Attending Child Protection Conferences: a guide for professionals

When professionals have concerns that a child or young person is at risk of ‘significant harm’ (a somewhat ambiguous term, set out in the legislation and statutory guidance), a meeting called a Child Protection Conference is convened.  The process of preparing for a child protection conference, engaging with the meeting itself and supporting families thereafter, can feel process-driven and intimidating for professionals.  However, too often, feedback from families engaging with child protection conferences tells us about a traumatic event where their views were not heard by busy professionals in a confusing setting.  This risks us having the opposite effect of heightening the risk to adults and children.  How can we support families through this process?  How can we walk alongside them while still being realistic when safeguarding issues arise?

This webinar is presented by Alexander Kemp.  Alexander is a qualified and registered social worker, and former senior leader of children’s social care services.  Alexander was an assistant director at Cafcass, the largest employer of social workers in the UK before being appointed as Her Majesty’s Inspector of children’s social care in England.  He now works across health services, in education and with social care professionals to support improvement.  Alexander holds a degree in social work and a master’s degree in public administration with distinction.  Earlier in his career, he worked as an independent chair of Child Protection Conferences, and brings insight from these experiences. Alexander is care-experienced.  He is also a doctoral researcher at the University of York.

This webinar will support you in understanding the process, and relevant procedures associated with Child Protection Conferences but it will also help you to reflect on how to maintain the mindset that families need a genuine offer of help, kind intervention that supports them to heal and look beyond the procedures into how to effectively work in partnership with families where safeguarding issues arise. The webinar discusses:

• What is a Child Protection Conference?
• What happens before a Child Protection Conference?
• What happens during the meeting?
• How Child Protection Conferences can be better?  What is your role within that aspiration?
• What happens afterwards
• Supporting families and providing genuine help to move matters on