Child Protection Plans
Outline how agencies, professionals and families should work together to ensure that an individual child will be safeguarded from harm in the future.
| Standard | Criteria | |
| 1 | Outline Child Protection Plans are made when thresholds of concern for a child are met | Threshold for making a CPP: – The child can be shown to have suffered ill-treatment or impairment of health or development as a result of physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect, professional judgment is that further ill-treatment or impairment are likely, or – Professional judgment, substantiated by the findings of enquiries in this individual case or by research evidence, is that the child is likely to suffer ill-treatment or impairment of health or development as a result of physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect Where consensus cannot be reached the Chair will decide, giving the reasons for the decision. |
| 2 | CPPs outline the concerns for the child | CPP to state which category of abuse or neglect is appropriate (in most cases only one category should be used). |
| 3 | CPP states who will be involved in the plan and how | Identify the lead Social Worker Identify members of a Core Group of professionals and family members who will develop and implement the CPP Establish how the child, their parents and wider family members should be involved in the on-going assessment, planning and implementation process and the support, advice and advocacy available to them Plans to be signed by all agencies represented at the core group, the parents and where appropriate, the child |
| 4 | The CPP will outline visits that should be made to see the child | The lead Social Worker will visit the child at least every two weeks (in line with the CSC practice guidance) Professionals will visit the child in accordance with their agency child protection policy and the Child Protection Plan Any decisions to make unannounced visits should be clearly recorded in the plan |
| 5 | CPP outlines the assessment required | Outline what further action is required to complete assessment State what other specialist assessments of the child and family are required |
| 6 | CPP outlines outcomes (“safety goals”) for the child clearly | Identify the outcomes that should be achieved The ways in which the child is to be protected Identify what is working well (strengths) Identify what needs to change in order to achieve the planned outcomes |
| 7 | CPP states what actions are required to achieve the outcomes (safety goals) | Clarify who will have responsibility for what actions – including actions by family members Specify timescales for each action Outlines ways of monitoring and evaluating progress against the planned outcomes set out in the plan |
| 8 | A contingency plan is made | A plan must include a contingency which identifies what actions should be taken if it has not been possible to achieve agreed objectives and actions within agreed timeframes or circumstances change. |
| 9 | Failure to comply with the Child Protection Plan or the risk substantially changes | In these circumstances Children’s Social Care should take any action necessary to safeguard the welfare of the child and a Review Child Protection Conference will be convened as soon as possible. |
| 10 | CPP Contains review dates | The date of the first Child Protection Review Conference is set and under what circumstances it might be necessary to convene the conference before that date The date of the first Core Group is set. |
| 11 | Ending a Child Protection Plan | The majority of child protection plans should only be ended at a Review Child Protection Conference. Child Protection Plans should only be ended in the following circumstances: – It is judged that the child is no longer continuing to, or is likely to, suffer significant harm and therefore no longer requires safeguarding by means of a child 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 move. Only after this event may the original local authority discontinue its child protection plan, or – The child has reached 18 years of age (to end the child protection plan, the local authority should have a review around the child’s birthday and this should be planned in advance), has died or has permanently left the United Kingdom |
| 12 | Ending a Child Protection Plan by Letter | When it is known at the time of an ICPC that circumstances that would adequately safeguard the child are shortly to come in to being (such that, had they been in place at the time of the ICPC a Child Protection Plan would not be necessary) it should be open to the Chair of the Conference to propose that, if the anticipated safeguarding arrangements come in to place before the time of the RCPC, the Chair, following consultation with the SW, will end the Child Protection Plan by letter. There should be unanimous agreement of the professionals in the ICPC with the proposed course of action: – The chair and agency reps must record in detail at the ICPC exactly what the circumstances of the child should be before the plan can be ended by letter. The detail must be recorded in the Child Protection Conference record. – When the SW notifies the Chair that the agreed arrangements are in place for the child, the Chair must be satisfied that the arrangements conform in full to those agreed at the ICPC before the plan is ended. – The Chair’s letter (that proposes the end the Child Protection Plan) should offer a 10 day period of notice before the plan is ended for agencies to respond if they are no longer in agreement and feel that the RCPC should be held. – Where this is agreed at an ICPC, a copy of the conference record should be emailed to the IRO Managers for audit. – A copy of the Chair’s letter ending a Child Protection Plan should be emailed to the IRO Managers for audit – Safeguarding Business Support staff should ensure that, when these arrangements have been made, this should be clearly indicated against the ICPC within Child Protection Conference monitoring arrangements |
| 13 | Ending the Child Protection Plan when a child/young becomes looked after | Only in exceptional circumstances should a child/young person be subject to a Child Protection Plan and be looked after. If a child/young person is subject to a Child Protection Plan and becomes looked after the IRO should immediately review the file and have a discussion with the team manager A decision should be made between the IRO and team manager as to whether it is appropriate to end the Child Protection Plan. Where it is agreed the Child Protection Plan should end this should be done by letter within 10 working days. |
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