3.11 Core Groups

1. Purpose and Responsibilities

The Core Group is responsible for the implementation and ongoing development and progression of the Child Protection Plan as outlined at the Child Protection Conference (see Child Protection Conferences and the Child Protection Plan).

All agencies represented at the Core Group have a responsibility to ensure that they fulfil their role effectively and in accordance with Working Together to Safeguard Children.

The social worker is the Lead Professional and is responsible for ensuring that the arrangements for Core Groups are clearly communicated to children/young people, parents/carers and all professionals involved in working with the child and family.

However, where a child is subject to a Child Protection Plan, each professional part of the Core Group should also be proactive in identifying the dates for Core Groups and ensure they have all relevant up to date information.

All agencies represented at the Core Group also have a responsibility to progress the Core Group, should the Social Worker for any reason be absent, to avoid and drift and delay in interventions for the child is avoided. This includes ensuring the meeting goes ahead and providing Child Protection Plan updates to the social worker.

The allocated Social Worker and Core Group members are responsible for:

• Ensuring that the child’s plan is specific to the needs of the family and progresses in a timely manner avoiding drift
• Ensuring that the dates of Core Group meetings are set in advance and that the frequency of all contacts with the child and family are established
• Ensuring appropriate professional challenge occurs when there is a lack of progress or concern about lack of appropriate resources to meet assessed needs
• Ensuring that the information shared and the discussion that takes place always assists with updating the analysis of ongoing risk to the child
• Keeping each other up to date with changes in the household composition; either adults or children and any known frequent visitors to the address
• All members must ensure that they fulfil their professional role play in the implementation of the plan including attendance at Core Group meetings or ensure for provision of a written update if they are unable to attend in person
• Monitoring and evaluating progress against the desired outcomes for the child. If the plan is not progressing, this must be discussed by the Core Group as a priority and action taken
• Make recommendations to subsequent review conferences about future protection plans.

2. Membership

Membership of the Core Group will normally have been identified at the most recent Child Protection Conference and ideally will include:

• Lead social worker / manager (although core groups can take place without a Lead Social Worker [see 1.4.4])
• The child/young person if appropriate
• Parents and relevant family members
• Professionals involved with either the child and/or parent; including advocates.

Flexibility is required regarding who chairs the Core Group and should be dependent upon complexity of the case and best placed relationships with the child and their family. It does not have to be the lead social worker.

Core Groups are key to ensuring the safety of the child and an opportunity to develop positive working relationships with children and families and across agencies, building on the family’s strengths to achieve change. The best interests welfare and safety of the child should always take priority and is to be remembered where there are conflicts of interest between family members in the work of the Core Group.

3. Timing

The first Core Group must take place within 10 working days of the Initial Child Protection Conference.

Following the initial Core Group meeting further meetings should be within six weeks and every six weeks forthwith. It is important to remember that this is a guide and it may be that four weekly core groups are required dependent upon the needs and age of the child.

4. Conduct of the Meeting

It is the responsibility of the allocated Chair of the Core Group (from whichever agency) to ensure that core groups record actions so that they can evidence implementation of child protection plans.

It is expected that the Social Worker attends, however if they are unable to, the remaining Core Group members must continue with the meeting and send an update on the outcomes and actions of the Child Protection Plan to the social worker within 2 working days.

The lead social worker can then update and distribute the Child Protection Plan within 5 working days to all attendees and those invited, and ensure it is placed on the child’s file.

5. Agenda

Introduction

1. Apologies
2. Progression of the plan – feedback from all members including children/young people and family members, social worker, partner agencies
3. Any revision/amendments to the plan with the tasks, outcomes and dates for completion clearly detailed
4. Confirmation of date, time and venue of next Core Group meeting
5. Distribution of updated plan to all parties within 5 working days.