Child Protection Review Conferences

The first Child Protection Review Conference must be held within three months of the Initial Child Protection Conference, or in Prebirth circumstances, within 20 working days after the birth of the baby, whichever is the sooner. Any Further reviews must be within six months of the last conference, whilst a child remains subject of a Child Protection Plan. Review Conferences can be brought forward if further concerns emerge.

The issues of membership and quorum for the conference are the same as for the Child Protection Conferences Procedure.

Children's Social Care will provide a written report for the conference, normally prepared by the Lead Social Worker, which should provide an overview of the work undertaken and an evaluation of the progress made in respect of the Child Protection Plan.

The social worker should provide a copy of the report to the parents, and child where appropriate, at least two working days prior to the conference and should provide the opportunity for discussion of the contents of the report. It should not be assumed that all parents and children are able to read the report and a verbal account of the report should be offered.

The author of the report should ensure that the Safeguarding Unit are provided with a copy of the report at least 2 working days before the conference.

The format should follow the conference agenda. The Social Worker Report for Review CP Conference Form in Liquid Logic should be used.

Alongside the key safeguarding aspects and implementation of the Child Protection Plan, should there be an outstanding Initial Conference requirement, or if there have been changes within the family structure, the report should confirm the nationality and immigration status of children and family members (see: Child Protection Review Conferences Procedure, Information for the Conference) and GOV.UK, Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status).

Each member of the Core Group has a responsibility to produce an individual agency report on the child and the family for the Child Protection Review Conference. Where appropriate the report should be shared with the family and child before the Child Protection Review Conference. Those unable to attend should forward a copy of this report to the Lead Social Worker and the Safeguarding Unit.

The purpose of the Child Protection Review Conference is to review the safety, health and development of the child, to review the intended outcomes of the Child Protection Plan, and to consider whether there are any changes required to the plan in order to ensure that the child is protected.

The Child Protection Review Conference will consider whether the child is suffering or likely to suffer Significant Harm and whether the child requires protection through 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 suffering or likely to suffer Significant Harm requiring safeguarding by means of a Child Protection Plan. In these circumstances only a Child Protection Review Conference can decide that a Child Protection Plan is no longer required. Members of the conference should base their judgement on all the available information and the views of all agencies represented at the conference in person or in writing should be taken into consideration. Where the conference cannot reach a consensus, the chair of the conference will decide on whether the Child Protection Plan should continue or be discontinued, based on the views of members of the conference and on the chair's view of whether the child is at an increased likelihood of suffering Significant Harm;
• The child has been made subject of an Interim or full Care Order. It is the policy of Liverpool LSCP that children should not have the dual status of being both subject of a Care Order (whether full or interim) and subject of a Child Protection Plan unless there are specific reasons. This could include circumstances where a child is placed at home pending an assessment of risk. A Care Order (whether full or interim) provides the local authority with legal powers to protect a child from Significant Harm. Looked After Children Reviews provide the mechanism for reviewing any need for protection and a child who is subject of such an Order should not be placed or maintained in a placement which would present an increased likelihood of suffering Significant Harm;
• The child and family have moved to another local authority area. The receiving local authority should be informed without delay of the move, and should themselves convene a Child Protection Conference within 15 working days of notification. The responsibility for safeguarding the child and reviewing a Child Protection Plan will remain with Liverpool and only transfer to the receiving local authority at the point of the Conference.
  
  See Children Moving Across Boundaries Procedure;

• The child reaches the age of 18 (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), permanently leaves the UK or dies, in which case the Child Protection Plan for that child can be discontinued without a conference.

The Child Protection and Reviewing Unit will inform in writing all those invited to the conference of the discontinuation of the Child Protection Plan.

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 child, in advance of any recommendation to discontinue the Child Protection Plan, what services might be wanted and required. The Conference should also give consideration to recommendations for any Child in Need Plan which may be required and a timescale within which the Child In Need meeting should be convened.

Following the discontinuation of a Child Protection Plan, cases should be managed through Children In Need meetings. Cases should not be closed unless there is multi-agency agreement. If the team manager takes the view that a case should be closed but there is objection by another agency involved with the child, this disagreement should be referred to the LSCP Escalation Procedure and the case will remain open until the issue is resolved. See also Child Protection Conference Appeal Procedure.

Where a Looked After child remains the subject of a Child Protection Plan, there should be a single planning and reviewing process, led by the IRO and Child Protection Conference Chair, leading to the development of a single plan.

The timing of the review of the child protection aspects of the Care Plan should be the same as for all Looked After Reviews.

The Looked After Review, when reviewing the child protection aspects of the plan, should consider whether the criteria continue to be met for the child to remain the subject of a Child Protection Plan.

Consideration must be given to ensuring that the multi-agency contribution to the review of the Child Protection Plan is addressed within the review of the Care Plan.