Child Protection Review Conferences

A Child Protection Review Conference (CPRC) is held after a child has been made subject to a Child Protection Plan at an Initial Child Protection Conference.

The purpose of a Child Protection Review Conference is to review whether the child is continuing to suffer, or is likely to suffer, Significant Harm, and review developmental progress against Child Protection Plan outcomes and to consider whether the Child Protection Plan should continue or should be changed.

The review conference procedures for preparation, decision-making and other procedures are the same as those for an initial child protection conference – see Initial Child Protection Conferences Procedure, Child Protection Conferences using the Rotherham Families Approach.

The first Child Protection Review Conference will be held within three months after the Initial Child Protection Conference and maximum of six monthly after that as necessary.

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 or within 3 months of the pre-birth conference whichever is the sooner – for more information, see Safeguarding Unborn and Newborn Babies Procedure.

A Child Protection Review Conference will:

• Receive the completed assessment from the Core Group at the first Child Protection Review Conference;
• Review the safety, health and development of the child against planned outcomes set out in the Child Protection Plan and the Child's Assessment;
• Ensure that the measures put in place to safeguard the child continue to be effective and appropriate;
• Consider the child’s wishes and feelings (if of sufficient age and understanding) and encourage their participation in the conference process;
• Review and analyse information about the parent’s capacity to ensure and promote the child’s safety and welfare;
• Consider whether the Child Protection Plan should remain in place or should be changed and agree desired outcomes and timescales; 
• Examine and agree the current level of risk;
• Examine and agree the strengths of the child and the family;
• Determine the need for further assessment, including specialist assessment;
• Monitor inter-agency co-ordination to ensure it is functioning effectively;
• Make judgements about the likelihood of the child suffering Significant Harm in the future;
• Consider if the child’s need for safeguarding can be met without a Child Protection Plan in place.

The Child Protection Review Conference must decide explicitly if the child is still at continued risk of Significant Harm and hence whether there is an ongoing need for a Child Protection Plan. The same decision-making procedure should be used to reach a judgment on this issue as is used at the Initial Child Protection Conference.

If the Child Protection Plan continues, the relevance of the Category of Significant Harm (physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect) must be reviewed.

Social workers with their managers should:

• Prepare for and attend the conference;
• Provide information based on the single assessment to enable informed decisions about what action is necessary to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child who is the subject of the Child Protection Plan, and about the effectiveness and impact of action taken so far;
• Share the conference information with the child and family beforehand;
• Record conference outcomes;
• Decide whether to initiate family court proceedings (all the children in the household should be considered, even if concerns are only expressed about one child) if the child is considered to be suffering significant harm.

All involved practitioners should:

• Attend, when invited, and provide details of their involvement with the child and family. For more information, see Initial Child Protection Conferences Procedure, Child Protection Conferences using the Rotherham Families Approach;
• Produce reports for the Child Protection Review Conference. This information will provide an overview of work undertaken by family members and professionals, and evaluate the impact on the child’s welfare against the planned outcomes set out in the Child Protection Plan and be consistent with the Rotherham Families Approach – see Multi-Agency Report to Initial Child Protection Conference;
• Contribute to the discussion and decision about whether the child continues to be at risk of significant harm and whether the Child Protection Plan should be continued.

A child should no longer be the subject of a Child Protection Plan if:

• It is judged that the child is no longer at continuing risk of Significant Harm requiring safeguarding by means of a Child Protection Plan - the likelihood of harm has been reduced by action taken through the Child Protection Plan; the child and family’s circumstances have changed; all assessments 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;
• The child and family have 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 can the Child Protection Plan implemented by the original local authority be discontinued in favour of the new local authority’s Child Protection Plan – for more information, see Initial Child Protection Conferences Procedure, Transfer of Cases to Another Local Authority where the Child/Young Person is the Subject of a Child Protection Plan and Rotherham is the Responsible Authority;
• The child has reached 18 years of age or has died; or
• The child has permanently left the UK. In this case, all reasonable efforts will be made to liaise with relevant agencies in the receiving country. For more information, see Cross-Border Child Protection Cases Under the 1996 Hague Convention.

Except In the case of the first criteria as listed above, it is permissible for the Head of Safeguarding (CYPS) to make the decision for the child not to be subject of 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’s file.

When a child is no longer the subject of a Child Protection Plan, notification should be sent, as a minimum, to all those agency representatives who were invited to attend the Child Protection Conference that led to the Child Protection Plan.

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

An early Review Conference should be considered in the following circumstances:

• Where there is a further incident or allegation of Significant Harm to a child subject to a Child Protection Plan;
• If the Child Protection Plan is failing to protect the child;
• If there are significant difficulties in carrying out the Plan;
• 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 the previous Conference was inquorate.

Attendees should include the Chair and Core Group members.

As the police do not routinely attend Child Protection Review Conferences it is important that any Police involvement with the child, family or household between Conferences is brought to the attention of the Review Conference. Therefore, the police must always provide written information to the meeting.

Barnardo’s Child Protection Conference (CPC) Advocacy Service provides Advocates who are independent of CYPS to support children and young people who are attending an Initial or Review Child Protection Conference. All children aged above 8 years are given the opportunity to be supported.  An advocate can attend either with the child, to support them, or to represent the child.

Members of the Initial Child Protection Conference will be informed at the end of the Conference of the date of the Review Conference, which will also be recorded in the minutes. 

The Safeguarding Unit will be responsible for the preparation of the minutes (see Section 11, Minutes). The Lead Social Worker will advise parents / carers and children.

If a Child Protection Review Conference decides that a child no longer requires a Child Protection Plan, the parents will be informed in person, if present at the meeting and in writing by the Conference Chair.

Any dissenting views or disagreements with this decision will be recorded in the minutes. For more information, see Practice Resolution Protocol: Resolving Professional Differences of Opinion in Multi-Agency Working with Children and their Families.

Every Child Protection Review Conference 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 not, then the child should no longer be the subject of a Child Protection Plan.

The Conference Chair will have the same decision making powers at the Child Protection Review Conference as at the Initial Child Protection Conferences – see Initial Child Protection Conference Procedure, The Role of the Conference Chair.

A child who is no longer the subject of 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 help. The Lead Social Worker should discuss with the parents and the child what services might be wanted and required, based upon the assessment of the needs of the child and family. A “step down” referral to Early Help or a Child in Need plan should be considered with the consent of the parents. For more information, see Early Help Guidance: Integrated Working With Children, Young People and Families With Vulnerable or Complex Needs.

Opportunities should be given for members of the conference to dissent from the decision made by the Chair, and this will be recorded in the minutes.

In cases where there is disagreement regarding the outcome of the Review Conference, the Conference Chair will attempt to facilitate the conference to reach a consensus. For more information, see Practice Resolution Protocol: Resolving Professional Differences of Opinion in Multi-Agency Working with Children and their Families.

In exceptional circumstances where a consensus cannot be reached, the Chair is responsible for ensuring that decisions are made which, in the opinion of the Chair, most clearly reflect the interests of the child and these procedures. On this basis the Chair has the power to veto or override the decision. Contrary to the majority decision, the Chair may decide to make the child subject to a Child Protection Plan where, in his/her opinion, the criteria for significant harm are met, or decide not to do so. 

The Chair should minute the basis for this decision and there should be immediate management oversight of the decision within 24 hours, and a notification will be sent to the Safeguarding Children Partnership for appraisal by the Practice Standards Group. For more information, Complaints and Appeals in Relation to Child Protection Conferences Procedure, Appraisal of Child Protection Conference Chair Veto

If the Chair decides that the criteria are not met, the child would not be subject to a Child Protection Plan but would be “stepped down” to a Child in Need Plan or Early Help plan. If the Chair is of the opinion that the criteria are met, the child would remain subject to a Child Protection Plan.

If the Conference Chair is concerned that a practitioner (including a social worker) or agency fails to meet the expected requirements of a Child Protection Conference, the Conference Chair can initiate the formal Challenge Protocol – for more information, see Practice Resolution Protocol: Resolving Professional Differences of Opinion in Multi-Agency Working with Children and their Families, Challenging practice Issues that Arise in Child Protection Conferences.

The Challenge Protocol is intended to ensure that all practitioners carry out their roles and responsibilities appropriately to safeguard and promote the welfare of children/young people who are subject of a Child Protection Conference. The Challenge Protocol does not replace existing reporting and accountability mechanisms or processes that already exist and are in operation within and between organisations.

If parents/carers disagree with the Review Conference decision, the Conference Chair must further discuss their concerns and explain their rights to appeal – see Complaints and Appeals in Relation to Child Protection Conferences Procedure.

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

The 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. Who was invited, who attended the conference and who submitted their apologies;
3. Any breaks in the conference and anyone leaving or joining the meeting;
4. The reason for the conference;
5. A list of written reports available to conference and whether open to parents or not;
6. Progress of the Child Protection Plan;
7. A summary/update of the Child's Assessment;
8. A summary of direct contacts with the child/ren;
9. Views and wishes of each child;
10. Views of parents/carers;
11. Opinions of agencies using the Rotherham Families Approach for assessment and whether the child should continue to have a Child Protection Plan;
12. Decision on the need for a Child Protection Plan with information outlining the reasons, including the identified category of Significant Harm or the reasons why the child no longer requires a Child Protection Plan;
13. Any changes to the Child Protection Plan, if the child continues to require a Child Protection Plan, or a Child in Need Plan where appropriate;
14. Confirmation of name of Lead Social Worker if child continues to have a Child Protection Plan;
15. Members of the Core Group if child continues to have a Child Protection Plan and the date of the next Core Group meeting;
16. Date of next Child Protection Review Conference.

A record of the decisions and recommendations made will be sent to all those who attended the conference within one working day.

The minutes of the conference, signed by the Conference Chair, will be sent to all professionals who attended, or were invited, and to relevant family members as soon as possible after the Conference, within 20 working days.

Copies of the minutes should be given to the parents, child (if old enough) and the child’s advocate by the Lead Social Worker where appropriate.

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 partly or fully excluded from the conference, the decision on what information they should receive will be taken by the Conference Chair 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.

Where a child has attended a Child Protection Conference, the Lead Social Worker must arrange to see her/him and arrange to discuss relevant sections of the minutes.

Child Friendly Plans are created by the Barnardo’s CPC Advocacy Service Advocates following attendance at Conference or receipt of minutes. These plans are clarified with the Conference Chair and then shared with the child/young person in a child friendly age/need appropriate format.

Conference minutes are confidential and should not be passed to third parties without the consent of the Conference Chair and/or Lead Social Worker or by a Court Order.