Complex and Organised Abuse Strategy Meetings Practice Guidance (January 2017)

  1. THRESHOLD TEST FOR COMPLEX STRATEGY MEETINGS
Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015) offers the following definition (and for the purposes of this guidance, the primary threshold test) of complex and organised abuse;
  • Where abuse is suspected or has occurred involving one or more abusers and a number of children.
The abusers concerned may be acting in concert to abuse children, sometimes acting in isolation, or may be using an institutional framework or position of authority to recruit children for abuse.
In addition to those meeting the primary test, the following children should also be referred to the Independent Reviewing Unit Operations Manager for consideration of who is best placed to chair and manage a Complex Strategy Meeting;
  • Children and young people at risk of radicalisation, involvement with gangs, female genital mutilation or forced marriage.
  • Children and Young People about whom there are concerns of CSEonly if the primary threshold test (above) is met.
  • Multiple abusers and a single child.
  • Exceptionally complex concerns regarding potential Fabricated or Induced Illness.
  • Where there has been a child death and there are surviving sibling safeguarding issues to consider.
Although in most cases of complex and organised abuse the abuser(s) is an adult, it is also possible for children / young people to be the perpetrators of such harm, with or without adult abusers.
In the case of a single alleged abuser who works with children either in a paid or unpaid capacity, liaison should take place and action should be governed by the procedures for dealing with Managing Allegations of Abuse made Against a Person who Works with Children (LADO). If an alleged abuser works in this capacity and is one of a group of suspected abusers, liaison with LADO needs to be made and careful consideration should be given to whether managers/employers of this person should be included in the Initial Complex Strategy Meeting.
In cases where highly complex organised abuse and/or whole service safeguarding concerns or failures are suspected, the Independent Reviewing Unit Operations Manager should also be informed. There is a separate process for whole service strategy and investigations.

2.KEY ROLES

Complex Strategy Meetings and Investigations, particularly those that relate to historic abuse, can be very complex. The abuse may have occurred in a number of places, involving a number of people and those involved may be difficult to trace.The investigation of complex abuse requires thorough planning and collaboration across the agencies and due the number of professionals, persons of concern or young people involved, meetings can become excessively complex and at risk of being ineffective. In response to this risk, this guidance provides a clear set of key roles intended to streamline and rationalise information sharing and attendance at meetings and ensure that complex meetings are effective and purposeful.

This guidance identifies lead roles for an Independent Reviewing Unit Operations Manager, Specialist Chair and where appropriate, a Dedicated Risk Manager (a team manager). This may be needed to rationalise the number of Team Manager’s involved in meetings where there are multiple children and/or where there is an operation rather than a single child under consideration.

2.1 The Independent Reviewing Unit Operations Manager

  • Will triage referrals and where a referral is accepted,allocate a suitably experienced and qualified Specialist Chair.
  • Will ensure Senior Managers and the Head of Serviceare kept appraised of the referral and progress (and who will in turn, determine whether the Chair of the DSCB or any other Senior Managers should be notified).
  • Will consider whether a Whole Service strategy meeting protocol / Strategi Management Group should be initiated.
  • Will act as a conduit between the Senior Management/Strategic Management Group and the Specialist Chair.

2.2 The Specialist Chair.

  • Will chair and coordinate the Complex Strategy Meeting.
  • Will ensure that protective action or intervention is undertaken by Children’sSocial Work and Child Protection Services and other relevant agencies.
  • Will carry out the duties within the Complex Strategy Meeting as set out below.
  • Willact as a conduit between the Dedicated Risk Manager/s and professionals and the Independent Reviewing Unit Operations Manager.

2.3The Dedicated Risk Manager/s

(A suitably experienced Team Manager)

  • Will carry out the actions as agreed within the strategy meeting and coordinate the operational investigations.
  • Will act as a central point of contact for the Investigating Police officers/Social

Workers/ other agencies and to report risk indicators in relation to specific children

and young people, which come to light during the course of enquiries.

  • Will act as a conduit to and ensure the Specialist Chair is kept appraised of progress.

  1. PROCESS

In all cases where the primary threshold test is met, the Independent Reviewing Unit should be asked to convene a Complex Strategy Meeting via the Complex Strategy Meeting referral form.
When a request for a Complex Strategy Meeting is received, the Independent Reviewing Unit Operations Manager will be consulted and determine whether the threshold test is met or whether circumstances are sufficiently complex to warrant Independent Reviewing Unit oversight.
If the threshold is met, a Specialist Chair will chair the Initial Complex Strategy Meeting. There may be subsequent Reconvened Strategy Meetings held.
The plans in respect of children subject of a Complex Strategy Meeting will be safeguarded and Quality Assured by the MACSE panel.
  1. COMPLEX STRATEGY MEETING
The Complex Strategy Meeting should:
  • Establish whether any immediate protective action is required.
  • Undertake a mapping exercise to clarify the scope of the meeting; identify the children and adults being considered and agree theparticipation of the Complex Strategy Meeting group, who should attend and who should be notified; determine the staff team that will follow through the investigation and appoint a Dedicated Risk Manager where appropriate.
  • Consider whether the threshold is met for s47 investigation for all children or individual children and whether this will be joint or single agency.
  • Consider whether any criminal or legal action should be taken and the conduct and timing of this.
  • Outline all key elements of the investigation identifying each key task, who will be responsible for which actions and in what timescale.
  • Agree who should be told that the investigation is taking place and what support is required for professionals, families, children and young people.
  • Advise the group that communication regarding the investigation should be on a strictly ‘need to know’ basis.
  • Ensure that everyone is clear about the actions to be undertaken including where there is need for further individual strategy meetings to be convened. Set out the actions in a SMART format.
  • Notify the Independent Reviewing Unit Operations Manager of any resource implications.
  • Set the timetable for reconvening the Complex Strategy Meeting in order to monitor progress and evaluate the information arising from the investigation.

  1. RECORDING

To ensure that there is a record that a child has been considered and in order to clarify where further information can be obtained if necessary, all Complex Strategy Meetings held in respect of a child will be recorded by the Safeguarding Conferencing Officer on a G1 on the child’s Carefirst record and re-assigned to the Specialist Chair within two working days.

Only actions agreed in respect of individual children will be recorded on the G1, with guidance regarding how to request further details of the content of the meeting from the Independent Reviewing Unit, as follows, ‘for further information regarding the detail of this meeting or to request access to full minutes, please contact the Specialist Chair or Independent Reviewing Unit Operations Manager’.

  1. TIMESCALES

A request for a Complex Strategy Meeting should be made the SAME day as the concern arises

A Complex Strategy Meeting will be convened within one working day in the following circumstances;

  • Where there is a concern that children are at immediate risk of harm.
  • Where immediate action is required by any agency.

In all other cases, a Complex Strategy Meeting will be convened within five working days.

The Complex Strategy Process should conclude within 30days where possible. Cases that continue beyond the 30 day period will be subject to review by the Operations Manager.