2.1.7 Professionals and Network Meetings |
Contents
1. Professional Meetings
Purpose of Professional Meetings
Professionals Meetings provide an opportunity for professionals involved with a family to come together not only to share information, but also to help determine the direction of a case and the plan for a child; it may be held to resolve uncertainty, controversy or inter-agency disagreement. They may be helpful where there are particularly complex family concerns, with extensive professionals/networks.
When decisions have been made without the parents present, arrangements need to be made to inform them as soon as possible afterwards.
Who can convene Professional Meetings?
Any agency can ask for a professionals meeting to be convened.
Initial attempts to resolve disagreement should already have been made by discussion between front-line workers and, if necessary, first line managers; however, if there is still disagreement with the course of action proposed by Children’s Social Care Services, any other involved agency may ask for a Professionals Meeting and this will be agreed.
Chairing Professional Meetings
Managers or other senior staff from any agency may chair a Professionals Meeting.
Attendance at Professional Meetings
Any professional could attend who is either actually involved with the family or potentially involved in any protection or support plan that is being considered.
Timing and Duration of Professional Meetings
If a Professionals Meeting is necessary, the timing will be a matter of judgement but will need to be held within a timescale that will influence potential plans for the child and family.
Minutes from Professional Meetings
There should be a record made of the decision reached at the Professionals Meeting. The line manager would have responsibility for ensuring that this record was made and distributed to those present. These decisions will be shared with the parents unless, exceptionally, the chair determines against this.
Reviewing Decisions taken at Professional Meetings
A Professionals Meeting is likely to be a one off meeting, but there will need to be a plan made to ensure that the issues that it was convened to consider, have been resolved. If any professional is still concerned following the decisions of the Professionals Meeting, it should be referred to their line manager who will make contact with their opposite number in the relevant agency.
2. Network Meetings
Purpose of Network Meetings
Network Meetings can be called for a number of different reasons:
- to share and evaluate information about the children and family
- to identify the needs of children and families and to assess any risk of harm
- to formulate a plan for family support and child protection for meeting the identified need (including the possible need for further multi agency meetings
Who can convene Network Meetings?
Any family member or concerned professional can call and convene a Network Meeting.
Chairing Network Meetings
Network Meetings can be chaired by the first line manager (or equivalent) of any Local Safeguarding Children Board agency. Consideration should be given as to whether it is appropriate for the chair to be independent of case management.
Attendance at Network Meetings
Parents/carers should always be invited to Network Meetings. Inviting children should also be considered. The attendance of a support person for the parents should also be encouraged, but attendance by legal representatives would be appropriate only in exceptional circumstances.
Network Meetings are intended to be smaller and less formal than Child Protection Conferences and so professional attendance should be limited to those who need to be there - those working directly with the family.
Standard Child Protection Conference invitees should be consulted as to whether they need to attend, based on whether they are likely to be involved in devising and implementing the plan.
The quorum for a Network Meeting is small - the parents, chair and one other professional.
Professional Responsibilities regarding Network Meetings
Social workers should prepare a concise report or notes on the information they hold on the family. These should be shared with the family in advance and then spoken to during the meeting.
The format should follow:
- family composition
- reason for meeting
- account of current contact with the family
- relevant background, history and context
- information on each child’s needs
- summary of assessment - including strengths, areas for concern and professional judgement of future needs and risks. All of these may be covered by the needs assessment format.
Network Meetings need to formulate a family support plan that addresses the needs identified, including any child protection concerns. The plan must specify the work or services required, the person responsible and set target dates for completion.
Timing of Network Meetings
If a Network Meeting is necessary, the timing will be a matter of judgement but will need to be held within a timescale that will influence potential plans for the child and family.
Minutes from Network Meetings
The outcome of Network Meetings must be ‘minuted’, together with the decisions reached and any timescales. The minutes should also reflect who attended, apologies, essential information shared, and the reasons for the decisions made.
A decision must be made at the beginning of the meeting as to who will minute the meeting.
Network Meeting minutes are confidential documents which should be stored securely and not shared except with those directly involved.
Review of Decisions from Network Meetings
It will usually be necessary for the Network Meeting to be reconvened to review the implementation of the plan and its outcomes. The timing of the review will depend on the circumstances. The periods for initial and review Child Protection Conferences of three and six months will often be appropriate.
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