4.9 Multi Agency Practice Guidance for Core Groups

1. Social Worker

Where a child is to be the subject of a Child Protection Plan, it is the responsibility of the Initial Child Protection Case Conference (ICPCC) to consider and make recommendations on how agencies, professionals and the family should work together to ensure that the child will be safeguarded from harm in the future. This will be in the form of an outline Child Protection Plan. This should enable both professionals and the family to understand exactly what is expected of them and what they can expect of others.

A Social Worker will have been appointed for each child who is the subject of a Child Protection Plan. Where more than one child in a family or household has a Child Protection Plan it is best to appoint a single Social Worker.

The Social Worker will not be the only professional to have contact with the family, or even be the person who sees those most often. The Child Protection Plan is a multi-agency plan. Each professional will continue to have their respective responsibilities for child protection in addition to the task designated in the plan. In addition, the Social Worker has specific responsibilities:

• Developing the Child Protection Plan into a co-ordinated inter-agency plan, at the 1st core group meeting after the Initial CP Conference;
• Convening regular Core Group meetings – minimum frequency every 28 days supervision will reflect timescales of core group meetings depending on risks;
• Coordinating and ensuring the implementing of the Child Protection Plan;
• Submitting a report to the conference Chair before each Review Child Protection Conference regarding progress made on implementing the plan;
• Maintaining regular and frequent visits to each child and their family/carers as the Child Protection Plan sets out 28 days minimum frequency however, supervision will reflect the timescales that visits should be completed;
• Alerting their managers to any difficulties that are experienced in seeing and speaking alone to a child and agreeing the action necessary to resolve those difficulties;
• Co-ordinating the contributions of family members to required activities and ensuring that the parents know and understand how the need for a Child Protection Plan can be reduced;
• To actively keep up to date with the case and to seek out new and additional information. This will require the reading of case files and updating chronologies;
• Acting as a lead professional for the inter-agency work, providing a focus and a contact for information about the child/ren, keeping those involved up to date with new and additional information and informing those who become newly involved about the Child Protection Plan;
• Completing the Children and Family Assessment of the child and family with contributions from the Core Group and others and progressing any other assessment work recommended by the conference;
• Being involved in any further enquiries about the alleged or suspected abuse of any member of that child's previous and current households and extended family;
• Keeping all professionals informed of changes of adults in the household;
• Ensure that the child is involved in the Child Protection Plan (age appropriate) and understands the child protection process. The child is at the centre of the plan.

2. The Core Group

The child protection conference will agree the membership of a Core Group consisting of the child (if appropriate), parent/carers and professionals drawn from all relevant involved agencies at the ICPC a core group agreement will be completed with all partnership signing the agreement. The work of the Core Group will address the risks in meeting the needs of the child and the capacity of the parents to protect and promote his/her welfare. It will focus on developing any existing strengths that the family are able to demonstrate under Signs of Safety.

Membership of the Core Group should include the Social Worker, who leads the Core Group, the child if appropriate, family members and professionals or foster carers who will have direct contact with the family. Although the social worker has the lead role, all members of the core group are jointly responsible for the formulation and implementation of the Child Protection Plan, refining the plan as needed, and monitoring progress against the planned outcomes set out in the plan. The function of the Core Group is to:

• Bring together all persons who are jointly responsible for making and implementing the Child Protection Plan;
• Develop the Child Protection Plan at the first meeting after the Initial Conference;
• Be jointly responsible for developing the Child Protection Plan as a detailed working tool;
• Jointly monitor and report progress on implementing the Plan and/or any contingency plan to the next child protection review conference;
• Allocate tasks identified in the Child Protection Plan to core group members and review their progress as required;
• Maintain a focus on strengths as well as areas that need to be improved in considering the needs and progress of the child and family;
• Meet as a group no less than once four weeks after the first review conference (see Section 5, Frequency of Core Group Meetings), or at a level agreed by the core group, sufficient to safely progress the work. All meeting dates should be scheduled at the first core group meeting. Changing the date of a Core Group should be avoided. In the event this is unavoidable the key worker should advise all members of the change;
• Maintain a record of group discussions and decisions using the core group record template. This is a joint responsibility and all agencies should take turns to take the notes from the meeting;
• Review its membership as and when necessary ensuring representation from all main agencies;
• Recommend to the Conference Chair if the conference should be reconvened at an earlier date than already agreed;
• Agree to support the lead in relation to minuting of meetings and chairing the core group meeting.

It is important that services are provided to give the child and family the best chance of achieving the required changes. If a child cannot be cared for safely by his or her parent(s), he or she will have to be placed elsewhere whilst work is being undertaken with the child and family.

Irrespective of where the child is living, interventions should specifically address:

• The developmental needs of the child;
• The child’s understanding of what has happened to him or her;
• The abusing parent/child relationship and the parental capacity to respond to the child’s need;
• Family relationships; and
• Possible changes to the families social and environmental circumstances.

Interventions may have a number of inter-related components:

• Action to make a child safe;
• Action to help promote a child’s health and development;
• Action to help a parent in safeguarding a child and promoting his or her welfare;
• Therapy for an abused child; and
• Support or therapy for a perpetrator of abuse.

The Child Protection Plan can be used as evidence in any legal proceedings of the efforts which have been made to work in partnership with the child and family and to reduce the level of risk.

A Core Group meeting should never assume functions that are the responsibility of a Review Child Protection Conference. Consideration should be given, following consultation with a Team Manager or Service Manager, to convening an earlier conference if the particular circumstances of the case suggest this would be appropriate. Core group members should always relay their concerns to their line manager and the social worker. It is also advisable to consult with the Child Protection Review Manager about these issues. It is difficult to be prescriptive about specific criteria that may prompt such an eventuality, but the following are possible pointers:

• A serious level of non co-operation with the protection plan and agencies implementing it and the child's safety and wellbeing is not improving;
• Partial level of parental co-operation with some agencies; the core group would need to carefully evaluate whether the protection plan could be effectively delivered in these circumstances;
• New knowledge emerging which means that the protection plan requires review;
• When the level of chronic risk to the child is higher than the initial assessment revealed, reconvening an urgent review child protection conference is essential. For one off incidents which place a child at risk of Significant Harm; legal advice would need to be sought in order to give the child immediate protection.

3. Assessments

The child protection conference is convened following the Section 47 enquiry. It will consider the information that has been obtained in an Early Help Assessment (EHA) or children and family assessment about the child's developmental needs and the parents' capacity to meet them in the context of their wider family and environment. A completed  C&F assessment will be completed for the ICPC by Children’ Social Care.

A children and family (C&F) assessment is defined as an in-depth assessment of which the central and most important aspect are the needs of the child and the capacity of his or her parents or caregivers to respond appropriately to these needs within the wider family and community context. While this assessment is led by a social worker, it will invariably involve other agencies, or independent professionals, who will either provide information they hold about the child or parents, contribute specialist knowledge or advice or undertake specialist assessments. At the conclusion of this phase of assessment, there will be an analysis of the findings, which will provide an understanding of the child's circumstances and direct the planning, case objectives and the nature of service provision. The child's voice and views must be present in the assessment and the assessment should capture the child's lived experience.

4. The Child Protection Plan

An outline Child Protection Plan will be agreed by the child protection conference. The core group will draw up a full and detailed Child Protection Plan at the 1st core group. Consideration should be given to holding the 1st core group immediately after the Initial Conference. The aim of the Child Protection Plan is to:

• Ensure the child is safe from harm and prevent him or her from suffering further harm;
• Support the family and wider family members to safeguard and promote the welfare of their child, provided it is in the best interests of the child;
• Promote the child's health and development.

Each core group member (including the parents/carers and if appropriate, the child) should be given their own copy of the Plan. The Plan should take into consideration the wishes and feelings of the child, the views of the parents, insofar as this is consistent with the child's welfare. The social worker should make every effort to ensure that the children and parents have clear understanding of the objectives of the Child Protection Plan that they accept it and are willing to work to it. If family members' preferences are not accepted about how best to safeguard the child, the reasons for this should be explained.

5. Frequency of Meetings

It is good practice for the first core group to take place straight after the initial or review conference. If this is not possible the first core group meeting must be within ten working days of the conference. The dates for core group meetings for the forthcoming review period should be agreed at the first core group meeting. After that the core group should meet within 28 days of the first meeting and at a minimum frequency of once 28 days following the first review conference. More regular meetings may be required according to the needs of the child this should be discussed in supervision and also as a collective core group. Copies of the notes and written agreement must be circulated to Core Group members by Children’s Social Care within 10 working days.

6. Venue of Meetings

The venue is subject to reasonable negotiation. The accessibility, comfort and confidentiality of the venue for parents and carers are important considerations. TEAMS can be used however, a professional should be with the family at all meetings to ensure they can fully participate in the meeting and are fully supported to do so

7. Chairing of Meetings

The social worker will usually chair meetings. It is recognised that contributing to and minuting such a meeting can be difficult for the social worker. The Core Group will ensure the aforementioned tasks are shared amongst the professionals in the core group.

8. Attendance at Meetings

Attendance should be for family members and or extended family network, and those professionals actively engaged in implementing the Child Protection Plan. Where a family member's presence would prevent the Core Group from functioning, consideration may be given to excluding the individual. The social worker's Team Manager will make this decision.

The conference will designate who will be members of the Core Group. If the allocated professional cannot attend the Core Group Meeting they must ensure their line manager is informed. The line manager will endeavour to provide cover; if this is not possible a written report must be provided to the Core Group Meeting. All agencies will provide a written report to each core group meeting.

The social worker or a representative must always attend the Core Group, however, as a one off and in an emergency i.e. sickness the core group can go ahead and minutes be sent to the social worker for CSC ICS Systems.

Every effort should be made to achieve the attendance of relevant family members at the Core Group Meetings. An interpreter must be invited if needed. The Core Group is an essential working meeting and the parents/carers participation is necessary. Small meetings will be less overwhelming and intimidating for parents. It is reasonable for parents/carers to be accompanied by a friend or relative if they wish. It is an important task of the Core Group to encourage and welcome the parent/carer to the group to ensure they participate and contribute fully.

The absence of family members from the Core Group Meetings is unfortunate, but their non-attendance should not prevent the group from developing and implementing the Child Protection Plan. The effectiveness of the group will be diminished, but the prime consideration is the welfare of the child/ren. Advice should be sought from the Child Protection Review Manager where there is non-co-operation or superficial compliance. In some cases this may also result in the seeking of legal advice and orders being applied for.

The child/young person should be encouraged to attend the Core Group, where it is felt the child is able to understand the purpose of the group. In their absence their view must be sought prior to the meeting.

Where there is conflict between agencies the advice of the Child Protection Review Manager should be sought.

9. Agenda for the Core Group

The agenda of the first Core Group, following the conference, is to develop the Outline Child Protection Plan and to plan completion of the single assessment. Core Group members will sign their agreement to the Child Protection Plan. The Core Group thereafter will monitor progress of the Child Protection Plan and analyse the level of current risk to the child/ren.

See Appendix 1: Template for Core Group Meeting.

10. Record of Core Group Meetings

It is the task of the Core Group to record the main discussion and decision points of the meeting on a form designated for this purpose. The Social Worker will be responsible for the distribution of updated plan/minutes.

The record should be distributed to all parties involved in the Child Protection Plan, within 5 working days.

11. Other Meetings

The key worker should inform Core Group members of the content and outcomes of other meetings held regarding the child/ren, such as 'Legal planning meetings' meetings. Such meetings could inform the content and outcomes of core group meetings despite their different purpose and focus.

12. Supervision of Child Protection Staff

Supervisors in all agencies responsible for the supervision of staff with child protection responsibility should acquaint themselves with this guidance. The supervisor should ensure that they have an oversight of those children who have a Child Protection Plan. The supervisor should satisfy themselves of the following during supervision:

• The Child Protection Plan remains effective in keeping the children safe and progress is being made in the achievement of planned outcomes;
• The Child Protection Plan is meeting and promoting the needs of the children;
• The Core Group is meeting within timescale and is effectively progressing the Child Protection Plan.

During supervision it is important the supervisor supports the supervisee in reflecting upon the work undertaken, what has gone well and what could have been done better. The supervisor must challenge where appropriate.

If the supervisor has a concern in relation to the safe working of the Child Protection Plan or Core Group it should be immediately raised with their child protection lead.

13. Removal of Child Protection Plan

The decision to remove a child from a Child Protection Plan takes place at a Review Conference. The social worker and Core Group should ensure that the child/young person has adequate and appropriate support when it is recommended the Child Protection Plan be removed. The recommendation for the child to be removed from the Child Protection Plan should be agreed at the Core Group prior to the Child Protection Review Conference. This core group must be chaired by a Team Manager. Parents must be informed that this is only a recommendation and the Conference will decide if this is appropriate. Any disagreement should be clearly recorded in the social worker's report to conference.

The Review Child Protection conference will consider if the child requires continuing support once the Child Protection Plan ends. It is expected that the child /family will be supported by a Child In Need plan for a minimum of 3 months following the conference.

Note: A Child in Need Plan is required, identifying the services to be provided with timescales. The social worker would remain as the Lead Professional and be responsible for ensuring the plan is reviewed.

14. Role of the Social Worker’s Manager

The first line manager has a vital role in managing the progress of the case and supporting the Lead Social Worker.

The manager should:

• Read and countersign all significant records and assessments on the child’s file, including the incident log;
• Chair Core Group Meetings as required;
• Discuss the progress of the Child Protection Plan and any concerns in supervision, including the need for any further risk assessment;
• Read and countersign Conference Reports and the Child Protection Plan;
• Review the Child Protection Plan with the Lead Social Worker when unexpected developments or crises occur, and together make a decision whether to recommend that a Child Protection Review Conference date be brought forward;
• Attend Initial Child Protection Conferences and Child Protection Review Conferences as appropriate;
• Confirm the visiting frequency of the Lead Social Worker and the frequency of Core Group meetings;
• Arrange cover for the Lead Social Worker in case of sickness and ensure arrangements are in place when the Lead Social Worker is on annual leave and training;
• Any permanent change in the Lead Social Worker must be notified, in writing, to all Core Group members, including the relevant family members, without delay.

15. Failure to Achieve the Desired Outcomes of the Plan

There always has to be the possibility that intervention, monitoring or further assessment will reach the conclusion that the situation is not safe and the child will need to be removed in order to protect them from harm.

In these circumstances, and/or where there is a failure to obtain or retain the cooperation of the parents or child in working on the plan or changed or unforeseen circumstances, this must be brought immediately to the attention of the Social Worker.

The Social Worker must inform his or her manager and, in consultation with other agencies, a decision will be made as to the need for any immediate protective action and/or a Section 47 Enquiry and/or reconvened Child Protection Conference to be considered.

Where there are concerns that a child is missing, for guidance see Children who Run Away or go Missing from Home or Care Policy.

Appendix 1: Template for Core Group Meeting

Click here to view Appendix 1: Template for Core Group Meeting.