Implementing Child Protection Plans

When an initial child protection case conference (ICPC) (See SPB Core Procedures - Child Protection Conferences), decides that a child or young person should be the subject of a Child Protection Plan, a qualified and experienced Children’s Social Worker will be appointed as the Lead Social Worker to co-ordinate all aspects of the Multi-Agency Child Protection Plan.  At the ICPC  the form  of harm the child/young person has been considered to have suffered and/or likely to suffer  will be categorised   (please see SPB Jersey Recognising Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation), the Child Protection Plan set to reduce the risk of further harm.

The Child Protection Plan will be outlined at the ICPC, where the Lead Children’s Social Worker and Core Group members will be identified and made responsible for ensuring what is drawn up in detail is acted upon.

The Core Group is the forum to understand outcomes and to co-ordinate multi-agency work. Where the agreed Child Protection Plan must constitute an agenda item at each Core Group and review conference. To understand progress on actions, decide if current actions are making the planned progress to timescale to meet the child or young person’s wellbeing, health and developmental needs.

The Child Protection Plan can be used as evidence in legal proceedings, and as a means of demonstrating the services that have been put in place to work in partnership with the child/young person and their family to reduce risk and improve outcomes for their child.

If there are identified obstacles to progressing the Child Protection Plan (that cannot be satisfactorily addressed), an early Child Protection Review Conference will be convened with parallel legal planning where required.

This guidance is for all practitioners (paid or unpaid) who work with children (including the unborn child) and young people, those who work with adults who are parents/carers and who therefore hold responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. It is intended to be read alongside the Children and Young People (Jersey) Law 2022, the commensurate Statutory Guidance and the Jersey Children’s First Framework (JCF). Practioners must follow the Statutory Guidance on sharing information (which follows Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018) and follow the SPB Jersey Child Protection Procedures and the Children and Young Person Safeguarding Referrals Procedure.

This chapter sets out the approaches and legal frameworks which must be used to support and protect children and young people who are subject to a Child Protection Plan.

The initial child protection conference will specify the membership of the Core Group which must include:

• The named lead social worker and their first line manager;
• Parents/carers and other relevant family members;
• Professionals involved with the child and / or parent;
• The child or young person if appropriate (see SPB Core Procedures - Child Protection Conferences).

Core Groups are an important forum for practitioners to work together with parents, wider family members, children and young people of sufficient age and understanding.

Note - Where there are conflicts of interest between family members in the work of the Core Group, the child's best interests must always take precedence.

The date of the first Core Group meeting must be within 10 working days of the initial child protection conference. After that, the Core Group should meet within 4 weeks of the first meeting and from that meeting four weekly whilst the child(ren)/young person(s) remain on a Child Protection Plan.

Note - More regular meetings may be required according to the complexity of the case and the health and developmental needs the child or young person.

The first Core Group meeting date must be arranged at the end of the ICPC, along with the required frequency of subsequent meetings.

Dates for future meetings must be agreed at the first Core Group meeting and following each Review Child Protection Conference (RCPC).

Where Core Group meeting need to be rescheduled, this must be confirmed in writing to all concerned by the lead social worker.

At the ICPC the Lead Social Worker and their Line Manager will be named and one of these practitioners is then responsible for chairing the preceding Core Groups, (dependent on the complexity of the case).

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.

The Core Group will work in together and in partnership with the Child, Young Person, their Parents/Carers and wider family (where it is in the best interest of the child to do so).

All members of the Core Group are jointly responsible for:

• Analysing the risk of harm to the child and taking commensurate steps to reduce risk;
• The formulation and implementation of the detailed Child Protection Plan, specifying who should do what, by when;
• Collecting information to assist the lead social worker in completing Assessment (See SPB Jersey Core Procedures – Assessment);
• Participating in the compilation and analysis of the Assessment;
• Sharing proportionate information with the lead social worker and the Core Group (see Statutory Guidance on Information Sharing);
• 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 Child Protection Plans, stipulating specific outcomes;
• Attending Core Group meetings and reviewing progress to ensure that there is no drift or delay in achieving the outcome aims of the Child Protection Plan;
• Deciding the frequency and coordination of the contacts Core Group members have with the child, young person, their parents/carers;
• The Lead Children’s Social Work is responsible for clearly recording all action points from Core Group. Where all Core Group members are responsible for keeping a record of the specified actions for their service and outcomes of Core Group meetings.

Note - Where a child is admitted to hospital and it has not been a planned admission the Core Group should consider reconvening prior to the child being discharged in order to review the Child Protection Plan. In some instances, a strategy discussion / meeting could be considered instead.

It is most often, in the best interest of the child/young person, to remain with their parents/carers and within their family, (where steps will be taken within the child protection process if this cannot be the case).

The Child Protection Plan must set proportionate interventions, linked to intended outcomes, presented in a way which is understood by all, especially children, young people and their parents/carers.

The Child Protection Plan must provide clear, compassionate, communication (in a way which is adapted to meet accessibility needs of each child, young person, parent/carer).

The overall aim of the Child Protection Plan is to ensure children and young people have an equal opportunity to be safe, flourish and fulfil their potential.

The purpose of a Child Protection Plan is to facilitate and make explicit a co-ordinated approach to:

• Identify and respond to children and young people whose welfare needs safeguarding;
• Support parents/carers to safeguard their child(ren)/young person(s) (where it is in the best interests of the child);
• Ensure that each child in the household is safe, and to reduce the risk to them of suffering further harm;
• Provide a platform for each child or young person to have their views listened to (please see SPB Safeguarding Practice Guidance – Respecting the voice of the child), capturing  views  in a way which is adapted to meet their accessibility needs and requirements, considering the age and maturity for each child in each case;
• Promote the child/young person's welfare, identifying their individualised and specific, health, development, and wellbeing needs (See SPB Core Procedures - Assessment);
• Promote a culture where children and young people can feel confidence and trust in their Child Protection Plan;
• Understand the child’s, parents/carers perspective? What they feel needs to change, what they need to achieve change and what support they require to achieve this?
• Name the support they will be offered and the help, support and guidance they will be given;
• Set the contingency plans if changes cannot or will not be met;
• Set the intended outcomes of the statutory intervention and services;
• Set SMARTER objectives which are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timebound, Evaluated and Re-evaluated;
• Set the respective roles and responsibilities of family members and different agencies in implementing the plan.

All agencies are responsible for the implementation of the Child Protection Plan and all practitioners must ensure they are able to deliver their commitments or, if not possible, that these are re-negotiated.

The Child Protection Plan will:

• Enable the Children’s Social Worker to lead and identify what support is required from a multi-agency team to protect the welfare and meet the needs of each child or young person in the family;
• Include identified changes required from consultation with the child, young person, their parents/carers and wider family along with those from the multi-agency of supportive services;
• Set out what needs to happen to achieve positive change in the timescales the child or young person needs them to be achieved within, (taking into account any time scaled health and developmental needs of the child or young person).

Review of progress on achieving the outcomes set out in the Child Protection Plan and consideration as to whether changes need to be made to the Child Protection Plan must be an agenda item at each Core Group Meeting and at the Review Child Protection Case Conference (RCPC), (please note changes to the Child Protection Plan may only be agreed at an RCPC).

The Child Protection Plan must include contingency plans should there be 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 in the form of a written agreement. Each safeguarding partnership should ensure that standard arrangements for the storage of the written agreement are in place (see SPB Jersey – Record Keeping).

The Child Protection Plan / agreement should take into consideration the wishes and feelings of the child, and the views of the parents, as far 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 suitable for 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.

If the parents' preferences have not been accepted in the plan / agreement about how best to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child, and 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 5 working days of the Core Group meeting. Implementation of the Child Protection Plan must begin immediately.

Any disagreement should be discussed at the Core Group meeting, recorded with reasons which are then 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 local authority adult social care or health services.

It is important that the role of the lead social worker is fully explained at the ICPC and at the first Core Group.

At every ICPC (including pre-birth conference), where a Child Protection Plan is put into place, the conference chair must name a qualified Children’s Social Worker, children's social care manager, to fulfil the role of lead social worker for the child.

The lead social worker should complete the Assessment of the child and family, securing contributions from Core Group members and others, as necessary. They should co-ordinate the contribution of family members and other agencies to plan the actions which need to be taken, put the Child Protection Plan into effect, and review progress against the planned outcomes set out in the plan.

The lead social worker should also regularly ascertain the child's wishes and feelings and keep the child up to date with the Child Protection Plan and any developments or changes.

The lead social worker should:

• See the child (infants and babies to be seen awake) at a minimum of every 2 weeks; in exceptional circumstances, a child protection conference may specify that visits should take place more or less often together with the reasons for that decision;
• See the child on their own on at least alternate occasions;
• Explain the plan to the child in a manner which is in accordance with their age and understanding and agree the plan with the child;
• See the child's bedroom as agreed in the plan but not less than alternate occasions;
• Undertake direct work with the child and family in accordance with the Child Protection Plan, taking into account the child's wishes and feelings and the views of the parents as far as they are consistent with the child's welfare;
• Convene and chair / lead second and subsequent Core Group meetings (if the first Core Group meeting was chaired / led by their manager);
• Complex cases as specified in local protocols will continue to be chaired/led by a manager;
• Provide a written record of meetings for all Core Group members and the local authority children's social care manager;
• Ensure that the Child Protection Plan is developed, in conjunction with members of the Core Group, into a detailed multi-agency protection plan;
• Clearly note and include in the written record any areas of disagreement;
• Produce a written agreement from the protection plan to be maintained on the child's file and circulated to the Core Group members;
• Obtain a full understanding of the family's history, which must involve reading previous local authority children's social care files as well as current records in use children's social care, including those relating to other children who have been part of any households involving the current carers of the child;
• Additional information should be obtained from relevant other agencies and local authorities;
• Complete the assessment of the child and family, securing contributions / information from Core Group members and any other agencies with relevant information;
• Co-ordinate the contribution of family members and all agencies in putting the plan into action and regularly reviewing the objectives stated in the plan;
• The lead social worker must maintain a complete and up-to-date signed record on the child's current file, electronic or manual.

Practitioners should use the Jersey Children’s First Framework to support their decision making and to capture outcomes – See The Continuum of Children’s Needs and a JCF Chronology.

If the lead social worker or any other involved Practitioner has difficulty in seeing the child, young person or their parents/carers the Children’s Social Worker and their manager must be informed (as well as other Core Group members) as soon as practicably possible.

The lead Children’s Social Worker must be informed where Core Group members are unable to gain access to a child who is subject to a Child Protection Plan, on two consecutive home visits (the second visit being a second attempt to see the child in close succession of the first attempt). Other circumstances may include where the child is not being brought to health appointments, or to school, where support and advice are being given and these are not being adhered to (for whatever reason).

The Lead Children’s Social Worker and their line manager can then consider calling a Core Group meeting / discussion to consider other supportive interventions that may assist with the implementation of the Child Protection Plan.

If there are immediate concerns about the safety of a child, this must result in a plan of action, with consideration to call a strategy discussion/meeting, and any legal action required , the need for Article 42 enquiry, and/or to bring forward the date of the RCPC.  

Note – The Lead Children’s Social Worker and their line manager will arrange legal planning meeting where required.

Practitioners should have access to regular Internal agency safeguarding supervision.

Agencies should consider multi-agency reflective supervision where cases are complex, stuck or drifting.

If members are concerned that there are difficulties implementing the protection plan arising from professional differences amongst the Core Group member, or there are concerns Core Group members are not carrying out agreed actions or responsibilities this must be addressed:

• First, by discussion with Core Group members;
• Second, where required, respective managers / Child Protection Advisers (e.g., Safeguarding Manager for Children's Social Care, Designated / Named Safeguarding Children Doctor / Nurse, Teacher, or Police DCI).

If situations remain unresolved, practitioners must use the SPB Resolving Professional Differences/Escalation Policy