This chapter was last reviewed in October 2025.
Next review due October 2027.
October 2025: This chapter was amended throughout in line with local practice.
Child Protection Conferences should be welcoming, inclusive spaces where families feel respected, heard, and supported. They bring together the family’s lived experience and practitioner expertise to make decisions that promote the child’s safety and wellbeing.
The Chair is independent of case management and operational decisions. Their role is to facilitate balanced, transparent, and child-focused discussions.
Before the Conference, the Chair aims to meet with the family (and child, where appropriate) to explain the purpose of the meeting and promote family group decision making. The goal is to agree the most appropriate type of plan.
During the meeting, the Chair ensures an inclusive approach focused on safety, support, and wellbeing. They address barriers to participation, such as lack of access to reports or interpreters.
Cultural identity and background are acknowledged and reflected in planning and discussion. Advocacy or participation workers may support the child and family in expressing their views.
The Chair promotes a strengths-based approach, recognising the family’s capabilities and support networks.
Language used is plain and accessible, avoiding jargon to support meaningful engagement.
The Chair guides the Conference to a clear decision about the type of plan required, ensuring actions are specific, time-bound, and assigned appropriately.
Intersectional factors—such as race, disability, gender identity, language, and socio-economic status—are actively considered to ensure equitable participation.
Guiding Principles
- Decision-making is grounded in a clear understanding of actual or potential significant harm, considering the child’s lived experience and context;
- Child Protection planning is reserved for situations where concerns may justify care proceedings, and not applied routinely;
- Risk should be held at the lowest appropriate level, with Early Help or Child in Need plans used where possible;
- Planning frameworks must be proportionate and tailored – whether Early Help, Child in Need, Child Protection, or Looked After arrangements;
- The Chair supports nuanced analysis and avoids binary or procedural thinking;
- Intersectional factors must be considered to ensure fair and equitable outcomes;
- Emphasis is placed on timely, transparent, and collaborative decision-making that empowers families and promotes safety.
