Dumfries and Galloway multi-agency child protection guidance Initiating child protection procedures

8.1 IRD 

8.1.1 Definition - An Inter-agency Referral Discussion (IRD) is the start of the formal process of information sharing, assessment, analysis and decision making following reported concern about abuse or neglect of a child or young person up to the age of 18 years, in relation to familial and non-familial concerns, and of siblings or other children within the same context. This includes an unborn baby that may be exposed to current or future risk. 

8.1.2 Purpose - IRDs are required to analyse multi-agency information and decide if the threshold for significant harm has been met and to agree a co‑ordinated inter-agency interim safety plan up until the point a Child Protection Planning Meeting (CPPM) is held, or until a decision is made that a CPPM is not required/ that alternative action is required.

8.1.3 All concerns which may indicate risk of significant harm must lead to an IRD. Where there is a Named Person or person in an equivalent role, they should be notified. Agency records will be checked for relevant information that may assist in placing a concern in context, and that may inform next steps.

8.1.4 The IRD will share all relevant information from police, social work, health and education to form a shared analysis, to include the nature and significance of the risk of harm, the likelihood of it happening and the impact.

8.1.5 Professional judgement is key, alongside the information shared to inform the analysis and come to a decision regarding whether or not the child has experienced or is likely to experience significant harm.

8.1.6 ‘Significant harm refers to serious interruption, change or damage to a child’s physical, emotional, intellectual or behavioural health and development’ (National CP Guidance 2021).

8.1.7 To understand and identify significant harm, it is necessary to consider:

  • the child’s experience.
  • the child’s development in context
  • what has happened
  • parent or carers responses to concern as far as they are known
  • past occurrence
  • immediate risk of harm and cause of this risk
  • impact/ potential impact on the child’s health and development

8.1.8 The IRD will create an interim safety plan which identifies any unmet needs for the child and should make recommendations, clearly linked to identified needs and risks, regarding the next actions to be taken which will include notifying the Named Person of the outcome. 

8.1.9 An IRD will give priority consideration to:

  • the safety and needs of the child/children involved
  • level of risk faced by child/ children and by others in this context
  • evidence that a crime or offence may have been committed or may be committed against a child

8.1.10 Where a child is at risk of harm from neglect, abuse or exploitation, consideration should always be given to the needs and potential risks to other children in the same household or family network, and to children who are likely to become members of the same household or family network. 

8.1.11 Where the decision of the IRD is that the child is not at risk of significant harm, but there are welfare concerns and unmet need has been identified, the IRD will identify next actions and pass back to the relevant professional for further assessment and in order that a child’s plan can be developed to support the child/ family. 

8.1.12 Where the outcome of the IRD is that the child is not at risk of significant harm and there are no welfare concerns or unmet needs, the content of the discussion will be shared with the Named Person. 

8.1.13 Children and young people who are believed to have harmed others may also require co-ordinated information sharing and decision-making. They may also have experienced abuse. Investigative processes must safeguard and protect their wellbeing as a primary consideration. IRDs are the lynchpin of effective processes when concerns arise about children who have caused serious harm to others. 

8.1.14 Care and Risk Management (CARM) processes may be applied when a child (aged 12 to 17 years) has been involved in an incident of a serious nature (irrespective of the legal status of the incident) or where a pattern of significant escalation of lesser behaviours suggests that an incident of a serious nature may be imminent.

8.2 Joint Investigative Interviews (JII) - Stepwise (5 Day) and Scottish Child Interview Model (SCIM)

8.2.1 A JII will take place if a child is victim of or witness to a crime. The child’s welfare will always be considered within the JII, will be trauma informed and consider the child’s specific needs including any communication issues. Effective interview planning is essential, and must consider practicalities such as location, transport, timing, breaks and communication between interviewers during interview.

8.2.2 A JII can be an outcome at either the IRDNF or IRD stage. When a JII is the outcome of an IRD, discussion will take place regarding the best model to use according to the child’s circumstances and needs.

8.2.3 Dumfries and Galloway currently use both interview models but are moving towards using the SCIM Model for most interviews with children.

National Guidance on Joint Investigative Interviewing

8.2.4 Current guidance on Joint Investigative Interviewing of Child Witnesses in Scotland (2011) is under revision in line with the Scottish Child Interview Model (SCIM).

8.2.5 The Scottish Child Interview Model (SCIM) is a new approach to JII and has been implemented in Scotland. It is designed to minimise re-traumatisation and keep the needs and rights of child victims and witnesses at the centre of the process and in so doing, achieve pre-recorded evidence from the child that is of high quality. This can be used as Evidence in Chief in court for criminal and children’s hearings processes. The SCIM has five connected components: strategy, planning, action, outcomes and support and evaluation. Interviewers are trained in forensic interviews of children.

8.2.6 Purposes are to:

  • learn the child’s account of the circumstances that prompted the enquiry
  • gather information to enable decision-making on whether the child, or any other child, is in need of protection
  • gather sufficient evidence to advise whether a crime may have been committed against the child or anyone else
  • secure best evidence as may be needed for court proceedings, such as a criminal trial, or for a children’s hearing proof

Approach

Taking a child-centred approach to planning interviews is vital in securing best evidence and providing the necessary support for the child before, during and after the interview. The analysis of interviews will help lead professionals to co-ordinate planning for the support, protection and recovery of the child. The analysis of interviews will also aid decision-making in respect of any crime committed.

8.2.7 A pre-interview briefing identifies the aims and objectives of the interview. The JII is planned in detail and undertaken by a police officer and a social worker, one of whom takes the lead role in the interview. Roles will be agreed in pre-interview planning, after due consideration of all relevant factors. Teamwork and flexibility are essential. In some instances, the needs and responses of the child require the second interviewer to take on the lead role. Wherever possible, there should only be one interviewer in the room with the child. The second interviewer would participate in the interview from a separate room, observing and contributing to the conduct of the interview. The lead interviewer has primary responsibility for leading the interview, asking questions and gathering information.

8.2.8 A child has a right to specify gender of the interviewer if the child is believed to have been the victim of particular offences as defined by the terms of section 8 of the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014; and this should be granted wherever possible.

8.2.9 For detailed roles and responsibilities see guidance on Joint Investigative Interviewing of Child Witnesses in Scotland (2011).

8.2.10 Whilst the child’s consent is not explicitly required, the child must be helped to understand the purpose and process of the interview as part of preparation and support for willing engagement. Social workers and police officers have a duty to investigate as detailed in section 60 of the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 and section 20 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012.

8.2.11 The consent of a parent or guardian is not required prior to undertaking a Joint Investigative Interview. Through discussion they would be made aware that the interview is taking place unless there is a good reason not to, for example, where there are strong grounds to suspect that they are involved in the abuse. Where appropriate a parent or guardian can help to plan for the support of the child during the interview.

Recording

8.2.12 Joint Investigative Interviewers must be trained and competent in the use of recording equipment. Joint Investigative Interviews must be visually recorded unless there are specific reasons why this may be inappropriate for the individual child. These reasons should be noted. 

Authority and expertise

8.2.13 Joint Investigative Interviewers in Scotland will be trained to develop the specific understanding, knowledge and specialised skills required for the effective forensic interviewing of children and vulnerable witnesses.

Health Assessment and Medical Examination

8.3.1 The IRD will consider the need for a medical examination and take appropriate action. 

8.3.2 The National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland (2021) notes that medical assessments and medical examinations may be undertaken for the following purposes:

  • To establish what immediate treatment the child may need
  • To provide a specialist medical opinion on whether child abuse or neglect may be a likely or unlikely cause of the child’s presentation
  • To support multi-agency planning and decision-making
  • To establish if there are unmet health needs, and to secure any on-going health care (including mental health), investigations, monitoring and treatment that the child may require
  • To listen to and to reassure the child
  • To listen to and reassure the family as far as possible in relation to longer-term health needs

8.3.3 The decision to carry out a medical examination and the decision about the type of medical examination is made by a paediatrician; informed by multiagency discussion with police, social work and other relevant health staff. Through careful planning, the number of examinations should be kept to a minimum.

8.3.4 Types of examination include Comprehensive Medical Examinations for Neglect, a Single Doctor examination, or Joint Paediatric Forensic Examination. The location where examinations take place following sexual assault, including forensic examinations, vary depending on age. Local multiagency guidance on Medical Examinations and Health Assessments should be followed.

8.4 Inter-agency Investigation/CPI

8.4.1 The IRD will decide whether the child protection investigation will be an interagency investigation (police/ social work) or a single investigation by social work and note the reasons why.

8.4.2 The Child Protection Inquiry will be completed by a social worker within the MASH team who will speak to the child/ children involved, relevant family members and professionals and document their responses and any planning within the investigation. An Interim-Safety plan will be put in place/ updated from the IRD to address the identified risks, appropriate action must be taken to ensure the child’s immediate safety. A safety network will be explored as part of the plan to support safety, including exploration of family network ideas and solutions. Where appropriate the plan should be explained to the child.

8.4.3 CPI decision-making should take the information and analysis presented fully into account and be proportionate to the harm identified. A debrief should take place with staff about action required; trauma-informed practice to support staff with vicarious trauma should be a priority within the debrief. Clear direction should be provided on what needs to happen next to ensure the correct plan is in place for the child. This can be child protection (in which case, an Initial or Review Child Protection Planning Meeting is required). Child in Need with a co-ordinated multi-agency support plan or passed back to the Named Person for relevant support.

8.5.1 It is essential that a referral to the Children’s Reporter is considered at all stages of the child protection process, including the IRD, investigation and CPPM. Reasons for the decision to refer or not should be recorded on Mosaic, the Social Work recording system.

8.6 Child Protection Assessment and Planning

8.6.1 Completion of the Child Protection Investigation (CPI) – The social worker needs to complete their report, with management approval, within 5 working days of the IRD. When the decision is that a Child Protection Planning Meeting is to be held, the meeting will be arranged to take place within 28 days of the IRD.

8.6.2 Preparation for the Initial Child Protection Planning Meeting – Once it is agreed by the social work managers that an Initial Child Protection Planning meeting will take place, a chair and CP administrator will be identified, and the social worker will provide a list of family members and professionals who should be invited to the meeting. A suitable venue will be agreed, and practical arrangements put in place to allow the family to attend. Invitations and report requests will be issued as soon as possible.

8.6.3 All children aged 5 and over for whom a Child Protection Planning Meeting is to be held should be referred by the social worker to Barnardos Hear 4U Advocacy Service to help us understand how they are feeling about their situation and what they would like to happen to keep them safe. Parents should be made aware of Dumfries and Galloway’s Advocacy Service, - it is good practice to offer to make a referral on their behalf.

8.6.4 Following completion of the Child Protection Investigation report, the social worker will map the information considering existing strengths and safety, harm and complicating factors. The mapping exercise works best when completed alongside the family or partner agencies. There needs to be a Danger Statement that makes clear the harm and the impact of this and a Safety Goal that is clear what would need to be seen for the harm to reduce and a scaling question will be developed that will enable everyone to consider the current level of harm. The social worker will add to the chronology, including events shared by partner agencies. The social worker will support the family to develop their network who will be crucial in the success of the Safety Plan. The social worker will coordinate communication between everyone, it is essential that all involved are aware of any incidents or changes in circumstances makes the social worker aware. 

8.6.5 Partner agencies including third sector providers will complete single agency reports based on their knowledge of the child, the parents and the wider family and network. Reports should include existing strengths and safety past, current and possible future harm as well as complicating factors. Single agency reports should be submitted within seven days of the meeting being held.

8.6.6 A number of tools are available to support assessment - these include:

  • Assessment of Care Practice Toolkit – this toolkit must be completed by the first Review CPPM for children whose names are placed on the Child Protection Register under the category of neglect
  • the National Risk Assessment Toolkit
  • the GIRFEC National Practice Model
  • GOPR Guidance and Toolkit for working with Children, Young People and Families Affected by Problematic Alcohol and/ or Drugs
  • Safe and Together Perpetrator Pattern Mapping Tool – a virtual practice tool which helps to identify the primary perpetrator and their pattern of coercive control, assesses the harm to children and documents protective parenting efforts

8.6.7 Report writers (with the exception of the police report) should share and discuss their report with the family prior to submission/ attendance at the Planning Meeting. The report should be received by the Child Protection Administrator at least seven days prior to the Planning Meeting being held.

8.6.8 Interim Safety Planning is an ongoing process, and the plan should be continually reviewed and updated.

8.6.9 Making a Safety Plan collaboratively with the child, family, their network is important. Professionals involved with the family need to be aware of the plan and it should be clearly recorded so that it can be accessed by Social Work Out of Hours. Plans should be tested with the family to make sure they work, and contingencies are in place. It is essential that any changes are communicated to everyone involved. It may be that extended family members have been asked to stay in the family home or have the parents and or children to stay with them. We need to be aware of the pressure this puts on families with relationships, work commitments etc and provide the support to those involved need. In some circumstances, the safety plan may require the child(ren) to stay in a kinship or foster placement. Legal processes to support this include voluntary agreement by parents under Section 25 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1995 or a condition of a Compulsory Supervision Order Children’s Hearing (Scotland) Act 2011. In situations of actual or likely significant harm a Child Protection Order, S37 Children’s Hearing (Scotland) Act 2011, can be applied for by Social Work/ Dumfries and Galloway Council. Early consultation with Dumfries and Galloway Legal Services is helpful. In an emergency the police can remove a child to a place of safety S56 Children’s Hearing (Scotland) Act 2011.

8.7 Child Protection Planning Meetings

8.7.1 The Child Protection Planning Meeting (CPPM) is a formal multi-agency meeting, which must include representation from the core agencies (social work, health and police) as well as any other agencies currently working with the child and their family, including education. Attendance at these meetings and providing information should be given priority by all agencies. Where a practitioner who has been invited is unable to attend, they must inform their line manager who should see if they can support practitioner attendance or appropriate agency/ service representation at the meeting. The child and relevant family members should be invited and supported to participate throughout the meeting, as appropriate in each situation. In exceptional circumstances where they are unable to participate in person, their views should be sought and represented at the meeting. Invitations will normally be sent 2 to 3 weeks prior to an ICPPM, however in urgent situations, participants should be given a minimum of five working days’ notice of the decision to convene an ICPPM.

8.7.2 CPPM process: attendees will discuss the mapping, including existing safety, strengths, complicating factors and previous, current and future harm. The danger statements and safety goals will be considered and everyone, including family members will be asked the scaling questions and be expected to scale, giving reasons and what they would like to see happen in order for their score to increase. Professionals will also be asked to give their views on placing the child(ren’s) name(s) on the Child Protection Register. A child may have their name placed on the register if there are reasonable grounds to believe or suspect that a child has suffered or will suffer significant harm from abuse or neglect, and that a Child Protection Plan is needed to protect and support the child.

ICPPM held following a Child Protection Investigation (CPI) where there is a concern about significant harm where it might be necessary to have a Child Protection Plan to keep the chid(ren) safe. A decision will be made at the ICPPM whether the child’s(ren’s) name/s need to be placed on the Child Protection Register.

Pre-Birth CPPM held following a CPI at an early stage or following a prebirth assessment where harm is identified and an IRD has been subsequently held, in these situations the pre-birth assessment can be the assessment to inform the ICPPM rather than a CPI. This early discussion will allow for good planning prior to the birth of the child. If there are older children in the family either already on the Child Protection Register or being considered in a CPI the meetings may be combined.

Review CPPM- held within six months from the ICPPM, following a period on the Child Protection Register. Core groups will have been held on a four weekly basis and will update the plan, regularly using the scaling questions to monitor progress. The core group prior to the RCPPM will make a recommendation regarding continued registration which will be based on the updated assessment and plan which the social worker has completed and circulated seven days prior to this meeting. The RCPPM will make the decision whether to remove a child’s name from the Child Protection Register.

Transfer CPPM- held when a child from another area who is subject to a Child Protection plan moves to Dumfries and Galloway. Transfer requests from another Local Authority should be sent to the MASH in the first instance for coordination and planning. On receipt of relevant assessments and plans and agreement that transfer is appropriate, a date will be set that allows for representation from the previous authority and attendance by professionals who are now working with the family in D&G. When there is a transfer CPPM the child’s name will always be placed on the Child Protection Register for a minimum period of 3 months even if it is perceived that the move has reduced harm to allow for further assessment to evidence that positive changes have been sustained and that the child is settled in this area.

8.7.3 Decision of Child Protection Planning Meetings and Dissent

The decision about placing a child’s name on the Child Protection Register is made by the chair of the CPPM based on all the information shared prior to and at the meeting.

All professionals will be asked to give their views about registration during the meeting and this should be informed by the analysis provided through the scaling questions.

Parents/ Child have a right to request a review of the decision about registration.

If a professional does not agree with the decision, they are able to register their dissent. 

Parents/Child requests to review the decision and professional dissent are considered by a senior manager in Children and Families Social Work.

8.8 Child Protection Register

8.8.1 All local authorities are responsible for maintaining a central Child Protection Register for all children who are the subject of an inter-agency Child Protection Plan. This includes unborn babies. The register has no legal status. This is an administrative system for alerting practitioners that there is sufficient professional concern about a child to warrant an inter-agency Child Protection Plan. Local authority social work services are responsible for maintaining a register of all children in their area who are subject to a Child Protection Plan. In health, where a child’s name is on the Child Protection Register, there will be a child protection Alert shown on clinical Portal. This is to alert health practitioners that the child has a child protection plan in place due to recognised vulnerabilities/risks.

8.8.2 The Child Protection Plan must: 

  • be developed in collaboration and consultation with the child and their family
  • link actions to intended reduction or elimination of risk
  • be current and consider the child’s short-, medium- and long-term outcomes
  • clearly state who is responsible for each action
  • include a named Lead Professional
  • include named key contributors (the Core Group)
  • include detailed contingencies
  • consider the sensitive direct involvement of children and/ or their views

8.8.3 The Core Group are those who have direct and ongoing involvement with the child and/ or family. They are responsible for implementing, monitoring and reviewing the Child Protection Plan, in partnership with children, parents, carers and the family network.

8.8.4 The Core Group should:

  • be co‑ordinated by the Lead Professional and chaired by a senior social worker
  • meet in person on a regular basis (four weekly) to carry out their functions, the first time being within 15 days of the CPPM
  • keep effective communication between all services and agencies involved with the child and parents/ carers
  • activate contingency plans promptly when progress is not made, or circumstances deteriorate
  • refer the need for any significant changes in the Child Protection Plan to the CPPM Chair within three calendar days, or as urgently as necessary to safeguard the child
  • be alert, individually and collectively, to escalating concerns, triggering immediate response, additional support and/ or a review CPPM as appropriate
  • consider the need for any child protection medical examination for neglect if appropriate and refer to the paediatrician accordingly
  • make a recommendation to the RCPPM regarding the need for continued registration

8.8.5 Following de-registration, there will be a further core group which ensure the plan has continued to work and will agree whether this is an appropriate time to pass the plan back to a Lead Professional within Health or Education.