Child Protection Guidance 2021

Part 3: Identifying and responding to concerns about children 113 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 Version 1.0 September 2021 3.137 The Core Group are those who have direct and on-going involvement with the child and/or family. They are responsible for implementing, monitoring and reviewing the Child Protection Plan, in partnership with children and parents. The Core Group should: • be co‑ordinated by the lead professional • meet in person on a regular basis 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 3 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 Child Protection Plan and fit with child’s plan 3.138 Where a child is believed to be at actual or potential risk of significant harm, they will require a multi-agency Child Protection Plan with specified actions to reduce risk. The child’s name must be placed on the child protection register. 3.139 If there is already a multi-agency child’s plan in place, this will need to be considered in light of the concerns about the child. There will be a multi-agency child’s plan when co‑ordinated actions between services are required to meet the child’s wellbeing needs. 3.140 There should be a single plan of action, managed and reviewed through a single meeting structure even if the child is involved in several processes. The child’s plan will incorporate and prioritise the Child Protection Plan where the criteria for placing a child’s name on the child protection register (as defined in Part 1) are met. 3.141 Review CPPMs should be held within six months of the CPPM with the exception of reviews that follow a pre-birth CPPM, which are recommended at an earlier juncture, at a time to be set by the CPPM (see below). A Core Group can also trigger the request for a review. Thereafter, reviews should take place six-monthly, or earlier if circumstances change. Where a child is no longer considered to be at risk of significant harm and the Child Protection Plan no longer forms part of a child’s plan, their name should be removed from the child protection register by the review CPPM (referred to as de- registration). The child and their family/carers may still require on-going support and this should be managed through the child’s plan. 3.142 Pre-birth Child Protection Planning Meetings • pre-birth CPPMs will consider whether serious professional concerns exist about the likelihood of significant harm to an unborn or newly born baby • in advance of the child’s birth, participants need to prepare an inter-agency plan which will meet the needs of the baby and mother prior to and following birth, minimising risk of harm • plans for discharge from hospital and handover to community-based supports must be clearly set out in the inter-agency plan