Now You are a Member of a Core Group

Guidance Notes for Practitioners

• What is the purpose of these Guidance Notes?
• What is a Core Group?
• Why am I a Member of the Core Group?
• My work is with the adults in the family, why do I need to be in a Core Group?
• When and where will the Core Group meet?
• What is the first thing I need to do as a Core Group member?
• What will happen at the first core group meeting?
• What other responsibilities do I have as a member of a core group?
• What do I have to do in preparation for a Review Conference?
• How can I ensure the Child and Family are Involved?
• What if I don't agree with other Core Group members or feel that my views are not being acknowledged?
• What do I do if I am concerned that the Child Protection Plan is not working and the Child is at increasing risk of harm?
• What support can I have as a Core Group member?
• Best practice tips
• Agenda for Core Group meetings
• References

What is the purpose of these Guidance Notes?

The aim of this guidance is to advise you of your responsibilities as a member of a core group. It is based upon Tameside Safeguarding Children Board (TSCB) Child Protection Procedures and also upon local and national research evidence of what works best for children and families in core groups (see references).

The purpose of the guidance is to support practitioners in their role in core groups; to promote effective working together between practitioners and to encourage best practice in promoting children's welfare and safeguarding them. Research tells us that when core groups work well, the outcomes for children are more positive; effective core groups can help safeguard vulnerable children. Examples of core groups working well locally are described in local research and include an example of a core group working as a 'virtual team' where practitioners communicated well with all involved and worked together in the interests of the child.

Tameside Area Child Protection Committee (now TSCB) commissioned research from Salford University into Core Group Working in Tameside, this guidance is written in response to recommendations made in the research findings.

What is a Core Group?

A core group is a group of all relevant practitioners and family members who work together to create, implement and review a child protection plan. The core group has a vital role in ensuring that a child has a detailed child protection plan for which all core group members have responsibility. When core groups work well they can be a powerful catalyst for change for children and families.

Why am I a member of the Core Group?

You will have become a member of the core group because you work with the child and their family and thus have something to contribute in your professional role. It may be that your contribution is small; nevertheless, it will be an important part of the overall protection for a child.

My work is with the adults in the family, why do I need to be in a Core Group?

Your main focus of work may be with the adults in the family as in the case of adult mental health, substance misuse, probation and domestic violence workers for example. You will have an important role in the assessment of parental capacity and parental support needs. You will also have relevant information and a role in working with the family which could be crucial to the protection of the child. All core group members have specialist knowledge and skills, which contribute towards shared best practice with children and families.

When and where will the Core Group meet?

TSCB Child Protection Procedures state that the first core group should meet within 10 working days of the Initial Case Conference. At the first core group dates should be set for future meetings up to the date of the first Review Conference. Frequency of the core groups should depend upon the child protection plan and the needs of the child and family. A recommended frequency is four weekly as a minimum. Core groups should be held in premises which are comfortable, accessible to all and which allow for privacy.

What is the first thing I need to do as a Core Group member?

• Agree a date, time and venue for the first core group at the end of the initial conference
• Share your contact details with key worker and other core group members. This should be formalised and recorded at the first core group
• Note date for first review conference as the core group will need to report back on progress with the child protection plan on that date
• Inform your line manager that you are now a core group member and that priority will need to be given to attending core group meetings

What will happen at the first core group meeting?

• By the first core group you should have received a copy of the Initial Conference minutes, which should include the outline child protection plan. You need to have read these.
• At the first core group you need to introduce yourself and be clear about your professional role and responsibilities i.e. what do you do and what is your role likely to be with the child and family.
• At this first core group the outline protection plan must be developed into a detailed child protection plan.
• A chair and minute taker for the core group needs to be identified. It is not reasonable to expect one person to chair and minute the meeting. TSCB Procedures state that the key worker should chair the initial core group; thereafter core group members should share the tasks of chairing and minuting.
• The primary aim of the first core group is to develop the outline child protection plan into a detailed protection plan and to ensure that all members of the core group have a clear sense of purpose and tasks. In addition to assessment and sharing of information, there also needs to be a focus upon desired outcomes and actions needed to achieve these.
• By the end of the first meeting you should be clear about the tasks you are responsible for. All other core group members, especially the family, should also be clear about your tasks and theirs.
• A copy of the detailed child protection plan should be sent to all core group members and a copy must be sent to the chair of the Initial Child Protection Conference .
• Dates for future core group meetings should be agreed.

What other responsibilities do I have as a member of a core group?

• Attendance at core groups is crucial. If you cannot attend you should send a representative from your agency or send a written report. You should let the key worker know if you cannot attend and ensure you get the date of the next meeting. For child protection planning to work it is vital that all core group members participate fully and demonstrate their commitment to the protection of the child. If there is an occasion when the key worker cannot attend but other core group members can, the meeting should go ahead. Meetings should only be cancelled as a last resort.
• Contribution - The contribution you can make will depend upon the child protection plan and your level of involvement with the child and family. Your contribution may be in the form of assessment, providing information or direct work with the child and family. You may be the professional with the best knowledge of the child or the parent. You may have little direct contact with the family but have a monitoring role. You may have the space to take minutes at the core group
• The Child Protection Plan - All core group members are responsible for the child protection plan. The plan should include desired outcomes for the child and actions needed to achieve those outcomes. It is worth ensuring that the plan is smart i.e.
  
  Specific - clear in its objectives - e.g. to ensure child gains weight appropriately.
  Measurable - clear, measurable targets - weighing child at set times and keeping a record.
  Achievable - tasks that family members and other can achieve - weighing at clinic/home.
  Realistic - recognising that change may be gradual - offering support to family to achieve tasks.
  Timely - has to be in timescale for the child e.g. action to be taken if child has not gained weight within a specific time.
  
  In reviewing progress on the child protection plan core group members should ensure they are not just measuring work done (activity) but are also measuring outcomes (results) for the child.
• Information Sharing - Your own agency will have rules about confidentiality of information and you will be familiar working within the boundaries of those rules. However, it is important that core group members are comfortable about sharing information in the best interests of the child. (see appendix)

What do I have to do in preparation for a Review Conference?

The core group needs to agree who will prepare and write the report for the Review Conference; this is usually the key worker. All core group members need to agree what goes into that report in terms of progress made and outstanding areas of work. A recommendation about the continuing need for a Child Protection Plan will be made by core group members, not only by the key worker.

How can I ensure the Child and Family are involved?

Involvement is about more than just attending the core group.

As a core group member you will have contact with the child and possibly their family. You will have a responsibility to explain to family members your role in the core group and to consult them about their views. Research says that child protection planning works best when we work in partnership with children and families. This means seeking their views, giving feedback and explaining the process. You should consider whether the child attends the core group and if not how their views can be represented for example a letter from them or testimony on their behalf. Written feedback can also be given to children and is often appreciated by them.

It is more likely that parents, carers, children and young people will stay involved if they feel they are being listened to and that their views are given respect, even if agreement is not always possible.

What if I don't agree with other Core Group members or feel that my views are not being acknowledged?

The aim of core groups is to agree a child protection plan and the action needed to enact that plan. Generally disagreements should be resolved openly in the core group and a way forward found. If this cannot be achieved then the core group member should speak to their line manager and pursue the guidance on professional disagreements in the TSCB child protection procedures.

What do I do if I am concerned that the Child Protection Plan is not working and the Child is at Increasing risk of harm?

You should discuss this directly with the key worker or your line manager and evidence your concern. Aim to reach agreement on the next steps to address your concern.

If you cannot reach agreement about a way forward then you need to involve your line managers and contact the Conference Chair. Any core group member can request a conference be convened if they think the child protection plan is not working.

What support can I have as a Core Group member?

Colleagues and other core group members can be a vital source of learning and support for you.

You should be supported in this role through supervision and training. Your supervisor needs to be aware of your work as a core group member and of any concerns you have.

The TSCB offers training in Child Protection Planning (Working Together Module 2). You should attend this course. If you have attended it already then ensure you attend Refresher Training in Child Protection after 2-3 years. All practitioners should be maintaining their professional development and using every opportunity to critically reflect on practice.

Best practice tips

Core Groups enable the pooling of skills and knowledge about a child and family and can be a vehicle for change in a family. The outcomes are likely to be best for the child and family when core groups achieve the following:-

• Clarity of purpose - what we are doing, why and how
• Clear and open communication by all involved (use plain language)
• Collaboration - sharing responsibility and tasks (everyone has a part to play)
• Acknowledge any progress made and what still needs to be done
• Involving the child and family (by being flexible and imaginative if necessary)
• Valuing the contribution of all involved (ensuring everyone is heard)
• Sharing information in a proportionate way, which is in the interests of the child (see references).
• Ensuring that all members of the Core Group are fully enabled to participate in relation to any additional needs, disability or communication issues.
• Maintain a positive agenda that builds on strengths and solutions rather than difficulties and problems

“All Members of the Core Group are jointly responsible for formulation and delivery of the Child Protection Plan”
TSCB Child Protection Procedures

Agenda for Core Group meetings

• Introductions
• Chair explains purpose of meeting
• Appoint minute taker
• Set time limit for meeting
• Re-visit outline or detailed child protection plan
• Evaluate progress towards desired outcomes

Outline what is known of:

• Children's needs individually *
• Parenting capacity *
• Family and environmental factors *
  
  (* Contributing to Core Assessment)
• Record who will do what and when, each core group members contributes, including parents
• Consider wishes and feelings of children/involvement of child
• Consider feelings of parents
• Consider extended family contribution
• Outline services to be offered and by whom
• Outline any assessments to be undertaken
• Consider legal situation
• Outline Contingency Plans
• Record any disagreements with detailed child protection plan
• Dates for future meetings

Core group minutes should be concise - bullet points which summarise discussion, highlight decisions made and actions planned.

All practitioners - Please see TSCB Child Protection Procedures for further information on Core Group Working.

References

• TSCB Child Protection Procedures Handbook (also known as the ACPC Child Protection Procedures) (www.tameside.gov.uk/childprotection)
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006) - Department for Education and Skills (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk )
• The Work of Core Groups in Tameside MBC (Research Report 2004) - Salford Centre for Social Work Research, University of Salford, M6 6PU (www.tameside.gov.uk/childprotection)
• Working for Children on the Child Protection Register - An inter agency Practice Guide (2002) - Martin Calder & Jan Howarth (ISBN: 1857423674)
• What to do if you're worried a Child is being abused - Department of Health (May 2003) (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk )
  (This document contains helpful guidance on Information Sharing in inter-agency work pages 43-49)

All TSCB Procedures can be obtained via:

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