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4.18 Discontinuing the Child Protection Plan

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This chapter outlines the reasons a child may no longer be subject to a Child Protection Plan and the procedure for removing the child's name from the List of Children with a Child Protection Plan.


A child should no longer be subject of a Child Protection Plan if:

  • it is judged that the child is no longer continuing, or likely to be suffering, Significant Harm and therefore require safeguarding by means of a Child Protection Plan

  • the child and family have moved permanently to another local authority area. The receiving authority should convene a Child Protection Conference within 15 working days of being notified of the move and only after this event should the original Child Protection Plan be discontinued

  • 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 UK.

In the case of the second and third criteria as listed above, it is permissible for the Manager of the List of Children with a Child Protection Plan to remove a child's name without the need to convene a Child Protection Review Conference. This can only occur when s/he has consulted with relevant agencies present at the conference which first decided that a Child Protection Plan was required, in which case the decision and the outcome of the consultation should be recorded including any dissenting views.

If the social worker feels the child meets the first criteria, i.e. that s/he is no longer at continuing risk of Significant Harm,  they should discuss with their Team Manager and consult the Core Group members.

If it is agreed with the Team Manager and Core Group members that the child is no longer at continuing risk of Significant Harm, the social worker should notify the Principal Officer of their intention to recommend that the Child Protection Plan can be discontinued at the next Child Protection Review Conference.

The social worker gives the Quality Assurance Unit details of the membership of the Core Group and requests that a Child Protection Review Conference is called.  The social worker notifies the family.

The Quality Assurance Unit invite the current Core Group members, and the agencies - rather than the individual practitioners - who were invited to the Child Protection Conference  which originally decided that the child should be subject of a Child Protection Plan, to a Child Protection Review Conference.

At the Child Protection Review Conference the Chair considers whether, given all the evidence, it is in the child's best interests to no longer be subject of a Child Protection Plan.

Where the Child Protection Review Conference agrees that it would be in the child's best interests to no longer be subject of a Child Protection Plan the Quality Assurance Unit will inform the child's parents by letter .  They will also inform in writing all of those invited to the Child Protection Review Conference of the outcome.

Where the Child Protection Review Conference decides that the child should remain subject of a Child Protection Plan, the Conference will make recommendations for revision of the Child Protection Plan and set a date within the next six months for the next Child Protection Review Conference.

A child who is no longer the subject of a Child Protection Plan may still require additional support and services, and discontinuing the Child Protection Plan should never lead to automatic withdrawal of help. The Lead Social Worker should discuss with the parents and the child what services might be wanted and required, based on the re-assessment of the needs of the child and family.

For children who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan and then become Looked After, see The Outline Child Protection Plan Procedure.

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