Chapter Ten
THE LIST OF CHILDREN SUBJECT OF A CHILD PROTECTION PLAN
(FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE CHILD PROTECTION REGISTER)
Leicestershire, Leicester City and Rutland each maintain a separate list for their own areas.
In this section:
IntroductionRecording that a child is subject to a child protection plan
Categories of abuse
Discontinuing the child protection plan
Making an enquiry about a child
Changes in the circumstances of a child subject of a child protection plan
Retention of records
Children who move away or go missing
Death of a child subject of a child protection plan
List of people who may present a risk to children
Introduction
10.1 Each local authority maintains information about children who are subject of a child protection plan within their own integrated children’s information recording system. This information can be collated in a list in order to:
- Provide a record of all children in the LSCB/Local Authority area who are judged to be at continuing risk of significant harm, are in need of active safeguarding and subject to a child protection plan
- Ensure that each child on the list is subject to review within required timescales
- Provide statistical information to the LSCB, member agencies, and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
10.2 For children in Leicestershire, the list is maintained by the Safeguarding Unit in the Leicestershire Children and Young People’s Service. For Leicester City children, the list is maintained by the Safeguarding Unit, within Leicester City CYPS. For Rutland the list is maintained by the Safeguarding Unit Rutland. The person responsible for maintaining each list is the Designated Service Manager – Child Protection.
10.3 Out of normal office hours, the Social Care Services Emergency Duty Team provides access to information about children on all three lists for authorised personnel from Police, and authorised hospital and health staff only. Agencies should not hold duplicate or informal lists.
10.4 Within normal office hours, the list administrators in Leicester City, Leicestershire and Rutland also hold information on people assessed as presenting a risk to children. For information on this see paras 10.51 to 10.54 below. Where a child/family may have recently lived in the neighbouring local authority area, it is important that a check is made against both local authority information systems.
Recording that a child is subject to a child protection plan
10.5 The decision that a child should be subject to a child protection plan is always made at a child protection conference.
10.6 Immediately after each child protection conference, the chairperson will ensure that the list administrator receives information about the outcome of the conference. The administrator must ensure that the data base is updated within one working day of being notified of the decision to establish a child protection plan.
10.7 The record of the conference (LSCB2) confirms the decisions of the conference to all agencies, in order that they may amend their records accordingly. Parents/carers who were invited to the conference are advised in writing of the outcome of the conference by the conference chairperson.
Pre-birth conference decisions that a child should be subject of a child protection plan
10.8 When a pre-birth conference decides that a child will be subject of a child protection plan at birth, the administrator will:
- Advise the relevant hospital Social Work Team, and the Leicester Royal Infirmary Child Protection Office within 2 working days
- Advise the relevant hospital where the birth is expected to be if other than UHL (this may be outside Leicestershire)
- Keep a reminder of the impending birth in order to track any delay in being informed of the birth
- When informed of the birth enter the child’s name, the start of the child protection plan and category of risk on the client database from that date.
- Ensure the key worker is aware of the birth
Categories of abuse
10.9 A child may be subject of a child protection plan as a result of one or more categories of abuse. The categories used are as defined in the Guidance “Working Together To Safeguard Children”, namely:
Physical abuse
10.10 Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces symptoms of, or deliberately induces illness in a child.
Emotional abuse
10.11 Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to the child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying causing a child to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of a child. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill treatment of a child, though it may occur alone.
Sexual abuse
10.12 Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative (e.g. rape or buggery) or non-penetrative acts. It may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, pornographic material or watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.
Neglect
10.13 Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food and clothing, shelter including exclusion from home or abandonment, failing to protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
10.14 The category or categories determined by the conference chairperson represents the primary presenting concern at the time the child became subject of a child protection plan, and thus indicates to anyone consulting the child’s social care record the nature of current and previous concerns. This categorising also allows for the collation and analysis of information locally and nationally. The use of more than one category is reserved for those circumstances where the child would have required a child protection plan for both and not merely where there are some additional concerns or early suspicions, but less than clear evidence that this represents risk of significant harm. The category of emotional abuse is normally only made where this is the sole or main form of abuse.
Discountinuing the child protection plan
10.15 A child should no longer be subject of a child protection plan if:
- The child has reached the age of 18, has died, or has permanently left the UK
- The child and family have moved permanently to another local authority area, and the receiving authority has convened a child protection conference and/or accepted responsibility for the case in writing
- By decision reached at a review Child Protection Conference
More detailed discussion of the circumstances in which a review child protection conference should reach this decision is contained within Chapter 8, paragraphs 8.13 to 8.17.
Administrative processes where a review child protection conference decides that a child protection plan can be discontinued
10.16 The chairperson will ensure that the list administrator is informed so that the social care record is updated within 5 working days.
10.17 The record of the conference (LSCB2) confirms the decision of the conference to all agencies, in order that they may amend their records accordingly. Parents/carers who were invited to the conference are additionally advised in writing of the outcome of the conference by the conference chairperson.
Contingency arrangements
10.18 On occasion the decision to discontinue a child protection plan will depend on an expected event. For details of circumstances where this may happen see Chapter 8 (paragraphs 8.14 to 8.16 16).
10.19 In these circumstances the key worker must advise the chairperson and the list administrator as soon as the anticipated change has taken place.
10.20 The list administrator will amend the social care record and ensure that written confirmation is provided to agencies and to parents/carers.
Making an enquiry about a child
10.21 Any member of staff from an agency represented on the LSCB should make an enquiry regarding a child about whom they have current concerns. This enquiry should be made to the duty service of the relevant children’s social care team.
10.22 To safeguard the confidentiality of the information, a call-back system will be used unless the enquirer is known to the duty desk.
10.23 Those making an enquiry must:·Identify themselves and their role/agency and agency contact number (for call-back)·Provide as much identifying information as possible about children and adults in the household, including aliases, (to enable a check of both information about individual children and of any information held about adults)·Provide a concise outline of the concern prompting the enquiry (for reference in subsequent checks) which the duty worker will enter on the child’s record
10.25 Children’s social care will discuss the concerns with the person making the enquiry and agree the most appropriate action, based on current information and any previous concerns.(For the process of making a referral to children’s Social Care see Chapter 4 para 4.18)
10.26 Where the child/family could be known to more than one Children’s Social Care Service checks should be made to each.
10.27 Social workers undertaking child protection enquiries should check all available information. Where electronic systems give access to historical CPR screens these should be checked. Where these are not directly available the worker must advise the list administrator, to check whether there is any pre- ICS historical information.
Changes in the circumstances of a child subject of a child protection plan
10.28 Information about a child subject of a child protection plan must be kept up to date. All staff within constituent agencies of the LSCB have a duty to inform the key worker of any changes in the circumstances of a child who is subject of a CP plan, particularly if the child has moved, or is about to move, out of the area.
10.29 On receiving information about a significant change in the child’s circumstances the key worker must ensure that the child’s record is updated. Changes to be notified include:
- Change of address of the child or parents/carers
- Additions in members of the household
- Birth of a child within the household
- Moves of a child into or out of the authority’s jurisdiction
- Child who is the subject of a child protection plan goes missing
- Name changes of family members
- Change of legal status of child
- Change of GP
- Change of key worker
Retention of Records
10.30 Where a child was previously subject of a child protection plan
Information should be retained until the child reaches 23 years of age (unless another child in the family has been subsequently the subject of a CP plan in which case it is retained until the last child in the family subject of a plan reaches the age of 23 years).
Children who move away or go missing
10.31 Children are subject of a child protection plan because they are considered to be at continuing risk of significant harm. It is essential that all agencies responsible for monitoring the child or providing services remain aware of the child’s whereabouts. This is particularly important in the case of families that move frequently or have an itinerant lifestyle, which may make assessment of any increasing risk more difficult.
10.32 All agencies have a duty to share information about the whereabouts of any child who is subject of a child protection plan.
Children who move into Leicester City, Leicestershire or Rutland (“The Authority”) from another Authority
10.33 There is a duty on all Local Authorities to inform the designated service manager of the Authority when a child who is subject of a child protection plan moves into their area. However, this cannot be assumed to have taken place. Any agency, which becomes aware of such a child moving into the area should:
- make immediate telephone contact with their equivalent agency in the previous Authority to exchange information about the reasons for the child protection plan and level of current concern
- Inform children’s social care
- inform the list administrator of the relevant Children’s Social Care Service.
10.34 The list administrator must, on the same day:
- Confirm this with the previous Authority’s administrator and seek relevant information
- Enter the child as subject to a CP plan on a temporary basis, pending a receiving-in child protection conference
- Confirm this action in writing to the designated manager in the previous Authority
- Inform the relevant Social Work team
- Maintain the child’s name as subject of a child protection plan on a temporary basis until a receiving-in child protection conference has been held and a decision made whether or not to maintain the CP plan
NB. This procedure applies to children subject to a CP plan who move between Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland, as well as to children who move from elsewhere.
10.35 The Social Work Team Manager will:
- Arrange any immediate pre-conference action necessary for the protection of the child
- Where the move is permanent, convene a receiving-in child protection conference within 15 working days
- Liaise with the previous authority and obtain relevant reports and information
- Clarify issues of case responsibility with the previous Authority, where the length of stay is uncertain or the child is already the subject of legal proceedings
- Keep under review any decision not to hold a receiving-in conference where the move is intended to be temporary. Where a child’s stay is longer than 2 months, a child protection conference should normally be convened
10.36 Each agency will be responsible for obtaining records from counterparts in the previous area.
10.37 When a conference has been held, the list administrator will inform the administrator of the previous authority of the outcome in writing.
10.38 In very exceptional circumstances the designated service manager may agree that a receiving-in conference is not required. This would only be where the new arrangements for the child who has moved into Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland are so significantly different from those which led to registration in the other authority that it is obvious that there is no continuing risk.
Children subject of a child protection plan who move out of Leicester City, Leicestershire or Rutland (“The Authority”)
10.39 Any agency representative who becomes aware that such a child is moving or has moved to a known address in another Authority should immediately:
- Inform the key worker
- Inform the list administrator
10.40 The key worker will:
- Ensure that the list administrator has been informed
- Consider, with available members of the core group, any immediate action necessary to safeguard the health and welfare of the child
- Inform the Children’s Social Care Service in the new authority, confirm interim arrangements for case responsibility, and provide key factual details and the reasons for the child protection plan being in place. This must be confirmed in writing within 3 working days and relevant reports provided. A copy of this letter should go to the key worker’s own list administrator
- Ensure that all local agencies are aware of the move and are taking steps to provide information to their counterparts in the new Authority
- Where possible, arrange to attend a child protection conference convened in the new Authority. When attendance is not possible, written reports should be provided
10.41 The list administrator will:
- Immediately inform the administrator in the new Authority of the child’s details and category of abuse/neglect by telephone. This should be followed up in writing
- On receipt of information that the new Authority has held a receiving-in conference, record that the child protection plan is discontinued and confirm this in writing to the Authority that has received the child
- Advise the designated manager if the new Authority declines to hold a receiving-in conference because it takes the view that the child is no longer at risk. The designated manager will decide on action to take
- Ensure that agencies expecting to attend the next review child protection conference are informed that the child protection plan is to be discontinued. (This task is done centrally in Leicester City but is the social worker’s responsibility in Leicestershire and Rutland)
Children subject of a child protection plan who are missing or move to an unknown address
10.42 Any agency representative who becomes aware that such a child is missing should:
- Inform the key worker immediately
- Inform the list administrator immediately
10.43 The key worker will:
- Ensure that the list administrator has been informed
- Contact any family member, friends or known contacts, who may know the child’s whereabouts
- Inform the local police operations room if the above fails to locate the child
- Discuss the circumstances with the Team Manager and core group members
- Where there is considered to be immediate risk of significant harm, the police should be informed and a Strategy Meeting convened. The single purpose of this meeting is to devise an action plan to trace and safeguard the child
10.44 The designated manager will:
- Agree when to circulate details of the missing child and family members to all local authorities nationally. The list administrator will notify other local authorities and will send out updated information as necessary including when the child is found.
- Advise the Director of Children and Young People’s Service
10.45 Any agency receiving information about the child’s whereabouts should notify the key worker and administrator immediately.
10.46 If the child is found to have moved to a new Authority, the procedures for children who move out of the Authority will apply.
10.47 If the child is not located within 28 days a review conference should be called to review steps taken and consider what else can be done to locate the child.
Death of a child subject of a child protection plan
10.48 When such a child dies the designated manager must be notified. The Child Death Review Panel coordinator must also be notified.
10.49 The designated manager will notify:
- Ofsted
- Director of Children & Young People’s Services
- Relevant designated professionals in local agencies
10.50The administrator will notify all involved agencies in writing that the child protection plan is no longer applicable.
List of people who may present a risk to children
10.51 The list administrator may hold information on people who have been assessed as presenting a risk to children. This information is flagged on the social care database and will be provided to social workers and other authorised persons enquiring about adults known to be in contact with a child.
10.52 This list is compiled from notifications to the Children and Young People’s Services by
- The Prison Service
- The Probation Service
- The Youth Offending Service
- The Police.
All of these assess the general risk presented and notify the list administrator where this is considered to be significant.
The administrator does not hold a complete list of people resident in the area who may present a risk to children.
10.53 Any worker who believes that a person in contact with children presents a significant risk should notify the administrator in order for this to be checked. In order to ensure correct entries on the computer systems the register administrator will obtain verification from the Police or Probation service of the fact that the person has been convicted of a relevant offence and/or is assessed as presenting a significant risk.
10.54 For further information on work with convicted offenders please see also Chapter 16.