Strategy Meeting / Discussion

Whenever there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm there should be a strategy discussion involving local authority Children’s Social Care (including the fostering service, if the child is looked after), the police, health and other bodies such as the referring agency. This might take the form of a multi-agency meeting or phone calls and more than one discussion may be necessary. A strategy discussion can take place following a referral or at any other time, including during the assessment process. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 external link].

Local authority Children’s Social Care should convene a strategy discussion to determine the child’s welfare and plan rapid future action if there is reasonable cause to suspect the child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.

Where there are suspicions of organised or multiple abuse – see Darlington Safeguarding Partnership Organised or Multiple Abuse Procedure and Practice Guidance [PDF Document].

Where concerns relate to fabricated or induced illness – Darlington Safeguarding Partnership Fabricated or Induced Illness Practice Guidance [PDF Document].

Additional guidance on children in specific circumstances can be found on the Darlington Safeguarding Partnership website [link].

A local authority social worker, health practitioner and a police representative should, as a minimum, be involved in the strategy discussion. Other relevant practitioners will depend on the nature of the individual case but may include:

the practitioner or agency which made the referral
the child's school or nursery
Health representatives from all those involved (e.g. midwife, health visitor, school nurse, GP, mental health)
Specialists as and when required (e.g. medical consultant)

All attendees should be sufficiently senior to make decisions on behalf of their agencies.

The discussion should be used to:

share available information
agree the conduct and timing of any criminal investigation and
decide whether enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 should be undertaken.

Where there are grounds to initiate an enquiry under section 47 of the Children Act 1989, decisions should be made as to:

what further information is needed if an assessment is already underway and how it will be obtained and recorded
what immediate and short term action is required to support the child, and who will do what by when
whether legal action is required

The timescale for the assessment to reach a decision on next steps should be based upon the needs of the individual child and no longer than 45 working days from the point of referral into children's services.

Children's social care should convene the strategy discussion and make sure it:

considers the child's welfare and safety, and identifies the level of risk faced by the child
decides what information should be shared with the child and family (on the basis that information is not shared if this may jeopardise a police investigation or place the child at risk of significant harm)
establish if an interpreter is required when English is not the first language
agrees what further action is required, and who will do what by when, where an Emergency Protection Order is in place or the child is the subject of police powers of protection
records agreed decisions in accordance with local recording procedures
follows up actions to make sure what was agreed gets done

Health practitioners should:

advise about the appropriateness or otherwise of medical assessment, and explain the benefits that arise from assessing previously unmanaged health matters that may be further evidence of neglect or maltreatment
provide and co-ordinate any specific information from relevant practitioners regarding family health, maternity, health, school health, mental health, domestic abuse and violence and substance misuse to assist strategy and decision making
secure additional expert advice and support from named and/or designated professionals for more complex cases following preliminary strategy discussions
undertake appropriate examinations and observations, and further investigations or tests, to determine how the child's health or development may be impaired

The police should:

discuss the basis for any criminal investigation and any relevant processes that other organisations and agencies might need to know about, including the timing and methods of evidence gathering
lead the criminal investigation where joint enquiries take place