Child Protection Guidance 2021

Part 3: Identifying and responding to concerns about children 111 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 Version 1.0 September 2021 Learning from adapted practice during the COVID-19 pandemic 3.126 During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been necessary to adapt practice to ensure continuity of child protection processes. It has proven necessary to allow consideration of the decision to place a child’s name on the child protection register through multi- agency consensus rather than through a face-to-face meeting. This might happen at IRD or subsequently by agreement of locally identified managers in health, police and social work. 3.127 In such cases, these managers should take account of the views of the team around the child, medical and other specialist advice, and the particular perspectives of the child and family. The reasons for the decision should be documented in child’s plans and agency records. This more flexible process should not allow any widening of the criteria for child protection registration, which continues to be that there are reasonable grounds to believe 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. 3.128 Where this adapted process is sustained the review process and timescale should be considered at the point of registration. De-registration should occur, through multi- agency agreement, when a child no longer requires a Child Protection Plan. 3.129 Supplementary National Guidance on Child Protection d uring the COVID-19 pandemic outlines relevant expectations and adaptations (2020).