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Safeguarding practice guidance

Child protection conferences

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    Introduction

    There are two types of conferences. The first one takes place after an enquiry - this is called an initial conference. There will be other conferences after the initial conference and these are called reviews.

    The East Riding Safeguarding Children Partnership have outlined what a child protection conference is, and useful things to know:

    For parents and carers whose first language is not English, a translated version of this guide can be produced on request.

    Signs of Safety

    The Signs of Safety approach has been adopted locally and is endorsed by ERSCP:

    This seeks to strengthen risk assessments and maximise family participation, to improve the outcomes for children in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

    Find out more about the Signs of Safety approach (external website)

    At the conference

    Child protection plans

    Government guidance called Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 sets out a number of categories for making a child the subject of a child protection plan.

    These are:

    • physical abuse
    • emotional abuse
    • sexual abuse
    • neglect.

    The list of children who have child protection plans is held by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s children's safeguarding services (external website).

    If you are concerned about a child you may ask whether they are the subject of a child protection plan, but great care is taken to check that enquiries are genuine before any information is provided.

    Core group

    If the conference decides that a child protection plan is necessary, a group of professionals who will mostly be involved with the child, will meet regularly with the child’s parent or carer. This regular meeting is called a core group.

    This core group will always include the child (subject to their age) and their parent or carer, and the key worker for the child. There may be other people involved, depending on the family’s needs.

    The core group will meet on a regular basis, at a minimum of once a month, to discuss the details of the child protection plan and to sort out any worries or problems which may arise.

    Child Protection Conference templates are available to download:

    Internal independent safeguarding and reviewing service Resolution Policy and Procedure

    This policy and procedure helps Child Protection Reviewing Officers raise concerns within the organisation when they identify problems with how child protection plans and decisions are made at child protection conferences, working with social workers and CFaS team managers.

    Professional Escalation and Resolution Practice Guidance

    The ERSCP multi-agency Professional Resolution Practice Guidance is for use by practitioners from all agencies with safeguarding responsibilities across all key partner agencies within the ERSCP.

    The process is intended to ensure that all professionals carry out their roles and responsibilities appropriately to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, and protect them from suffering harm or reduce the risk of them continuing to suffer significant harm, in accordance with ERSCP procedures.

    Child protection review

    A child protection review must be held within three months of the initial conference which decided that the child would be the subject of a child protection plan. The review panel discusses what progress has been made with the child protection plan, and makes sure that the actions to improve the child’s safety, agreed at the conference, have been carried out.

    Further review conferences must be held at least once every six months, for as long as the child is the subject of a child protection plan.

    Independent Reviewing Service (IRO & IFCRO) Annual Reports

    Download the report as a PDF below:

    Please note:
    It is important to remember that if you are bringing a friend as a supporter, this needs to be someone you can truly trust as they may hear information about you and your family you may not wish them to know.

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    People present at a child protection conference

    The child protection conference is a formal meeting which is overseen (chaired) by a member of the safeguarding unit who has a lot of experience in child protection matters.

    The people invited to the conference will always include the social worker, the police, and the GP of the child or family.

    Other people invited will depend on the age of the child, but will usually include people who know the parent or carer and child well, such as a health visitor, the child’s teacher, or the school nurse.

    The purpose of a child protection conference

    A parent or carer will always be invited to attend a conference, unless there are really good reasons why the chair thinks they should not attend (see exclusions).

    Parents or carers who have problems attending the conference should talk to their social worker.

    Professionals attending the conference will have written a report. The issues covered in the report will be discussed with the parent or carer.

    Information for parents or carers

    You will be asked to take part in the conference by expressing your views, asking questions, and responding to information given by other people there. You may bring a friend, relative, or solicitor to a conference to support you. The conference chair will meet with you, and your supporter, before the conference begins. Generally, a supporter will not be able to speak on your behalf or take part in the discussion, but they can remind you of things you want to talk about.

    If you need any assistance with writing to the chair, or with arrangements so that you can attend the conference, such as transport or child care, you should contact your social worker.

    Exclusions

    The decision not to allow someone to attend a conference is a very serious step and the final decision about an exclusion is made by the conference chair. The reasons for exclusion will be explained to the parent or carer.

    Some of the reasons may include:

    • the threat or risk of violence towards another family member or professional attending the conference
    • evidence that the child may be placed at risk of harm if the parent or carer attends
    • evidence that taking part in the conference may be harmful to the health or well being of the parent or carer
    • evidence that the parent or carer is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

    Importance of the views of the parent or carer

    If the parent or carer decides that they would rather not attend the conference, or they are excluded, it is still important that their views are included in the discussion.

    Views can be presented by the social worker, or by writing to the conference chair who will read out the letter at the conference.

    Decisions made at the conference

    At the end of the conference, if all the professionals agree that the child is still at risk of significant harm, they can decide that the child should be the subject of a child protection plan, irrespective of the opinion of the parent or carer.

    If the parent or carer disagrees with this decision, they can go through the complaints procedure. Information about this process is available from the conference chair.

    A child that is made the subject of a child protection plan will be allocated a social worker, as their key worker. It is their job to make sure that the actions and services written in the child protection plan, to protect the child, are carried out and provided. The detailed plan will be drawn up at the first meeting of the core group.

    The conference may also recommend some other services which they feel should be made available to support the family of the parent or carer.

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