The professional strategy meeting will be convened by the [Designated Officer for Safeguarding when safeguarding allegations/concerns have been raised about a practitioner/person in positions of trust. This can either be in a personal or professional capacity, where the individual has wider contact with children or with adults at risk.
The main functions of the strategy meeting are to:
- Ensure the proper co-ordination of child, adult protection, criminal and employment procedures
- Share all relevant information about the allegation/concern in question
- Consider what action may be required to protect the child or adult at risk in question
- Consider the likelihood of harm to other children or adults at risk with whom the person has contact at work or other activities, and agree any actions that are required
- Consider and evaluate the risk of harm to the subject’s own children, and agree any actions that are required
- Discuss any previous allegations or other concerns
- Plan any enquiries needed and allocate tasks and set timescales
- Decide who is to be interviewed and lead agency
- Identify a lead contact manager within each agency
- Decide what information can be shared with whom, when and who will do this
- Agree timescales for actions and/or dates for further meetings
- Consider whether the adult’s suitability to continue working with children or adults at risk in his or her current position has been called into question
- Consider whether there are disciplinary issues to be followed up
- Agree at what stage in the process the disciplinary issues should be followed up
- Consider any other factors that may affect the management of the case e.g. consideration of the need for a media strategy where there is likely to be press interest
- Confirm arrangements regarding who will communicate with the person about whom there are concerns and ensure appropriate support is provided
- Ensure that the appropriate referrals are made to the Disclosure and Barring Service and registering bodies of the professional involved (this can be completed at any point throughout the process
- The employer/voluntary organisation or registering body may need to consider suspending the employee without prejudice.