The Child Protection Register

The child protection register lists all children in a local authority area who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm and who are currently subject of a care and support protection plan. The child’s name is placed on the register in order to: alert all practitioners working with a child to their risk of harm; confirm that a care and support protection plan for the protection of the child is in place and must be complied with; that a social worker and a core group of practitioners are working with the child and family.

Placing a child’s name on the child protection register

Children and young people should be recorded as being at continuing risk of abuse, neglector harm under one, or more, of the following categories. The decision as to which category applies is made by the practitioners at the child protection conference. The categories are

• physical abuse;
• emotional or psychological abuse;
• sexual abuse;
• financial abuse;
• neglect.

Pointers for Practice: Signs and Indicators of Possible Abuse, Neglect and Harm In a Child

The category, or combination of categories, used in registration should:

• indicate to those consulting the register the primary presenting concerns at the time of registration;
• reflect all the information/evidence obtained in the course of the s47 enquiries and subsequent analysis and should not just relate to one or more abusive incidents
• be specific to each child in the family who is being placed on the register.

The child’s name is placed on the register in order to:

• alert all practitioners working with a child to their risk of harm;
• confirm that a care and support protection plan for the child is in place and must be complied with
• that a social worker and a core group of practitioners are working with the child and family.

Practitioners have a duty to inform the social worker of significant events or changes of circumstance relevant to the child.

Pointers for Practice: Decision-Making About Registration and The Need for A Plan

The consequences of placing a child’s name on the child protection register

The child’s name is placed on the register in order to:

• alert all practitioners working with a child to their risk of harm;
• confirm that a care and support protection plan for the protection of the child is in place and must be complied with;
• that a social worker and a core group of practitioners are working with the child and family.

The fact that a child is included on the register and subject to a care and support protection plan, must never deter anyone from raising concerns with social services or the police.

New reports (referrals) must be made following the local reporting/referral routes.

Children looked after and registration

Where children are looked after and are subject to a child protection conference/review conference, the overriding principle must be that systems and plans are integrated and carefully monitored in a way that promotes a child-centred approach. It is important to link the timing of a child protection review conference with the review under the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (Wales) Regulations 2015 to ensure that information from the former is brought to the review meeting and informs the overall care planning process. It should be remembered

Accessing the register

Local authorities must record when a child's name is placed on the child protection register and the child is made the subject of a care and support protection plan.

Police, health practitioners, education and all other relevant agencies must be able to obtain this information both in and outside office hours.