Multi-agency meetings
Under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989, a multi-agency meeting must be held when child criminal exploitation is suspected.
They are sometimes referred to as ‘multi-agency strategy discussions’, rather than meetings.
The Section 47 (S47) assessment should consider the young person’s needs, rather than whether they meet service thresholds. The aim of the meeting is to:
- share information
- identify the child’s care and support needs
- develop a plan to reduce the risk of exploitation
The multi-agency strategy meeting or discussion is guided by the Wales Safeguarding Procedures. This includes the All-Wales Protocols for Safeguarding Children, which give practitioners detailed information about child criminal exploitation, trafficking, missing children, and child sexual exploitation. This includes the warning signs and what practitioners must do if they suspect a child is being exploited.
Attending a multi-agency meeting
The multi-agency response is led by Children’s Services, and will include any professionals who can offer information about your child. This may include:
- teachers
- health professionals
- youth workers
- police officers
- members of substance misuse services or youth offending teams
Young people, parents, and carers should receive support to attend the meeting and present their views. Under the Wales Safeguarding Procedures, the multi-agency meeting should be held in the geographical area where the young person is located. While this enables local agencies to respond, this information must be shared with agencies in the area in which the young person lives.
Children, young people, and parents should be given time to prepare what they would like to say before the meeting. They can take someone with them for support, such as an independent professional advocate.
Parents and carers must be prepared to consider their child’s wishes and feelings. This may be difficult if your child does not believe they are being criminally exploited. However, it is important that you consider their views and try to keep talking to them about what is happening.
Possible outcomes
Outcomes of the multi-agency meeting can include:
- a care and support plan
- voluntary accommodation
- a child protection plan
Care and support plan
Your child may be given a care and support plan. These are a form of early intervention that are used to support children and families. The aim is to prevent the situation from escalating.
The care and support plan must be child-centred, and it must say what actions will be taken, who will take them, and when they will be completed.
Your child should be given a named social worker. The social worker will visit you and your child. They will coordinate and review the care and support plan.
Voluntary accommodation
Where possible, the local authority will try to keep children and young people with their family. However, if a child or young person is found to be at risk of significant harm, they may decide they can no longer be kept safe in their current home.
In these cases, they will be ‘accommodated’ to keep them safe. This can be on a voluntary basis, where the parents agree that this is the best action for their child, or after the court has decided that this is the best course of action.
When a child or young person is accommodated, they will be moved to a place managed or overseen by the local authority.
Child protection plan
If the child is assessed to be at significant risk of harm, they may be given a child protection plan. Child criminal exploitation is often recorded on the child protection plan under ‘neglect’, but this does not reflect your parenting or your actions to protect your child.
Child criminal exploitation occurs at a time when parents have limited influence over their child. Professionals should hear your views and include you in decision-making about how best to support and protect your child.