthermore, a social worker will provide you with a copy of the plan. If the plan is modified later, you should obtain copies of the modifications.
Check What’s In The Child Protection Plan.
The child protection plan entails the following:
- Why your child requires a plan
- What you should do to safeguard your child
- How much assistance you will receive from social workers at your local council
- What will occur if you do not adhere to the plan
- Who to contact for additional information
The plan will contain any critical dates, such as child protection review conferences, to ascertain how things are progressing. These will occur every three to six months if social workers believe they are necessary.
What Happens When Ending A Child Protection Plan
When one of the following events occurs, just know that this is what happens when the child protection plan comes to an end:
- The plan’s creators determine that your child is no longer in pain or at risk of serious injury.
- When your child reaches the age of eighteen
- Your child relocates to another country
If You Are Relocating To Another Local Council Area
Contact the municipality in which your new residence is located. Inform them that you are relocating to the area and that a child protection plan covers your child. This will ensure that your child continues to receive the protection they require after you relocate.
The local council will convene a conference on child protection to determine the next steps.
If The Child Protection Strategy Is Not Working
If the people who created the plan believe it is insufficient to keep your child safe, your local council may seek a care order from the court. Also, if they obtain a care order, your child may be removed from your care.
If You’re Not Good With The Child Protection Plan
You should speak with a social worker about the reasons for your dissatisfaction with the child protection plan. You may be dissatisfied with a child protection plan if you believe:
- Your child does not need a plan.
- It should not encompass the contents.
- It excludes services that your family may require.
If you remain dissatisfied following your consultation with a social worker, you should seek legal assistance from an expert; in seeking what happens after a child protection plan
An Initial Child Protection Conference
The Initial Child Protection Program brings together family members, the child, friends/family, and the professionals who work most closely with the child and family to share information, assess risks, and develop an agreed-upon management and service plan with the child’s safety and welfare as the primary goal. When it is determined that a child continues to suffer or is in danger of experiencing Significant Harm, an Initial Child Protection Conference must be held.
The conference must include all of the children in the household, even if just one child is the subject of concern. If a child or children are not to be the subject of a conference; the social worker’s report must express the reasons explicitly.
The Children’s Social Care Manager is accountable for authorizing the convening of an Initial Child Protection conference and documenting the grounds for convening the conference. Considering the above explanation, here are some of the duties included in the initial child protection conference:
- To discuss and evaluate information on the family’s history, the child’s health, development, and functioning, as well as the parent’s or competent caregiver’s; Protect the child’s safety and promote his or her well-being in a multi-agency setting;
- To weigh the facts and reach an opinion regarding the possibility that the child may experience Significant Harm in the future, as well as to determine whether the child continues to face Significant Harm;
- Determine if the child continues to face a significant risk of harm; if so, the type of harm and whether an interagency Child Protection Plan is in need
- Scheduling the initial Core Group meeting within ten working days of the Initial Conference
- To schedule the Conference on Child Protection Review
Timing Of Initial Child Protection Conference
The Initial Child Protection Conference should occur within 15 working days of the following:
- Strategy Discussion, or, in the case of several discussions, the Strategy Discussion during which the Section 47 inquiry was commenced; or
- Notification in writing by another local government agency that a child subject to a Child Protection Plan has relocated to the region.
The Initial Child Protection Conference may be delayed in extraordinary circumstances, such as extensive inquiries or prenatal exams. Any such delay must be approved in writing by the Team Manager of the Children’s Social Care team (including the reason for the delay), who must arrange for notification of all relevant agencies, monitor danger to the child, and implement an interim plan to safeguard the child.
Conclusion
The purpose of conferences should be to establish/confirm the nationality and immigration status of children and families on a routine basis. This will ensure that, where necessary, families may receive immigration guidance and assistance. Additionally, if they have been awarded pre-settled status as EU / EEA nationals under the EU Settlement Scheme, practitioners will be able to assist them in applying for settled status once they have accumulated five years of continuous residence in the UK.
Child Protection Conference FAQ
What is initial child protection conference UK?
A Child Protection Conference is a discussion regarding a child’s future safety, health, and development among family members, the child, and experts working with the family.
What happens after a child protection plan?
To comprehend what should be done following a child protection conference, the attendees will develop a plan to safeguard their child, this is referred to as a ‘child protection plan.’ Then determine who is eligible to attend a child protection conference.
What is the most common reason for child protection plan?
The most common reason for a child protection plan is because the meeting is to ensure that everyone knows your child’s worries and is clear about what is going well.
Whose responsibility is it to ensure a protection plan is followed?
The Children’s Social Care Manager is accountable for authorizing the convening of an Initial Child Protection Conference; for documenting the grounds for convening the conference.
