Key points
A child’s child protection plan may be ended if
- it is judged that the child is no longer at continuing risk of significant harm
- the child has moved permanently to another local authority
- the child moves away from the place where they were at risk to a foster home or children’s home, or stays with a relative or friend of the family, or is otherwise protected by a court order
- the child has reached 18 years of age, has married, has died or has permanently left the UK
- there is an alternative plan in place that meets the child’s need for protection.
Where a child has moved permanently to another local authority, their child protection plan should not cease until their circumstances have been considered by a child protection conference in the new authority.
The local authority should plan a child protection review in advance of a child’s 18th birthday to consider their future welfare and needs.
The decision to end a child protection plan should be made at a review child protection conference. However, in exceptional circumstances, the chair of the conference may agree that a child’s child protection plan should end without holding a conference. This can include situations where another authority has accepted responsibility, or when a conference has agreed that a child’s child protection plan can be ended after the conference if certain outcomes that it specifies has been satisfactorily achieved.
The decision to end a child protection plan can only be done after consulting with all the agencies represented at the conference where they were made subject of a child protection plan, and at the last conference where the situation was considered. Consulting may involve simply setting out the reasons for the proposed decision, and asking that if anyone objects they inform the chair in writing by a set date.
How to do it
It is important to remember that the child may still have needs that should be met even though they are no longer at risk.
