Pilot Project: Increasing the Participation of Young People in Child Protection Conferences Through Advocacy Support |
SCOPE OF THIS REPORT
Redbridge Children and Families Service is undertaking a pilot project to introduce advocacy support to young people aged 12 and above in Child Protection Conferences.
The start date for the pilot is mid November 2012.
All professionals who attend Child Protection Conferences should be aware of this important pilot so that they are prepared.
Contents
1. Aim of Pilot
- To offer advocacy support to up to 15 young people subject to Initial and / or Review Conferences over a designated 6 month trial period. The young people will be identified by the Child Protection Assessment Team and the Children’s Resource Centre’s;
- To promote, support and increase young people’s right to real and substantive participation in Child Protection Conferences;
- To evaluate the outcome with regard to the impact on effective child protection planning for young people;
- To consider the value of, and potential resource implications for ongoing advocacy in conferences;
- The case for providing advocacy support for young people involved in child protection conferences;
- Young people’s views are central to child protection enquiries and a requirement in law;
- Listening to young people helps to keep them safe. Young people’s views can be promoted more effectively by having a personal adult champion, in the form of an advocate who can help them to take an active part in the Child Protection Conference and to ensure their wishes and views are heard;
- Advocacy increases young people’s participation in Child Protection Conferences by offering support to help young people to express their views about what has happened and what they need;
- Research and good practice have demonstrated that having gained young people’s views, the Conference is able to achieve more child relevant risk assessments and protection plans.
2. Advocates Role
- To help the young person to understand what a Child Protection Conference is; what will happen, who will be there and possible outcomes;
- To talk to the young person about whether or not they wish to attend the conference;
- To obtain information from the Local Authority about the matters of concern and any proposed actions that can be shared with the young person;
- To support the young person by helping them to understand the concerns (as appropriate for their age and development);
- To support the young person to think through and express what they feel about the situation as it affects them and what would need to change for them to feel safe;
- To assist the young person to prepare and set out the views they wish to convey to the adults involved in their welfare. This may be verbal, written or by the use of other methods such as drawing or voice recording;
- To support the young person to participate in the Child Protection Conference and ensure their voice is heard;
- Alternatively, if the young person wishes, for the advocate to represent their views at the Child Protection Conference;
- To undertake a short de brief with the young person after the Conference and to request them to complete an evaluation form.
3. Impact on Professionals Attending Conferences
Professionals who attend Child Protection Conferences will be required to make some minor adjustments to accommodate the young person’s presence:
- Language used will need to be accessible to aid the young person’s understanding of the discussion, for example it should be jargon free. This will be familiar to professionals, who already adjust their language to facilitate parents understanding;
- Thought will need to be given to the information the professional plans to share at the Conference; identifying prior to the meeting, any information the professional feels would be unsuitable for the young person to hear (E.g. information regarding a parent’s sexual activity). The Chairperson should be informed before the start of the meeting so that they can ask the young person and their Advocate to step outside while the sensitive topic is discussed. The Chairperson will guide professionals on this matter;
- Social Workers will be asked to produce a short report for the young person outlining the concerns that have led to the Conference. This will be in bullet point form. The Advocate will help the young person to understand the information. The Social Worker will still produce a comprehensive report for the adults in the Conference;
- In time we hope to ask all professionals to produce a similar child friendly report for the young person.
Further Information
Advocacy will be provided by Janet Edwards, Children’s Rights Advocate.
Janet will be happy to come to team meetings or to discuss any questions or concerns that people may have.
Contact Details
E-mail: Janet.edwards@redbridge.gov.uk
Tel: 020 8708 5811
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