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Meetings

This page provides information about each of the meetings that you may be invited to as a professional working with a family, and the role of the chair in these meetings.

Child Protection Conference

An Initial Child Protection Conference decides whether a child needs a child protection plan and if so the decision is made for that child's name to be placed on the Child Protection Register . An outline child protection plan is then made at the meeting.  Members of the Core Group are also identified.  The  first review Child Protection conference needs to happen within 3 months of initial conference, further review conferences within 6 months of each other.

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Core Group

The Core Group's role is to oversee the Child Protection Plan and to risk assess its effectiveness.  Core Groups can make decisions to reconvene Child Protection Conference if the plan is not being kept to.  Core Group members should be fully informed and actively involved in the protection of the child.  Recommendations to be made to Review Child Protection Conferences should be discussed with core group members.  Core Groups need to involve parents or carers and those with a significant relationship to the child .

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Review Child Protection Conferences

Review Child Protection Conferences will consider whether the child no longer needs a Child Protection Plan and if this is the case then the decision will be made to remove their name from the Child Protection Register .  If the child remains at continued risk of serious harm then the child will continue to need a child protection plan and the decision will be made for their name to remain on the Child Protection Register.

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Legal Planning Meeting

Legal Meetings are internal meeting held by Services for Children and Young People when it is felt that the threshold for legal intervention has been met. This legal intervention includes; any application to the Court for an Order.

When an application to the Court for an Order is the consideration the legal threshold meeting may decide that a 'letter before proceedings' needs to be sent to the parent(s).  This letter sets out exactly what the concerns are, what has already happened to support the family and what needs to happen to prevent an application to the Court.

In an emergency it may be necessary to take legal advice by telephone and/or e-mail, rather than at a meeting.

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(depending on timescale)

For more information on legal advice click here .

This legal advice refers only to that available to Services for Children and Young People, other States Departments' have their own internal procedures in place for legal advice

Accommodation Planning Meetings

Accommodation Planning Meetings are internal meetings held by Services for Children and Young People when it is felt that the threshold for accommodation may have been met. During this meeting consideration will also be given as to whether there is a need for a Child Protection Case Conference to be convened.

Please refer to Services for Children and Young People's Child Care Procedures for details.

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Professional Meetings

Professional meetings do not include parents or children.  These meetings are necessary when there is a need to discuss issues away from parents or children.  An example of this would be where there is a shortage of resources or there is likely to be disagreement between the professionals involved.  The purpose of a Professionals meeting, in this instance would be to resolve issues.

It may also be necessary to call a Professionals meeting when it is agreed that it would be unhelpful or unsafe to involve parents/carers and that this would seriously inhibit planning.

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Planning Meetings

Planning Meetings do include parents/carers and those with a significant relationship to the child . They are needed when there are a number of people involved in supporting the family and there is a need to co-ordinate responses.  Within the child protection process this co-ordination happens through core group meetings.

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Role of the Chair in all of above Meetings

The role of the Chair within any meetings where discussion has taken place in regards to any child who has suffered or is likely to have suffered serious harm, will be accountable for any decisions which are made in the meeting that they have chaired.  If the occasion arises that the Chair feels that they need to over-ride the decision made by the members' of the meeting then they must refer to their senior line management for consideration.  This senior manager may refer to the Islands Child Protection Committee's Monitoring and Evaluation sub-committee for review (if a meeting required by Child Protection).