Inter Agency Child Protection Procedures
14. Child Protection Committees
Child protection committees bring together the main agencies responsible
for the provision of services for children and their families and also
for perpetrators, in order to plan effectively for protection of children
and encourage full collaboration to that end.
The Committee's functions are to:
- ensure that local interagency guidelines on procedures to be followed
in individual cases are produced, maintained and regularly reviewed
and that those who may need to refer to them know the procedures
including referral procedures;
- promote good inter-disciplinary practice in preventing and in
dealing with the causes and effects of child abuse;
- assess issues of significance in collaborative working that arise
from the handling of cases and from reports on enquiries;
- review arrangements for providing expert advice and interagency
liaison;
- monitor and review information about the operation of the child
protection register;
- identify interagency training needs and take a leading role in
developing and promoting inter-disciplinary training programmes;
- publish an annual report.
They operate within the framework of the following principles:
- child centred approach;
- mutual respect and shared understanding of one another's roles;
- participation at a local level;
- responsiveness to local needs;
- a pro-active approach to child protection.
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