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Practitioners
Child Protection Conferences
"Signs of Safety" approach to child protection
Kingston and Richmond Local Safeguarding Children's Partnership and its partners has adopted the "Signs of Safety" (SoS) approach to working with families where there are concerns about children's safety.
This approach aims to work with the strengths and resources that exist within families to build safety for children who have suffered, or are at risk of suffering, significant harm of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect.
Please find free Signs of Safety Training here: https://www.afccpdonline.co.uk/cpd/portal.asp
The SoS approach considers information about the child and their family across a number of areas, for example:
- Why are we worried about this child?
- What are the dangers / risks?
- What are the complicating factors or grey areas?
- What is working well in terms of existing strengths?
- What is working well in terms of existing safety measures that are in place?
- How worried are we on a scale of 0 to 10?
- What outcomes (or goals) do we need to have to build safety for the child?
- What needs to happen to make the necessary changes to achieve this outcome?
A number of tools and resources have been developed including:
- Multi agency Conference report form
- Guidance for schools
Professionals from partner agencies who need to submit a multi agency report for a scheduled child protection conference should do so using the secure AfC email addresses:
child.protection@rbk.kingston.gov.uk.cjsm.net
All other general enquiries regarding arrangements for child protection conferences should be made to: childprotectionconference
There are processes for families and professionals to make complaints about Child Protection Conferences.
This is the process for families Pan London Child Protection
Procedures
Complaints by families is also mentioned throughout our information leaflets, which are sent with invites but are also on our public webpage: AfC Info
website - Kingston and Richmond :: Community Information /
Information and Advice / Quality Assurance and Review Service / Child Protection Conferences
Please click here to view the professional dissent process.
Useful Information:
Child Protection Multi Agency Report Template
Video - Child Protection Conferences Explained
Further Information
East Cheshire LSCB has produced this helpful film for children and young people about Child protection Conferences. In Kingston and Richmond, all children aged over 11 years as invited to attend some of their Conference. Please click here to watch.
Please find further information from AfC (Achieving for Children) who run the Child Protection Conference Service:
Achieving for Children's Quality Assurance and Review Service has created pages on their website to support children, families and professionals.
Have a look to find helpful resources on child protection conferences, advice for children looked after and their families, and information and resources from the LADO.
Information about local Contextual Safeguarding and Exploitation Conferences is here:
https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/