The strategy discussion
If someone is concerned that you are being harmed, a social worker will invite some of the people who know you or people who will help to protect you (this could include a teacher, doctor, police officer or other health and education workers) to have a meeting called a strategy discussion. This is a chance for them to share information they have about what is happening in your life and decide how best to keep you safe . After the meeting, the social worker will tell your parents or carer if they think you are being harmed or if you might be harmed in the future because of the situation you are in. The social worker will explain that they need to do a child protection enquiry. This is when they collect all the information they need to work out how best to protect you as soon as possible. The law says that the local council must always do this if they think a child is being harmed or might be harmed.
The child protection conference
When the social worker has all the information they need, they will call a meeting. This is called an initial child protection conference. Everyone who comes to the meeting will get a chance to share the information that they have about you and explain what they are worried about . Your parents or carers will also be invited to the meeting. They should be given information about what will happen and who they can bring. You may also be invited to the meeting but if you are not, the social worker will make sure your wishes and feelings are heard. At the end of the child protection conference, the person who is leading the meeting – who is called the chair – will ask everyone to agree what needs to happen next This could be one of three things: They decide that you are not at risk of being harmed, and they do not need to do anything immediately. You and your family may be offered support from other services. They decide that you are not at risk of being harmed, but that you and your family do need help. The people at the meeting will decide what type of help is needed and how you will get it. This might be a ‘child in need’ plan. They decide you are being harmed or are at risk of being harmed and need immediate help, and they will make a plan for this. This is known as a child protection plan. In some circumstances, they might decide that you can’t stay at home safely and that you need to go and live somewhere else until it is safe for you to be at home.
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