3.4 Strategy Discussions

Holding a Strategy Discussion
Purpose of Strategy Discussion
When the Strategy Discussion should be a Meeting
Who should be Involved
Agenda for Strategy Discussion
Recording of a Strategy Discussion

Appendix 1: Flowchart - Urgent Action to Safeguard Children

Appendix 2: Flowchart : What Happens After the Strategy Discussion?

1. Holding a Strategy Discussion

Children’s Social Care Services must hold a Strategy Discussion whenever there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child has suffered or is likely to suffer Significant Harm.

This may be following a Referral and Initial Assessment or at any time during an assessment or where a child is receiving support services, if concerns about Significant Harm to the child emerge.

2. Purpose of Strategy Discussion

The purpose of the Strategy Discussion is to decide whether a Section 47 Enquiry under the Children Act 1989 is required and if so, to develop a plan of action for the Section 47 Enquiry. The Core Assessment is the means by which the Section 47 Enquiry is carried out.

More than one Strategy Discussion may be necessary.

Where there are more than one Strategy Discussions/Meetings, care must be taken to monitor the time frames involved so that no child is left for too long without a decision as to what services should be provided or what actions should be taken. Where an Initial Child Protection Conference is to be convened this must take place within 15 working days of the last Strategy Discussion.

3. When the Strategy Discussion should be a Meeting

The Strategy Discussion may take place over the telephone or at a meeting.

A Strategy Discussion must take the form of a meeting, chaired by a manager from Children’s Social Care Services, if there is concern about one of the following:

Where there are suspicions of organised or multiple abuse - see Complex (Organised and Multiple) Abuse Procedure
Where concerns relate to fabricated or induced illness - see Fabricated or Induced Illness Procedure
Where concerns are considered to be complex
Following the death of a child, where there are child protection concerns and there are surviving siblings or other identified children who are vulnerable

4. Who should be Involved

The Strategy Discussion should involve, at a minimum, Children's Social Care Services, the Police, a representative from Health, and the referring agency. Other agencies involved with the family may be included as appropriate (for example Education)..Where other agencies are not included in the initial strategy discussion, the social worker should undertake checks with them for relevant information prior to any decisions being made.

If the child is a hospital patient, the consultant(s) responsible for the child's care should be involved. This should be established by contacting the named professionals in the organisation. Where a medical examination has been carried out, the appropriate doctor should be involved.

Where a medical examination may be necessary, a senior doctor from those providing services should also be involved.

In the case of a pre-birth Strategy Discussion, this should involve the midwifery services, hospital based and/or community based.

If the child lives outside of the area all agencies that have information about the child and family must be invited to attend or contribute to the Strategy Discussion.

Where required, a legal adviser should be invited or legal advice sought to inform the Strategy Discussion.

Consideration should also be given to the need to seek advice from or invite a professional with expertise in the particular type of suspected Significant Harm.

Where parents or adults in the household are experiencing problems such as domestic abuse, substance misuse or mental illness, it will also be important to consider involving the relevant adult services professionals.

Those participating should be sufficiently qualified to be able to contribute to the discussions of the available information and to make decisions on behalf of their own agency.

5. Agenda for Strategy Discussion

The Strategy Discussion should be used to:

Share available information
Agree when the child will be seen alone by the Lead Social Worker (unless inappropriate for the child) and whether any particular factors such as the child’s race, ethnicity, language, disability or any other special needs should be taken into account and whether an interpreter will be required for the child and/or the family
Consider the needs of any other children who may be affected
Decide whether a Core Assessment and Section 47 Enquiry should be initiated or continued and if so, which children should be included
Plan the Section 47 Enquiry (if one is to be undertaken), including the need for further information, the need for and timing of Medical Assessments and/or treatment, and who will carry out what actions, by when and for what purpose
Decide whether a single agency or a joint enquiry/investigation is required
Agree what action is required immediately and in the short term to safeguard the child and/or provide interim services and support, including the care arrangements for the child/children
Agree whether urgent actions are required to remove the child from the risk of harm or to remove the alleged perpetrator from the child’s home.
Agree where a child is in hospital how to manage contact and how to secure the safe discharge of the child
Agree a contingency plan if the child cannot be located
Agree the conduct and timing of any criminal investigation, including who should be interviewed, by whom, for what purpose and when and the need to carry out the interviews in accordance with Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings guidance
Agree the arrangements for obtaining consents to interviews and assessments of the child (if the assessment is to take place during the course of court proceedings, the courts prior consent must be obtained)
Agree how the child and family will be supported during the process
Determine what information from the Strategy Discussion will be shared with the family, unless such information sharing may place a child at increased risk of harm or jeopardise any criminal investigation. If urgent action is necessary, a decision will need to be taken about informing or consulting parents and the child/ren, obtaining consents, taking legal action, accompanying the child and notifying parents
Agree, in the light of the race and ethnicity of the child and family, how information will be obtained and shared with the family and establishing whether an interpreter is required
Determine if legal action is required
Coordinate a press strategy, if relevant
Agree timescales for all the above and responsibilities for required actions
In cases where information indicates a history of violence and threatening behaviour by the parents towards professionals, consider the risks to the child/children and to staff, determine a strategy for managing the risk and agree joint action as appropriate
Agree the need for feedback to each other (e.g. if single agency enquiries) and for further Strategy Discussions with clear timescales

Single Agency Enquiry

Where there is a need for a child protection investigation but there is agreement, following a strategy discussion, that the investigation will be commenced by a single agency with regular updates being shared with the other agency and continual assessment of the situation undertaken

The situations where Children's Social Care Services is the Lead Agency include:

Suspected minor non-accidental injury on an older child and there are no significant concerns of previous abuse
Minor neglect or emotional abuse
Information concerning sexual abuse or behaviour, not amounting to an allegation but giving rise to child protection concerns
Abuse committed by a child who is under the age of criminal responsibility

The situations where is the Police are Lead Agency include:

Persons aged 18 years or over making historical allegations
Where the perpetrator is not a relative, carer or professionally involved with the child
Where the perpetrator is not known to the child

If during the course of the criminal investigation it emerges that parental deficiencies in the care of a child have significantly contributed to the alleged abuse the process will develop into a joint enquiry. Additionally, if risk to other children is identified in the course of a police single agency investigation then the need for a joint enquiry should be discussed with Children's Social Care Services.

Joint Enquiries

Joint enquiries will normally take place where initial information indicates that the situation falls into one of the following categories:

A clear allegation of familial sexual abuse
Alleged or suspected physical injury
Cruelty, ill treatment, or abandonment
Willful or repeated neglect
Concerns/suspicions of Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII)
Allegations against any employee of an LSCB agency or anyone who works with, or has contact with, children in either a professional or voluntary capacity
Organised, complex, or institutional abuse

For further information please see Joint Investigations Protocol.

Any decision made at a Strategy Discussion, i.e. that concerns are not substantiated, or that concerns are substantiated but the child is not judged to be at continuing risk of Significant Harm, or that concerns are substantiated and the child is judged to be at risk of Significant Harm, must be authorised by a Children’s Social Care Services Manager.

Where a decision is made to initiate legal proceedings, legal advice must be obtained and the approval of a Children’s Social Care Services Manager must also be obtained.

Any decision made after a Strategy Discussion that further child protection action by Children’s Social Care Services and/or the Police is not necessary as there is insufficient evidence of risk of Significant Harm to the child may only be made providing it is agreed by a Children’s Social Care Services Manager and the Officer in Charge of the Police Child Abuse Investigation Unit and the reasons recorded.

In such circumstances consideration should be given to whether any other service is appropriate for the child (please see Early Intervention where there are Child Welfare Concerns Procedure).

Where the decision of the Strategy Discussion is to initiate a Section 47 Enquiry, the plan for the Section 47 Enquiry should reflect the requirement to convene an Initial Child Protection Conference within 15 working days of the last Strategy Discussion.

6. Recording of a Strategy Discussion

At the conclusion of the Strategy Discussion, a list of action points, timescales, agreed roles and responsibilities and an agreed mechanism for reviewing completion of the action points must be recorded and circulated to all parties within one working day. Children’s Social Care Services will record this on the relevant form.

For telephone discussions, a copy of the notes on the relevant form must be authorised by the manager and should then be sent to all participants.

Records of Strategy Discussions will be held in the relevant record systems for the child. Where appropriate, taking into account the confidentiality of the child/ren and any adult, agreed sections of the records should be placed on the relevant records for the adult.

Appendix 1: Flowchart - Urgent Action to Safeguard Children

Click here to view flowchart

Appendix 2: Flowchart - What Happens After the Strategy Discussion