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CASE CONFERENCE CHAIRING
& LAC Reviewing
Please also examine our Risk
Options section:
This
two-day course is designed with an action-learning model in mind. This enables
participants to practice and develop their skills within the training arena. The
LAC version of the course contains most of the topics below but focusses on LAC
regulations and issues. The
following topic areas are covered.
- History
and ethos of the CP conference
- Purpose,
process, tasks and research findings with regard to Initial, Pre-Birth,
Review and De-Registration conferences
- The
role of the chairperson including:
-
how to maintain focus on the child;
-
ensuring the people present are those required to fulfil the purpose of the
conference;
-
managing the meeting – setting and keeping to boundaries, agenda setting,
structuring, summing up, confidentiality, ensuring the work of the conference is
completed in an informed, systematic and explicit way and that timescales and
tasks are allocated, ensuring everyone is able to contribute including those
people present with a different language or communication skill, exclusions;
-
Chairing in an anti-discriminatory, anti oppressive way including managing this
within the conference;
-
knowledge of the child protection procedures;
- Ensuring
accurate recording
- Involving
parents constructively including working with the 15 principles of
partnership, engaging parents / guardians and involved family members in the
process both in the meeting beforehand and the conference, valuing
contributions, dealing with behaviours associated with the process such as
anger, aggression, distress.
- How
to encourage full multi-agency inclusion including consideration of some of
the tensions which might occur such as issues of power, value base,
misunderstanding, collusion, anxiety, lack of appropriate information etc
- Involving
children in the conference including preparation for the child and for the
conference
- The
role of the advocate including solicitors
- How
to ensure that protection planning is constructive and both safeguards and
promotes the welfare of the child with outcomes that are fully considered
and a plan that is fully reviewed and evaluated. Promoting a plan that is
fully owned by parents and all professionals involved with the child.
Including appointing the key worker and identifying core group members and
timescales for future meetings.
- Complaint
process
- Considering
risk issues and their implications objectively when making decisions
concerning significant harm. Who makes the decisions and how are they made?
- Decision models
- Consideration
of own, Departmental and societal values and how these impact upon Chairing
and decision-making.
- Considering
information at the conference – differentiation between fact, opinion,
allegation and hearsay.
- Risk
Theory
- Error
Theory (organisational and judgement errors)
Other Options
There are a number of variations and options
regarding Chairing CP Conferences including one day "Refresher" courses and CP
Review.
LAC
Reviewing:
Several
aspects of chairing case conferences are either the same or very similar to
chairing LAC Reviews. Amongst these aspects are:
functioning as a chair of a meeting, ensuring participants are involved
and contribute; controlling the meeting and the avoidance of errors. However,
other aspects are dissimilar, especially regarding the attendance of children.
Our recommendation is that the LAC Reviewing course should broadly follow the CP
Case Conference Chairing course given that aspects of chairing, risk and errors
and decision-making are key themes.
It
is recommended that the Chairing course is taught by both Judith Tuck and Alan
Cooper.
 
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