These questions are designed by Jan Horwath and Wirral Safeguarding Children Board to understand the extent to which the family are actively engaging with the plan to keep the child safe from harm.
It is important to consider the actions required of each parent or carer in turn. It is all too easy to focus attention on one parent or carer.
This question is designed to not only establish whether the parent/s are completing the actions expected of them but the impact of those actions. Child practice reviews have identified that all too often parents will go through the motions, such as keeping appointments, but they are only superficially complying with plans rather than engage meaningfully. Their aim may be to get practitioners off their back rather than improve life for their children. Thus, whilst they may meet with a social worker on a regular basis and agree to change for example, bedtime routines, they may do this in a half-hearted way that does not have an impact on the child.
To assess whether the actions taken by the parent/s are making a difference, practitioners need to gain evidence. This can be achieved by establishing from both with the child and from practitioner assessments and observations whether the quality of the child’s life has changed. For example, a parent indicates that they have established bedtime routines, but the child states they are still going to bed when they decide to go and the school observe the child is still tired when they are in school. This would seem to indicate that either the parent is not following the advice or that they do not understand what is being asked of them.
This question is designed to bring to the fore parental actions indicated in the plan that have not been undertaken. There may be several reasons why this is the case and practitioners should not jump to conclusions that it is resistance on the part of the parent/s. For example, a parent may fail to take their child for a hospital appointment because attendance at the hospital means two or three bus changes and by the time, they have returned home they are too late to pick up their other children from school.
In some cases, as in the example above, the situation can be rectified to facilitate the action. For example, arrange hospital transport, secure an earlier appointment. In other situations, it may be more complex. For example, a parent may not attend a parenting programme because they are uncomfortable in groups. Parents are far more likely to engage in plans if they feel that practitioners are taking seriously the challenges they are encountering engaging in the plan and are assisting them address the challenges.
Family members may be resistant to completing certain actions in the plan or indeed all the plan. When this occurs, it is important to understand why this is the case and whether this resistance can be addressed. Parent/s may not complete actions indicated in the plan for several reasons. First, they may not have the ability to do what is expected of them. Practitioners cannot presume, for example, that all parents know how to brush teeth, wash and dry clothes, keep a house clean etc. Second, the parent may lack the motivation to change or the advantages of not changing outweigh for them the advantages of making the necessary changes. This can be, for example, caused by alcohol and drug misuse,
The resolution of this non-action depends on the cause. If the issue is ability, then the core group should identify ways in which they can increase this. If the issue is related to motivation finding a solution can be more complex. A more specialist assessment may be required if this is linked to parenting issues. In some cases, it may be necessary to consider Legal Planning and Public Law Outline (PLO).
Implementing a plan requires both commitment and effort from practitioners. The following questions are designed to assist core group members reflect on their contributions, ideally within the core group meeting.
The aim of this question is to begin to identify what services are making a positive difference to family life and those that do not appear to be effective.
Each practitioner should provide a summary of the work they have undertaken with the family and consider what the core group hoped would be achieved through this service input and what has been achieved. When considering achievement, the focus should be on the agreed milestone measures indicating that the quality of the daily lived experience of the child is improving and their safety needs are being met. The core group should consider the evidence available to them: parent/s and child/ren’s account of changes to their lives because of the interventions as well as any feedback from core group members.
This question is included to identify any service issues that may be affecting the implementation of the plan. For example, heavy workloads, sickness, long waiting lists.
The aim is to take a collective approach and consider how some of the identified issues can be addressed to ensure the child is protected from further harm.
This question is designed to elicit any concerns that any member of the core group may have about implementing the plan. This could be because needs have changed or there are concerns about parenting capacity and engagement with services. Reluctance could also be the result of issues regarding service provision, such as lengthy waiting lists, costly services etc. Alternatively, the practitioner may not believe the identified service will result in the anticipated outcomes.
The aim is to take a collective approach and consider how some of the identified issues can be addressed to ensure the child is protected from further harm.