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Contents

1. Initial Conferences
2. Review Conferences
3. Transfer in Conferences
4. Transfer out Conferences 
5. General Points

1. Initial Conferences

• The decision to convene an initial child protection case conference is made by the Team Manager in consultation with the operational service Team Manager.
• The Social Worker will complete the invite list for the conference. If they have any queries about who should be invited they can consult with the duty CPC. The date for the conference and conference chair is agreed by a Quality Assurance Team Manager.
• The Social Worker will need to write the reason for the conference on the invite list, together with any dates when they are not available. They should also indicate who their Team Manager is. The reason for the conference is included in the conference invitation letter
• All the children in the household need to be considered and information must be provided on each of them. The invite list also needs to reflect this.
• It has been agreed with our partner agencies that we will give 5 days notice for initial conferences, unless the urgency of the situation dictates otherwise. Telephone as well as written invites will be done if the conference is convened with less than a week’s notice
• Social Workers must ensure that the Parents are aware that an initial conference is being held, before the invitation is sent to them. If there are any issues around language or literacy, it is the Social Worker’s responsibility to ensure that the Parents are communicated with in an appropriate manner
•  The Social Worker will be expected to prepare a conference report, and to share this with the Parents two days before the conference, or, as a minimum, 24 hours before the conference. It is not acceptable to invite the Parents in half an hour before the conference, as this does not give them the opportunity to digest and discuss the report, or seek advice from an advocate or solicitor if they so wish. The report must be countersigned by the team Manager. A copy should also be made available to the conference chair 24 hours before the conference
• Social Workers will be expected to be able to summarise the key points from their report at the conference
• Conference Summary and outcomes are sent out within 48 hours of the conference.
• The Chair of the conference will meet with parents prior to the conference room. Other invitee's will be shown up to join them at the start of the conference.

2. Review Conferences

Invites/reminders are not sent out for review conferences. The Social Worker needs to ensure that the Parents are aware of the conference. The Social Worker must facilitate the attendance of the Parents at the conference. This may include helping them to arrange appropriate child care.

The Social Worker needs to inform the QA business support of any changes as to whom should be present at the conference, such as when a child changes school. An invite letter will be sent out to those agencies not involved at the point of the previous conference(s).

The report for the review conference must be discussed with the Parents/Carers, and a copy given to them, before the conference date. The current London Child Protection Procedures state that this should be 10 working days before the review conference, to enable any factual inaccuracies to be identified, amended and areas of disagreement noted. The chair should have the report 5 days before. All reports must be signed by the team Manager.

As for initials, Social Workers may be asked to summarise the key points from their reports.

Where necessary the reports should be translated into the relevant language or medium.

3. Transfer in Conferences

When another local authority contacts Lewisham with a request for a transfer conference, this request will normally come through the Family Support and Intervention Duty system. Some requests meet the criteria, but the circumstances of the move into Lewisham need to be explored before responsibility is accepted, and a transfer conference agreed.

All requests must be in writing from the Social Worker or Manager for the children on the register, accompanied by case conference minutes and decision sheets, a copy of the Core Assessment if there is one, and any other reports which may be considered relevant.

There are a number of situations when case responsibility would not be accepted, such as if the local authority requesting the transfer are in proceedings or about to go into proceedings, the family have been placed in Lewisham as part of a Child Protection Plan, the child is looked after, the move is clearly only a temporary one, particularly if the Parents retain their tenancy in the originating authority. Each situation needs to be assessed on its own merits. All requests should therefore go through the QA Manager, who will check them on behalf of the Service Manager, and ascertain whether it is a valid request. In her absence, the Duty IRO can assist in this process.

The QA Manager will liaise with the Area Team Manager for FSI to alert them to cases coming in, and, where there is dispute, to consult them for their view.

Once it is agreed that a case will be accepted, a date needs to be negotiated with the QA service and the Social Worker from the authority transferring the case. A Social Worker or Manager from FSI will also need to attend.

The Social Worker from the originating authority will be asked to provide details of who should be invited, which will be sent through to QA Business Support, who will set up the conference.

The Social Worker for the case will also be expected to provide a report and to attend the transfer in conference.

4. Transfer out Conferences 

If a child who is subject to a Child Protection Plan moves out of Lewisham to another local authority, the Social Worker needs to consider whether the receiving authority should be asked to convene a conference, in accordance with the guidance in the London Child Protection Procedures. Any requests should be put in writing, with the appropriate reports and paperwork. Disputes would normally be dealt with by the first Line Managers, and referred on to their respective child protection Managers if case responsibility cannot be agreed.  

5. General Points

It is the responsibility of the Social Worker and/or Team Manager, to discuss with the conference chair any possible problems or issues around who should attend the conference, including Staff safety considerations, and whether any particular arrangements need to be made (e.g. split conference, attendance of a young person).

Consideration should always be given to bringing the conference forward:

• Where child protection concerns relating to a new incident or allegation of abuse have been sustained
• When there are significant difficulties in carrying out the child protection plan
• Where a child is born into the household of a registered child
• Where a schedule one offender (or an individual who poses a risk of harm to children) is to join or commences regular contact with the household
• When there is a significant change in the circumstances of the child or family not anticipated at the previous conference and with implications for the safety of the child
• Where a child is subject to a Child Protection Plan and looked after by the local authority and consideration is being given to returning the child to the circumstances where care of the child required registration (unless this step is anticipated in the existing child protection plan)
• Where the core group believe that early de-registration should be considered

See London Child Protection Procedures

Conferences cannot be cancelled or re-arranged without agreement of the Conference Chair, or QA Team Manager, and not at all if the consequence would be for the conference to fall outside the due date.

Re-arrangements are very time consuming, and will only be agreed in exceptional circumstances.

End