Child protection planning meetings (CPPM)

What is the purpose of the Child Protection Planning Meeting?

When a Child Protection Investigation has been undertaken and assesses that a child is potentially at risk of significant harm a multi-agency Child Protection Planning Meeting (CPPM) should be convened. The purpose of the Child Protection Planning Meeting is to ensure information is proportionately shared in order that a collective multi agency assessment of risk can be undertaken and a plan agreed to minimise the risk of harm to the child.

The Child Protection Planning Meeting decides whether the child is at risk of significant harm and requires a co-ordinated, multi-agency Child Protection Plan. If the Child Protection Planning Meeting decides that a Child Protection Plan is required, the child’s name must be added to the Child Protection Register.

Who is responsible for convening and chairing the meeting?

Social Work will convene and chair the Child Protection Planning Meeting. The meeting will be chaired by an Independent Decision Maker.

Invites and timescales for convening a Child Protection Planning Meeting

Where possible participants should be given a minimum of five days’ notice of the decision to convene a Child Protection Planning Meeting. In some situations, it will not be possible to give five days’ notice due to the nature of the concern and the perceived risk.

Invites to Child Protection Planning Meetings will be sent electronically to partner agencies and an up-to-date report will be requested from each agency.

Who should attend

The Child Protection Planning Meeting is multi-agency and must include representation from the core agencies of Social Work, Health, Police, Education and any other relevant agencies currently working with the child and their family. The family and child(ren) should be invited to attend.

Reaching decisions in the Child Protection Planning Meeting

All participants at the Child Protection Planning Meeting with significant involvement with the child and family have a responsibility to contribute to a view of the level of risk, the need for a Child Protection Plan and the decision as to whether or not to place the child’s name on the child protection register.

Where there is no consensus, the chair will use their professional judgement to make the final decision, based on an analysis of multi-agency information and discussion.

Risk indicators

When a child’s name is placed on the child protection register the Chair of the Child Protection Planning Meeting will identify all the relevant the risk indicators that apply to the child and their circumstances. The risk indicators will be recorded on the child protection register.

Risk Indicators have been revised and updated and are now separated into two categories as follows:

Impact on/ Abuse of the Child	Vulnerability Factor
Physical abuse	Services finding it hard to engage
Emotional abuse	Child affected by parent(s)/carer(s) learning difficulty or learning disability
Sexual abuse	Child affected by parent/carer mental ill-health
Criminal exploitation	Child experiencing mental health problems
Child trafficking	Domestic abuse
Neglect	Parental alcohol use
Female genital mutilation	Parental drug use
Honour-based abuse and/or Forced Marriage	Child displaying harmful sexual behaviour
Child sexual exploitation	Online safety
Internet-enabled sexual offending,	Other
Underage sex
Other

Referral to Reporter

The Child Protection Planning Meeting must consider whether a referral to the Principal Reporter is required. A referral to the Principal Reporter should include relevant and proportionate information, including:

The reason for the referral
The current child’s plan and chronology

Child Protection Planning Meeting record

The Chair, supported by the minute taker, is responsible for producing the record of the meeting (minute). The record should provide essential information from the meeting in a form that all involved in the Child Protection Plan can understand.

Essential information includes:

Those in attendance and those invited but did not attend
Reasons for the child/parent/carers non-attendance
Reports received
Summary of the information shared
Risks and protective factors identified
Views of the child/parent/carer
The decisions, reasons for the decisions and note of any dissent
Outline of the Child Protection Plan agreed at the meeting detailing required outcomes, contingency plans and timescales
Membership of the Core Group

The Child’s Plan, as approved by the Chair, should be circulated within one day of the Child Protection Planning Meeting. Participants, invitees who were unable to attend and Core Group members should receive the record (Minute) when approved by the Chair within 10 working days of the Child Protection Planning Meeting.