Child in Need Plans and Reviews

Child in Need Planning Meetings will follow an Assessment where the assessment has concluded that a package of family support is required to meet the child's needs under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989.

The Planning Meeting provides an opportunity for a child and their parents/carers, together with key agencies, to identify and agree the package of support required and to develop the Child in Need Plan.

A child-centred and truly restorative approach is fundamental to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and health and development of every child. A child centred approach means keeping the child in focus when making decisions about their lives and working in partnership with them and their families. (Working together to safeguard children - GOV.UK) 

The purpose of a Child In Need Planning Meeting and subsequent plan is to seek to promote a shared ownership between families, professionals and children, where appropriate. The required approach is to 'work with' rather than 'do to' families and take account of the steps and goals that a family want to achieve, as this it far more likely to keep families engaged and to provide motivation, for meaningful and sustained change rather than achieving compliance.

Following the completion of a Child and Family Assessment, and sign off by the social worker and team manager, an Initial Child In Need meeting should take place within 10 working days.

All Child in Need Planning Meetings should be attended by the child (depending on their age and understanding), parents/carers and the multi-agency professional group supporting the child and family.

The allocated social worker should discuss potential attendees for the Planning Meeting with the child and the parents/carers prior to arrangements being made for the meeting and coordinate invitations to the meeting.

It is important that an appropriate venue suitable for the child and their family is used for the meeting. Consideration must be given to transport, timing and any childcare issues. Where a child is attending a meeting and is of school age the meeting should be held outside of school time, wherever possible.

The initial Child in Need Meeting should be chaired by a Team Manager or by an experienced Social Worker. This is a decision for the Team Manager to make based on the specific circumstances. The purpose is to ensure that plans are comprehensive.

A record of the meeting and actions will be taken by the Chairperson and saved onto the child's electronic file using a Child Plan. This record will be shared with those involved, including the child and parent/s, who will need to sign their agreement.

Most Child in Need plans will follow on from the Child and family Assessment, but they may also form part of a step-down from child protection planning; a discharge from Local Authority care; part of private fostering arrangements, are part of private law proceedings, the family has no recourse to public funds. See: No Recourse to Public Funds Policy.

A Child in Need Plan will be developed in a Child in Need Planning Meeting and will be coproduced with children, their families and the multi-agency professional network around them. It should focus on areas that will mitigate or reduce risks and meet/address children's identified needs, as highlighted in the Child and Family assessment.

Most Child in Need Plans will envisage that Children's Services support will end within 6 months. However, some children and families may require longer term support, for example children with disabilities.

The Child in Need Plan must identify the Lead Professional, any resources or support services that will be needed to achieve the planned outcomes within the agreed timescales and who is responsible for which action and the time-scale involved.

The allocated social worker should visit each child at least once every 28 days, whereby their wishes and feelings will be captured in an age appropriate way.

The Child in Need plan must consider the wider needs of children and young people including their health and development, and how these can be promoted.

The Child in Need plan must be SMART i.e. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely and it must be outcome focused i.e. clearly outlining what we want to achieve and who is going to do what. Plans should not be overwhelming, and they should avoid duplication which may result in decreasing, rather than increasing engagement by parents. 

Child in Need plans that are not sufficiently outcome focused or SMART lead to drift and delay, due to families and agencies being less clear about their specific roles, responsibilities and expectations and, what is to be achieved. 

As the Lead Professional, the Child in Need plan should be written up by the child's social worker within 5 working days, in accordance with the Recording Policy and Guidelines. A copy of the plan should be distributed to parents and other agencies involved in supporting the family, without delay.

Where a young person, who is not eligible for leaving care services, ceases to be looked after because they return home, the child will be a 'child in need' and therefore, a Child in Need plan must be drawn up.

Supervision Orders should be subject to a specific Supervision Order plan, and not a Child in Need plan.

In particular, the Child in Need Plan should:

• Describe the identified needs of the child, and any services required to meet these needs;
• Clearly identify areas of risk for the child and the impact these risks have upon their daily lived experiences;
• Include actions that are child focussed and SMART;
• Be creative and ambitious in exploring resources that may available outside of statutory intervention;
• Clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of other professionals and family members, including the nature and frequency of support by professionals with children and family members;
• Ensure that the child's voice is the golden thread throughout plans, dependent on their age and level of understanding. The voice of the child should be articulated clearly throughout their plan;
• Include a contingency plan to be followed if circumstances change significantly and require prompt action.

Any changes to the plan must be made in consultation with relevant agencies, the parents and the child (where appropriate) and should continue to demonstrate a collaborative approach to engaging children and their families in the creation and progress of a plan.

Note: if reviewing a child or young person who has health, disability or special educational needs in a residential home or hospital, please see Placing and Visiting Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities or Health Conditions in Long-Term Residential Settings Procedure.

Reviews should be conducted at intervals agreed with the Lead Professional's line manager, which will be at least every eight weeks, unless there are exceptional circumstances when timescales can be longer. This can include children with disabilities whose circumstances remain consistent and the services provided do not require such a regular review.

If there are significant changes in the child's or family circumstances, an early review should take place.

Any child protection or immediate safeguarding issues which arise during the course of a Child in Need Plan must be responded to in line with Multi-Agency Safeguarding Children Procedures.

The Review will be coordinated and chaired by the Lead Professional, who should invite or seek the views of the child, parents and relevant professionals involved for the child and family.

The purpose of the Review is to continue the coproduction of support targeted to the individual needs of each child, with a continued focus on factors to mitigate or reduce risks and meet/address children's identified needs.

Where it is proposed that a complex package of support being provided under a Child in Need Plan should continue beyond 12 months there should be consideration given towards a specific review chaired by the manager of the responsible team, and a key decision to be added to file to reflect this decision making. Exceptions to this will be those children where the plan acknowledges the need for longer term support, for example in relation to children who meet the criteria for a service in relation to a disability.

The outcome of a Review will be:

1. That the child continues to be a Child in Need, resulting in the continuing provision of services and relevant amendments of the Child in Need Plan;
2. That the child appears to be at risk of Significant Harm, resulting in the need for a Strategy Discussion/Meeting and possible Section 47 Enquiry.

Ending the Child in Need Plan

Child in Need plans must not be closed unless a multi-agency review of the plan has been completed and there is a multi-agency consensus that the plan should end. Agencies should always consider if there is a need for an Early Help Assessment at this stage. If there is disagreement about the decision to end the plan, the plan should not be closed, and agencies should follow the escalation process. 

The Child in Need Plan will end when:

• A child no longer requires specialist support and the child and family's needs can be met by multi-agency support led by a Team Around the Family plan;
• A child no longer requires specialist support and there is no further role for Children's Social Care and the case file can be closed;
• Risks have escalated, and the child is made subject to a child protection plan at the Initial Child Protection Conference;
• Concerns have escalated, and the child has become a child in care under Section 20 or Section 31;
• A Special Guardianship Order (SGO) is made.

The ending of the Child in Need Plan must be agreed by the relevant team manager and recorded on a key decision record.

Where the outcome of the Review is a continuation of the Child in Need Plan, the Lead Professional should circulate a copy of the amended Plan to all those involved in the child in need planning process.

This section deals with children who are subject to Child in Need Plans and move to another local authority. The principles apply to local authorities in the circumstances of both transferring out and receiving in Children in Need.

In a number of situations, children and their families moving to another local authority offers a positive option. However, and particularly where children and their families may have moved on more than one occasion in a short space of time, any assessment should consider whether the child is subject to increased risk of significant harm (see Assessments Procedure).

For children who are supported by a Child Protection plan please see Children subject to Child Protection Plans Moving Across Borders.

For Children Looked After see Out of Area Placements Procedure.

• When a Child that is supported by a Child in Need plan moves from one local authority area to another, the Children Act 1989 is clear that the responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child lies with the local authority where the child is to be found;
• Given the child has already been identified as having particular needs or is vulnerable in some way, or urgent consideration / assessment should be given as to the impact of the move for the child in respect of their vulnerability, for example, through changes in the protective factors, and risk;
• When a child supported by a Child in Need plan moves from Staffordshire Local Authority to another local authority area and requires ongoing support, the Social Worker must ensure a timely referral is made to the child's new home authority, in line with the new home authority's referral process;
• The parent/carer should be supported to ensure their child receives appropriate education and health support in the area they plan to move to, together with any other specialist service required for the child;
• The social worker should support the family to accessing relevant and appropriate services with regard to meeting the child's needs;
• The local authority Children's Social Care Services where the child and family are moving to should be formally notified and all relevant information should be shared:
  • Child and Family Assessment;
  • Child in Need Plan;
  • Minutes of latest Child in Need Review;
  • A Chronology.
• Parent / carer's permission should be sought to share this information with the receiving local authority in line with Information Sharing: Advice for Safeguarding Practitioners.
• The Data Protection Act should never be a barrier to sharing information where the failure to do so would result in a child being placed at risk of harm or indeed on those occasions where seeking consent might increase the risk of harm.
• The social worker should ensure that other agencies involved in the Child in Need Plan are made aware and prepared to ensure that their relevant information is shared as soon as possible with their respective counterparts in the area the family have moved to, (for example school and health records, etc.);
• The social workers and team managers of the respective authorities should ensure there is clear and good communication during any transition and any risks are clearly communicated and understood.
• Where possible, the social worker should seek to meet their counterpart and consider a joint visit and attendance at a Child in Need Meeting, so that the family can be supported during the transfer process and to ensure open and transparent communication of the children's needs are discussed;
• Where there is dispute about responsibility for the child in need plan; delay in the receiving local authority accepting responsibility, or a dispute about Children in Need thresholds, the team manager should escalate this in line with the escalation policy within the new home authority;
• The family should be kept informed of any respective responsibilities during a transition stage and when the receiving local authority, (where the family reside), take full responsibilities.
• Receiving local authorities should seek to convene a Child in Need Meeting within 20 working days of the family being resident in their area and include all relevant agencies and, where possible, the social worker and other specialist staff where the child and family have moved from;
• All actions, decisions and arrangements should be fully recorded on the child's electronic file record during this process. This should include management decisions, which should identify the rationale for any decisions made, especially where specific services cannot be provided and/or it is considered the child is no longer a Child in Need.