What preparation is needed for Initial Child Protection Conferences
An initial child protection conference (ICPC) is a meeting that is held when agencies
believe that a child may be at risk of significant harm or has suffered significant harm. The
aim of the conference is for the family and professionals to meet and share information
with each other about the risks and the strengths. They will then consider and decide, with
the family and where appropriate the children and young people, what will ensure the
safety and wellbeing of the children and young people where these concerns exist.
Parents, carers, children and young people should be well prepared for the ICPC. This is an
important meeting and the process should be as restorative as possible. This relies on the
parent(s)/ carer(s) being able to fully participate in the ICPC and they can only do this if
they have had full access to all of the information and understand what is being discussed.
Care should be taken to include all parents and carers, including fathers not living with
their children where this is appropriate.
All agencies involved are responsible for being fully prepared for an ICPC by providing their
reports to the family in a timely fashion (three days before the ICPC and five days before a
Review Child Protection Conference or RCPC) and attending the conference when invited.
This guide sets out how agencies should do this.
Agencies or practitioners that are regularly invited to ICPCs include (but are not restricted
to): the Police, social work, schools, housing, GPs, health visitors, midwives, mental health
workers, drug and alcohol workers, third sector support services and probation.
What the timescales are for an ICPC
The timescales for convening an ICPC following a strategy discussion is 15 working days.
This is a national timescale set by the government and all local authorities in England are
expected to meet this timescale. The urgency of the situation, however, may dictate that
the timescale is shorter.
It is recognised that this can put pressure on practitioners to meet these timescales in
terms of producing a report prior to ICPC, sharing this with the family and attending the
ICPC.
What practitioners or agencies should do when invited to an ICPC
When practitioners or agencies are invited to an ICPC, this is because it has been identified
that they have a contribution to make to safeguarding arrangements for the child(ren) and
family.
It is expected, in accordance with Working Together guidance, that they will attend the
ICPC and provide a report, ensuring that this report is shared with the family prior to the
meeting.
When agencies should share their reports
Sharing reports with parents and carers
All agencies must share their reports with parents and carers before the day of the ICPC to
give them time to consider what has been said, highlight any mistakes and talk to other
family members or an advocate about what the reports say. They may want to prepare a
response to the report.
If the first time a parent sees a report is at the meeting, they have no chance to absorb the
information and are placed at a significant disadvantage. They will feel less able to
participate, less able to contribute to the plan and may feel angry and upset by the process.
If English is not a family’s first language or they do not have good literacy skills, they will be
further disadvantaged.
If the reports have been submitted on time and shared with the family before the day of the
meeting, the conference is more likely to start on time with all participants being clear about
the information. This enables the discussion to be more focused and analytical and for
families to be more involved in contributing to the plan and therefore they will be more
specific and effective.
Sharing reports with Child Protection Chairs
Reports should be sent to the Child Protection Conference Chair no fewer than three working
days before the meeting. This then allows the chair to consider what has been submitted
and establish if any key information is missing. In Leeds ,Conference Chairs offer to meet or
have a phone call with families (including dads and involved men) before the day of the
conference to introduce themselves and explain the process. This has had a very positive
impact on families’ ability to contribute to the meeting, fully participate in discussions and
think about what might help.
What reports should include
Reports prepared for the ICPC should include:
- the voice and views of the child and family, including how they feel their needs might be
met
- details of the agency’s involvement with the child and family, including positive
information about progress and family strengths
- information concerning the agency’s knowledge of the child’s developmental needs
- the capacity of the parents to meet the needs of their child within their family
- any other wider environmental factors
Reports should be clear and consider the strengths, protective factors and risks within the
family and extended family networks. Clear reports ensure that the ICPC has the necessary
information to properly understand the needs of the family, which in turn enables the
development of effective plans that the family can understand and fully contribute to.
Key contacts and for more information
For more information about the importance of quality agency preparation for ICPCs, you can
contact David Gammage – Service Delivery Manager david.gammage@leeds.gov.uk or Johny
Blanc — Team Manager johny.blanc@leeds.gov.uk.
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