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De-registration

When a child is no longer thought to be at risk of significant harm their name will be removed from the child protection register. The process of de-registration needs careful consideration.

When a child is no longer thought to be at risk of significant harm then professionals attending the review child protection conference will need to make the decision to remove the child's name from the child protection register, as they no longer need a child protection plan.  This decision must be based on careful and thorough analysis of current and future risk. It should be informed by a clear assessment of the current circumstances, including evidence of improvements made and how they will be maintained. 

Although de-registration should be considered at every review child protection conference, it would be unusual to make this decision at the first review.  Mostly, a period of time longer than 3 months would be expected to evidence change for the child. 

When it is decided to remove a child's name from the child protection register, the conference and the child/family should consider what continuing support services are necessary and make recommendations in respect of these.  There should never be an automatic withdrawal of help.  If the family are in agreement to continue to receive services the child protection conference should make an outline child in need plan and set a date for the first child in need meeting.  In most cases this can be discussed in the core group meetings and, if necessary, a different lead professional identified. 

Children's social care (CSC) services should make clear the minimum period they will continue to provide services for the child and family, with the agreement of the family.  Where CSC services subsequently consider the case should be closed, they should consult with other professionals involved.  All professionals involved with the child's case should be informed of closure by CSC.

When subject to a care requirement

When a child on the child protection register is made subject to a care requirement, the review child protection conference should consider if the conditions of the care requirement have reduced the risk of significant harm to the child.  If so, then the decision will be made for the child's name to be removed from the child protection register.  In these circumstances a lead professional will remain allocated, a child's plan will remain in place and multi-agency review meetings will take place in line with the action plan identified within the child's plan. In most circumstances such meetings would continue to take place on a monthly basis. 

In most cases where a child, whose name is on the child protection register, becomes looked after, it will no longer be necessary to maintain the child protection plan.  There are relatively few circumstances where child protection issues will remain (e.g. when children are accommodated with the voluntary agreement of their parent(s)).  In order to give consideration to a looked after child no longer having a child protection plan a joint looked after child review and child protection conference will be held at the earliest opportunity.

Without a review

In certain circumstances a child can be de-registered without there being a need for a review child protection conference being held.

The decision to de-register may be agreed by the appropriate social work manager and Chair of child protection conferences, without the need to convene a review child protection conference, in any of the following circumstances:

In all other cases the decision to de-register can only be made at a review child protection conference.

Parents or carers will receive minutes of the review child protection conference at which the decision to remove their child's name from the child protection register was made.

This page was added to the website on 2 July 2015
Updated:
14 February 2017