The Local Safeguarding Children Boards (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2012

Revocation of regulation 4 of the Principal Regulations and insertion of regulations 4A and 4B

3.  Regulation 4 of the Principal Regulations is revoked and substituted by the following regulations—

“Child practice reviews

4A.— (1) A Board must undertake child practice reviews in accordance with this regulation.

(2) The purpose of a child practice review is to identify any steps that can be taken by Board partners or other bodies to achieve improvements in multi-agency child protection practice.

(3) A Board must undertake a concise child practice review in any of the following cases where, within the area of the Board, abuse or neglect of a child is known or suspected and the child has—

(a) (i) died; or

(ii) sustained potentially life threatening injury; or

(iii) sustained serious and permanent impairment of health or development; and,

(b) the child was neither on the child protection register nor a looked after child on any date during the 6 months preceding—

(i) the date of the event referred to in sub-paragraph (a)(i) or (a)(ii); or

(ii) where sub-paragraph (a)(iii) applies, the date on which a local authority, person or body referred to in section 28 of the Children Act 2004(1) or body mentioned in section 175 of the Education Act 2002(2) identifies that a child has sustained serious and permanent impairment of health and development.

(4) A Board must undertake an extended child practice review in any of the following cases where, within the area of the Board, abuse of a child is known or suspected, and the child has—

(a) (i) died; or

(ii) sustained potentially life threatening injury; or

(iii) sustained serious and permanent impairment of health or development; and,

(b) the child was on the child protection register and/or was a looked after child on any date during the 6 months preceding—

(i) the date of the event referred to in sub-paragraph (a)(i) or (a)(ii); or

(ii) where sub-paragraph (a)(iii) applies, the date on which a local authority, person or body referred to in section 28 of the Children Act 2004(3) or body mentioned in section 175 of the Education Act 2002(4) identifies that a child has sustained serious and permanent impairment of health and development.

(5) In undertaking a child practice review the Board must—

(a) ask each representative body to provide the Board with information in writing about its involvement with the child who is the subject of the review;

(b) ensure that the perspective of the child who is the subject of the review is obtained and that the child’s perspective contributes to the child practice review process, so far as practicable and appropriate to the circumstances of the case;

(c) ensure that the perspectives of members of the family of the child who is the subject of the review are obtained and that these perspectives contribute to the child practice review process, so far as practicable and appropriate to the circumstances of the case;

(d) hold a multi agency learning event following receipt of the written information referred to in sub-paragraph (a);

(e) in the case of a concise child practice review, ensure that the multi - agency learning event referred to in sub-paragraph (d) is organised and facilitated by a single reviewer appointed by the Board;

(f) in the case of an extended child practice review, ensure that the multi - agency learning event referred to in sub-paragraph (d) is organised and facilitated by two reviewers appointed by the Board;

(g) ensure that any reviewer referred to in sub-paragraph (e) or (f) is independent of direct involvement in case work or case management in respect of the child who is the subject of the review;

(h) produce a child practice review report which recommends action to be taken following the multi - agency learning event;

(i) ensure that the child practice review report does not reveal the identity or whereabouts of the child who is the subject of the review or the child’s family;

(j) produce an action plan detailing action to be taken by the representative bodies to implement the recommendations of the child practice review report;

(k) provide the child practice review report and action plan to the Welsh Ministers;

(l) make the child practice review report publicly available;

(m) undertake periodic progress reviews on the implementation of the action plan;

(n) provide a written report to the Welsh Ministers following any progress review referred to in sub-paragraph (m), reporting on progress in implementing the action plan and the impact on child protection policy and practice in Wales;

(o) have regard to any guidance given to it by the Welsh Ministers, in exercising its functions under this regulation.

Multi-agency professional forums

4B.   The Board must arrange and facilitate an annual programme of multi-agency professional forums.”

(1)

2004 c. 31.

(2)

2002 c. 32.

(3)

2004 c. 31.

(4)

2002 c. 32.