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Pointers for Practice: Practitioners Attending Child Protection Conferences - Key Messages

  1. Preparation is key. Practitioners should prepare a summary of their report that focuses on the key points they wish to make at conference. They should draw on evidence and ensure a child-focus when presenting the summary.
  2. The focus of the conference is two-fold. First, making sense of the information second, constructing an outline plan to address concerns.
  3. Central to understanding the level of risk of harm is having a sound understanding of the daily lived experience of the child/ren and their carer/s.
  4. Every child is unique and therefore their needs will be particular to that child. It is important, therefore, that each child is considered separately.
  5. Each parent has a responsibility to keep the child safe. Their role and responsibilities should be considered separately.
  6. Professional assessments about safeguarding concerns and family strengths will be considered. Ensure you can justify your assessment of concerns and identification of strengths with supporting evidence.
  7. Be prepared for open discussion about professional concerns and family strengths and to participate in these discussions.
  8. When drafting the outline plan do not focus on actions alone. Consider the actions in context. What are the needs that we must address? What actions can address these needs and why? How will we know if the actions are being effective in relation to child-centred outcomes?
  9. It can be disempowering for carers and inhibit change to focus only on concerns at the conference. Therefore, be sure to recognise family strengths and identify ways in which these can be developed to improve the daily lived experience of the child/ren.