Brent Children and Families Social Care Locality Service and Care Planning Standards in Child Protection Work for social workers and managers These standards apply to child protection work, for cases which progress from point of referral through to working with children with a child protection plan. The standards are all drawn from the London Child Protection Procedures and outline required practice. Key Framework I actions are included at relevant points. This document is intended to provide a concise guide for social workers and managers, to highlight and reinforce existing practice requirements at key stages in working with children in need of protection. For more detailed guidance or requirements on any aspects of child protection work, please refer to the London Child Protection Procedure, 4 th edition; Brent policies and procedures; and consult managers and the child protection adviser. For more detailed guidance on Framework I required actions, please see guidance on Framework I Procedural Help section. Key principles underpinning work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children: The child should be seen by the practitioner and kept in focus throughout work with the child and family. The child s voice should be heard and account taken of their wishes and feelings. The purpose of all interventions should be to achieve the best possible outcomes for each child, recognising that each child is unique. Effective practice with children and families requires sound professional judgements that are underpinned by a rigorous evidence base and draw on the practitioner s knowledge and experience. (Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2010) Operational Standard Timescale Responsibility ICS/Framework I required action Referral received decide next course of action. Within one working day of initial contact Duty manager and social worker Where an assessment is needed the following outcomes should be Child and Family Assessment (CFA) and if there are child protection concerns and threshold is met select the outcome of Strategy Discussion. NB: for sibling groups, record the referral under the name of the CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 1
All suspected, alleged or actual crime and any allegation of sexual abuse, against a child must be referred to the police CAIT. The referral must be made and confirmed (following a telephone discussion) by secure email on police form 87A. This paves the way for a strategy discussion, to be initiated by social care manager. Whenever there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, the social care manager must initiate a strategy discussion or meeting with police; plus consider involvement of any other agencies, including referring agency, which hold information relevant to the concerns about the child. It is essential to involve health consultant where children have had health treatment. Participants in strategy discussions/meetings should be sufficiently senior to make decisions on behalf of their agencies. If there is insufficient information to make a decision about initiating a S.47 enquiry during the initial strategy discussion, further information should be gathered and a second strategy discussion held promptly so that a decision can be made. youngest child. As soon as it is apparent that the case is going to conference, manager should ask BSO to copy all relevant CP episodes (contact, referral, strategy and S.47) to siblings prior to conference. Immediately Duty manager Upload the Form 87A or scan and upload the 87A to the child s records within the document section. Strategy discussions should be initiated within one working day and strategy meetings must be convened within 3 working days of concerns being identified. Duty manager The social care manager initiating the strategy Manager Initiate the Strategy Discussion Episode CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 2
discussion or convening the strategy meeting must ensure decisions and actions are fully recorded. Strategy telephone discussion record decisions on own agency record, and ensure there is absolute clarity between social care and police, or other participant, about decisions and actions. During or immediately following telephone call. and ensure the document within the episode is completed. ( Record of Strategy Discussion) Strategy meetings Chair to ensure all participants clear about decisions and actions, and confirm these in writing. If a decision is made for a joint interview with a child by police and social worker, this must be carried out in line with Achieving Best Evidence If a paediatric assessment is required, this must be arranged through the Brent designated doctor or designated nurse for child protection, or their administrative team. s should consider the scope and focus of the S.47 enquiry to be a risk assessment which: Identifies the cause for concern; Evaluates the strengths of the family; Evaluates the risks to the child/ren Considers the child s needs for protection; Evaluates information from all sources and previous case records; Considers the ability of parents and wider family and social networks to safeguard and promote the child s welfare; Considers how these risks can be managed. Immediately = best practice. Or within 3 working days Decision of strategy meeting Chair of strategy meeting Police manager and social care manager to plan Social care manager decision Upload copy of Medical Assessment to the child s record within the Document Section. Initiate the Section 47 episode prior to the CFA episode. If S.47 likely to lead to an outcome of concerns not substantiated; or concerns substantiated but child/young person is not judged to be at continuing cause for concern, social care manager to decide whether it is appropriate to undertake a CFA in order to establish needs and provide support. The outcome of the CFA may indicate that the case should be managed within the complex CIN framework. CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 3
Statutory checks must be made with Brent NHS Safeguarding Team GP School All agencies involved with the child A chronology should be initiated, identifying key events from the child s and family s history which should be taken into account within the current assessment and in planning for future needs. s must explain the purpose and process of S.47 enquiries to parents and children, including their right to support, and provide them with Brent LSCB information leaflet: What is a child Protection enquiry? First visit during S.47 enquiry If, on completion of the S.47 enquiry episode, concerns are substantiated and case to proceed to conference, complete the Initial CP Conference Report first and then initiate the CFA episode. The information from the CP report can then pre-populate into thecpa. The CPA will be finalised by the social worker after the conference, using pre-populated information from the S.47 enquiry, and the social work report to conference, plus adding information gathered by the multiagency conference and additional plans. Chronology to be completed as part of social work report to conference. The child must be seen on the day S47 is initiated. s must see all children and all adult members within the household alone and directly communicate with them during an enquiry. If the outcome of the child protection (S47) enquiry is that concerns are substantiated and the child is considered to be at continuing risk of The conference must be convened within At the point decision is made to progress to ICPC, SW/TM must telephone the conference team to book CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 4
significant harm, a child protection conference must be convened without delay. 15 working days of the last strategy discussion/meeti ng at which the S47 enquiry was initiated a date for ICPCC. The CPR2 episode can be sent early to CP conference officers from the S47 episode whilst the S47 is still being written. Managers to give 2 relevant outcomes from the section 47 episode - CPR2 Invitation list (SW) (this must be sent early when the decision to progress to ICPCC has been made) - Initial Child Protection Conference (CP team) CP conference officers send out formal invitations to parents/professionals within 72 hours of the conference being booked. Pre-birth conference: Initial conference to be held: First review conference to be held: Social work reports for the Initial/Review Child Protection Conference must be scrutinised and signed off by manager Within 72 hours of the booking of the ICPCC At least 10 weeks before due birth date Within 1 month of child s birth, or 3 months after initial conference, whichever is sooner. At least three days prior to the conference CP conference team Social care manager and social worker At the point of booking the ICPCC the SW/TM must ensure the CPR2 is sent early to the conference team in order for the conference team to meet this standard Manager to authorise report Social work report must address all the issues CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 5
listed below: 1) Draft Danger Statement 2) Completion of Three Houses, or other Signs of Safety tools, with children to evidence their wishes and feelings about the concerns that led to conference 3) Suggest a draft plan that address the concerns identified 4) Explain to parent/carer and children the difference between CIN and CP Plans 5) Evidence that social worker had gone through the Report with parent/carer and children if appropriate and record their respective views about the contents of the Report 6) Evidence of inviting children [age appropriate] to attend conference and consideration of an advocate for the young person or parent 7) Up-to-dated chronology 8) For Review Conference Report, was there evidence the plan was progressed at the core group and manager should consider child care arrangements, if needed, so that parents/carers are enabled to participate undisturbed in the Conference. Social work reports for the Initial/Review Child Protection Conference must be shared with parents and older children. Reports should be At least two days prior to the initial conference. Initiate Initial/Review CP Conference Report and complete document. CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 6
translated if needed. Social work reports must be available to the conference Chair before the initial conference Social care managers should attend initial CP conference with the social worker. Decisions to be made at the Initial CP conference are: Whether the child is at continuing risk of significant harm and therefore will need a formal child protection plan. If so: A qualified social worker will be appointed as key worker A core group of professionals will be identified to develop and implement the child protection plan and first meeting date set An outline plan and contingency plan will be identified A review date set At least two days prior to the initial/review conference (Brent procedures) At conference At conference Social care manager and social worker Chair and conference members Initial CP Conference Decisions and Outcomes are recorded by the Chair on the board. Conference Officer will then type up and upload on FWi child s file within one working day of the conference. These can be viewed from the document or episode section for each child. Apart from the Invitations, the Conference Officer will not send conference documents by post to parent/carer and professionals. Social workers are expected to hand-deliver conference documents to the parent/carer. At this stage the Review Conference Report and Review CPR2 Invitation list is sent to the worker to complete for the first review. Managers are required to initiate and progress work for child subject to child protection plan, in order for social workers to record on all three CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 7
outcomes of CP Plan, CP Visits and Core Groups, in the required format (Episodes). Social Workers will only then receive the relevant episodes in their future / incoming work folders. A copy of the CP plan will be sent to professionals by secure email by CP conference team and hand delivered by social worker to parents/carers at the first core group meeting. A copy of the conference record will be sent to professionals by secure email by CP conference team and hand delivered by social worker to parents/carers by the next core group or next CP visit whichever is sooner. The key worker will discuss the minutes with the parents. The first core group will be chaired by a social care manager, usually the manager of the key worker. The core group will draw up a more detailed child protection plan for each child, using the core group record. This will form a written agreement for all parties to sign, including parents. Within 3 working days Within 20 working days of the conference At core group meeting, or in interview First core group to be held within 10 working days of conference date, and frequency, to be set at conference. CP conference team/social Worker CP conference team/social Worker Key worker (social worker) Manager Key worker The child protection plan is uploaded within the document section of the child s record by the CP team. The conference record is uploaded within the document section of the child s record by the CP team. The manager should record a management decision if they decide not to chair subsequent core groups. Key worker to initiate and complete the Core Group Decision record, ensuring the CP Plan is recorded within this document. Once the Core Group record is completed, initiate the Child Protection CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 8
Core groups should be held at the frequency specified in the child protection plan, and will act as the forum to undertake a co-ordinated, multiagency approach to implementing the detailed child protection plan and monitoring its progress against specified outcomes. The key worker must visit the child at home, and see them alone for part of each visit, at the frequency specified in the child protection plan, and see the child s bedroom at least every other home visit. The role of the key worker is to: Convene, chair and record subsequent core groups (or manager to chair dependent on experience of social worker in key worker role) Ensure outline plan is developed into detailed multi-agency protection plan Obtain a full understanding of the family s history Co-ordinate the contribution of family members and all agencies in putting the plan into action and reviewing the Within 10 days, then within 6 weeks, and at a minimum frequency of 2 months following the first review conference (aim for 6 weeks to stay within timescale). Frequency specified in CP plan (usually on a 2-weekly basis) All core group members Key worker Manager to chair subsequent core groups, dependent on experience of social worker Plan episode. The information from the Core group record will pre-populate within the plan. Review the plan and task to manager to complete. Repeat above Each visit should be recorded in Episodes using the CP visit format to comprehensively record each visit. Ensure CP Statutory Visit outcome is chosen, and select the scheduled date at the next interval required by the Child Protection Plan. (Default is now changed to 2 weeks on Fwi to reflect the usual visiting pattern established in a plan. Amend the date as per the Child Protection Plan requirement if at variance.) CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 9
objectives stated in the plan If the key worker/other involved professional has difficulty obtaining access to the child, the children s social care manager must be informed. The manager s role will be: To ensure the child s safety is kept at the forefront of planning To assist the key worker to engage with the family To consider health and safety aspects for the member of staff The manager of the key worker must support the key worker, and must approve all reports, scrutinise records, and discuss the progress of the protection plan in each supervision session, and should attend all conferences where possible. The manager and key worker should continuously review the level of risk to the child, and the impact of the plan in reducing that risk. The first review conference will be held within 3 months of the initial conference. Social work reports for the review conference must be shared with the parents and older children. Subsequent reviews will be held at 6 monthly intervals The social work report must be made available to the conference chair and meet the standards stated above. As soon as possible Progress of CP plans must be reviewed at each supervision session (Brent Supervision Procedure requirements) Social work report to be shared with parents and older children at least 2 working days before the review conference The social work report must be available to the Key worker and/or other involved professional Manager Manager Manager and key worker Key worker Key worker Supervision decisions must be recorded by the manager in the case notes section under Record of Supervision. Manager to check records to ensure statutory visits and core groups are taking place at required intervals and recorded appropriately. If managers decide not to attend review conferences, that should be recorded as a management decision. Initiate and complete Conference Review report and Review CPR2 invitation list which can be found in the workers incoming/future work folder. CP conference officers will complete CPR2 and send out invites for review conferences. CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 10
If the CP plan is successfully implemented and the child is no longer at risk of significant harm, a decision will be made at a review conference to cease the child protection plan. If the child and family continue to have complex needs and will need time-limited support, a child in need plan should be put in place. (See Complex Work with Children in Need Policy and Procedures) If the CP Plan is not successful in keeping a child safe and the risks increase, the child may need to be protected through care proceedings or other means. Once the child is protected, a review conference can make the decision to cease the child protection plan. chair at least 2 days before the review conference. Manager When CP Plan ceases ensure the correct outcome for the Core group / CP Visit Episode is given (No Further Action + Child Protection Plan No Longer Required) this will end the Core Group / CP Visit Episodes. Please see the separate procedure in respect of children who are subject to a CP Plan and have been subsequently become looked after. If the child permanently moves elsewhere, the Brent protection plan can cease once the receiving authority has convened and held a transfer conference, and confirmed responsibility in writing. The allocated social worker must inform the Conference Officers as soon as s/he becomes aware of the family s move. Standards for Child Protection Chair: CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 11
1) Prepare for the Conference; eg read the Social Work Report and key partner agency s reports; read child s case file; speak with social worker and manager if needed. 2) Conduct the Conference in accordance to Brent s Diversity and Equal Opportunity Procedures and conclude the Conference in a timely manner. 3) Raise Practice Alerts when the standards stated in this document are not met. 4) Acknowledge good practice. 5) Ensure the Conference Decisions are available on FWi within 48 hours and Conference Record within 15 working days. 6) The Chair will meet with relevant Team Manager and social worker to review CP Plan that is over 12 months. This consultation meeting should take place prior to the 3 rd Review Conference. CP Standards/DD/18/02/2013 12