Overview of section

This section includes the procedures relating to planning for a child on the register: care and support protection plans

Detail is provided about:

• aims of a care and support protection plan
• contents of a plan
• child-centred planning.

Key is the role of the social worker (care and support protection plan co-ordinator. The responsibilities of the social worker (the care and support protection plan co-ordinator) are explained.

The care and support protection plan is delivered by the core group.

For core groups to be effective in protecting a child from significant harm practitioners need to know their roles and responsibilities as core group members in terms of.

• core group membership
• the initial core group meeting
• developing the care and support protection plan
• subsequent core group meetings
• core group tasks at subsequent core group meetings
• attendance
• chairing and participation
• recording core group meetings

A care and support, protection plan is dependent on the family actively engaging with the core group and the implementation of the plan.

Practitioners need to know about engaging the parents/carers in the plan including:

• securing engagement of parents
• excluding a parent/carer from the core group
• lack of engagement by the family with the plan.

It is essential that practitioners engage with every child within the family who is on the register, to establish whether the plan is improving the quality of their lives and protecting them from harm. Child participation and seeing the child is crucial. This includes:

• engaging with a child who has a care and support protection plan
• child’s attendance at core groups
• knowing what to do if denied access to the child

The review conference is tasked with making the decision as to whether a child on the register continues to be at risk of significant harm. The procedures related to this conference include:

• the purpose
• timing
• the conference chair
• attendance
• core group members’ participation in review conferences
• decision making at review conferences
• outcomes
• record of the review conference
• bringing forward a review conference

The process whereby a child’s name is removed from the child protection register is known as de-registration. The roles and responsibilities in relation to de-registration include establishing the need for ongoing care and support following the removal of a child’s name from the child protection register.

Practitioners also have responsibilities in relation to children on the child protection register. These include:

• action required when a practitioner believes a child on the register is not being adequately protected
• children looked after by the local authority subject to care and support protection plans
• moves by children on the child protection register
• missing children on the child protection register

The final section describes the procedures relating to managing the child protection register. This includes:

• the purpose of the register
• the custodian of the child protection register
• enquiries to the child protection register
• making an enquiry