Health and social care

Introduction

If your child is to be the subject of what is called a 'Child Protection Conference', a social worker from Children's Services will have explained to you what this means, and the person who will chair the meeting will always meet you (and your child if he/she is attending) first, explain how the meeting will be run and take you into the room when required.
 
We realise how difficult it is to remember everything at such a stressful time and have produced this information which contains the information you should have.

What is a child protection conference?

A Child Protection Conference is a meeting arranged after Children's Services staff have made enquiries about a child/young person who is thought to be at risk of significant harm.

The conference brings together family members and agencies concerned with your child, so that relevant information can be shared. One of our social workers will present a report which will usually have been discussed with you, and everyone at the meeting will be given a chance to say what they think.

What is its purpose?

The purpose of the meeting is to decide whether your child needs a Child Protection Plan.
The grounds for registration are:

• Abuse or neglect is known to have taken place and further abuse or neglect is considered likely
• There is concern, backed up by social workers' and/or medical assessments, that abuse or neglect is likely to take place
The categories under which children/young people can be given a Child Protection Plan are:

• Emotional Abuse
• Neglect
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse

If your child is given a 'child protection plan' it will set out what is to be done to try to keep your child safe and well. A 'key worker' will be allocated to ensure that professionals and parents keep to the agreed plan.

Who attends the conference?

The conference is chaired by a child protection officer from Children's Services. Social Workers who have had recent contact with your family will be present, and usually an officer from the police child protection team and sometimes a council solicitor. Staff from other agencies who may already know your family and can offer help, e.g. health visitor, family doctor, teacher or education social worker, will also be invited.

Can parents attend?

Parents or anyone else who may have parental responsibility for the child/young person are encouraged to attend and take part in the conference.

We know that this sort of meeting can make you feel anxious, and you are welcome to bring a friend or relative as a supporter. Sometimes people want to bring their solicitor, who is allowed to be present but only as a supporter and not your legal representative.
On rare occasions the chairperson may decide that it would not be helpful for the child/young person if a parent attended part or all of the meeting. In such cases the chairperson would explain why and ensure that the parents' views were still made known to the meeting.

What if I cannot attend?

It is important that your views are heard, even if you cannot attend. It would be helpful if you put them in writing or on tape. If you do not attend a conference, the chairperson will normally arrange to discuss its conclusions with you and will also ensure that all those who were invited are sent a copy of the notes taken at the meeting, including the conclusions reached.

Do children/young people attend?

If you or anyone else who has parental responsibility agrees, we will actively encourage a child/young person who is old enough (usually about twelve years old or over) to attend.
How long does the meeting last?

Conferences vary a lot, but can last up to two hours. If there are problems about who will look after young children while you are in the meeting, your social worker will help you make the necessary arrangements. If for example you have small children at school and the conference is being held in the afternoon, it may be helpful if someone else collects the children for you.

What happens if I disagree with the decisions made at the conference?

Make sure that your disagreement is noted in writing and discuss it with the chairperson. If you are still not satisfied you can formally challenge the decision by writing within six weeks of the conference to the 'Group Manager' of the service for which your social worker works.

If you and the Group Manager cannot agree, you may then ask Croydon's 'Quality Assurance Manager' to investigate further. 

The Area Child Protection Committee will ask a small number of senior staff from local agencies involved in child protection to meet and examine all the material which was available to the child protection conference. If they agree that the decision reached appears mistaken, they are able to recommend that a review conference be brought forward so as to reconsider the original decision.

What happens if I disagree with the minutes?

If you think the minutes are inaccurate, you should let your social worker or the conference chair know within one week. They will decide if the minutes should be amended.

Suggestions and complaints

We have a procedure for responding to any formal complaints or suggestions about services which have not been sorted out to your satisfaction by staff to whom you have spoken.

This procedure is used if Children's Services had failed to do something which had been promised you, or if you felt you had not been treated fairly. If you need to use the complaints procedure, please contact the Departmental Complaints Officer.

Contact Details

Contact name

Child Protection

Department

Croydon Children's Services

Telephone

0208 726 6400 (24 Hours)