De-registration

A child’s name can only be removed from the child protection register and identified as no longer requiring a care and support protection plan if:

• a decision to this effect is made at a review conference;
• the child reaches the age of 18 has died or has permanently left the UK.

While it is appropriate to consider removing a child’s name from the register at each review conference, deregistration at the first review conference, would usually only occur if the child’s circumstances have changed to such an extent that a care and support protection plan is no longer required.

Clear reasons for the decision, with the evidence in terms of quality changes to the lived experience of the child, should be given and recorded.

A child should no longer be the subject of a care and support protection plan if:

• it is judged, based on evidence, that the child is no longer at continuing risk of significant harm requiring protection by means of a care and support protection plan;
• the child and family have moved permanently to another local authority area. In such cases, the receiving local authority should convene a child protection conference within 15 working days of being notified of the permanent move, only after a transfer child protection conference has taken place should the original local authority end the child’s care and support protection plan and end involvement with the child/young person and their family;
• the child has reached 18 years of age, has died or has permanently left the UK.

The decision about de-registration should reflect the consensus view of the review conference.

Where consensus is not achieved, the conference chair will make the decision.

The views of parents/carers and children are important to the conference, but it is the practitioners who make the decision about registration.

Local authorities should:

• notify, as a minimum, all those agencies’ representatives who were invited to attend the initial child protection conference that led to the plan;

and

• discuss with the parents and the child to consider their ongoing needs for care and support. This discussion should be based upon the ongoing assessment of the child’s needs within his or her family.

Ongoing care and support following the removal of a child’s name from the child protection register

De-registration should never lead to the automatic withdrawal of care and support.

Consideration should be given as to whether:

• services through a care and support plan under part 4 of the social services and wellbeing act 2014 will be required with parental/carer agreement;
• support services provided, with parental/carer agreement, to help maintain the conditions which have led to de-registration.

Action required when a practitioner believes a child on the register is not being adequately protected

All practitioners have a duty to inform the care and support protection plan co-ordinator of significant events or changes of circumstance relevant to the child. This should not preclude making a new report in the event of further risk or concerns being identified, and such concerns should be followed up in writing It cannot be assumed that a child on the register is safe, if any practitioner has concerns that a child on the child protection register is not being adequately protected, this must be brought to the immediate attention of their manager and follow relevant escalation processes as appropriate.

A review conference will be convened as necessary.

Bringing forward a review conference

Children looked after by the local authority subject to care and support protection plans

Where children who are looked after by the local authority and are subject to a care and support protection plan 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 care and support protection plan 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 that significant changes to the part 6 care and support plan can only be made at the looked after children review meeting.

The relevant Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) involved with a looked after child may chair child protection conferences as well as looked after children reviews.

This must be managed in a way which ensures that the independence of the IRO is not compromised.