Implementation of Child Protection Plans
Last updated: October 7, 2008
Table of Contents
3. Formulation of child protection plan
3.i Completion of core assessment
Completion of the core assessment, within 35 working days, should include an analysis of the risk of harm to the child; and the child’s developmental needs and the parents’ capacity to respond to those needs, including parents’ capacity to ensure that the child is safe from harm. Decisions based on this analysis should be used to develop the child protection plan.
3.ii Purpose of child protection plan
The purpose of a child protection plan is to facilitate and make explicit a co-ordinated approach to:
- ensure that each child in the household is safe and prevent them from suffering further harm;
- promote the child’s health and development i.e. welfare;
- provided it is in the best interests of the child, to support the family and wider family members to safeguard and promote the welfare of their child.
It must be clarified for parents:
- what the causes for concern are that have resulted in the decision that a child needs a child protection plan;
- what needs to change;
- what is expected of them as part of the plan for safeguarding the child.
Review of progress on achieving the outcomes set out in the child protection plan and consideration as to whether changes need to be made should be an agenda item at each review conference.
The child protection plan may be used as evidence, in any legal proceedings, of the efforts that have been made to work in partnership: this must be made clear to parents/carers.
3.iii Detailed child protection plan – from the core group
The core group is responsible for drawing up in more detail the child protection plan for each child, covering the following areas in the context of the outline protection plan:
- identification of what needs to change to reduce the risk of significant harm;
- a description of the identified needs of the child and what services are required;
- the frequency that the child will be seen;
- ethnic / cultural / religious considerations e.g. necessity for an interpreter, avoidance of appointments with family on significant religious festivals;
- issues arising from any disability;
- a consideration of the views of the child, insofar as this is consistent with the child’s welfare;
- a consideration of the views of the parents, insofar as this is consistent with the child’s welfare;
- identification of parenting strengths;
- a clear identification of roles and responsibilities of professionals and family members;
- identification of actions to promote the child’s health and development;
- identification of actions to support the family and wider family members in promoting the welfare of the child;
- a description of the nature and frequency of contact with the child and the roles and responsibilities of professionals, including specialist resources and adult services;
- identification of what further core and specialist assessment is necessary to assist in judgements about safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child;
- identification of who [including family members] will be responsible for what actions, taking into consideration the wishes and feelings of the child;
- establishment of specific short term and long term aims and objectives;
- identification of timescales for the aims and objectives to be achieved;
- identification of measurements for success: how will the family and professionals know there has been a change;
- method of monitoring and evaluating progress, including identifying which professional is responsible for checking required changes;
- consideration of a contingency plan if circumstances change quickly, or if insufficient change occurs.
Family group conferencing may be considered as a means of progressing actions in some of these areas – refer to local procedures. For information about Family Group Conferences refer to: Family Group Conferences: Principles and Practice Guidance 2002 [Barnardo's / Family Rights Group / NCH].
3.iv Detailed child protection plan ? written agreement
The key worker must make a record of the core group meetings and formulate the detailed child protection plan in the form of a written agreement for all parties to sign. Each Local Safeguarding Children Board should ensure that standard arrangements for the recording of the written agreement are in place: refer to local procedures.
The child protection plan / agreement should be based on the findings of the core assessment and follow the dimensions of the assessment framework.
The child protection plan / agreement should take into consideration the wishes and feelings of the child, and the views of the parents, insofar as they are consistent with the child’s welfare. The key worker should make every effort to ensure that the child/ren and parents/carers have a clear understanding of the planned outcomes, that they accept the plan and are willing to work to it.
The key worker should achieve this by, as far as possible, constructing the plan / agreement together with the child and the family. An interpreter should be used if the child or family’s level of English means that they are not able to participate fully in these discussions unless they are conducted in their own language: refer to guidance for interpreters procedure.
