Child protection plan

The Chair will be responsible for ensuring the production and review of an agreed multi-agency child’s plan. This should integrate information from previous plans by individual agencies as appropriate The GIRFEC Policy and Multi-Agency Operational Guidance provides guidance on the Child’s Plan. The multi-agency group working with the child and their family will be known as the Core Group.

Prior to the Child Protection Planning Meeting, agencies will have been working to an Interim Safety Plan since the IRD. The Child Protection Planning Meeting should review this plan and develop a Child Protection Plan.

The Child Protection Plan must:

• Be developed in collaboration and consultation with the child and their family
• Link actions to intended reduction or elimination of risk
• Be current and consider the child’s short, medium and long-term outcomes
• Clearly state who is responsible for each action
• Include detailed contingencies if the plan is not being fully implemented
• Objectives of the plan

The Plan’s objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound (SMART) and be regularly reviewed. Interventions should be proportionate and linked to intended outcomes in ways understood by all involved especially children and parents.

Participants should receive a copy of the agreed Child Protection Plan within 24 hours of the Child Protection Planning Meeting.