This review is based on a role-play of a case conference constructed for the purpose of examining a child protection issue. In this report, I will evaluate the role play of a multi-agency meeting. The conference was called following a teacher's claim that Edwin, the child, had made an inappropriate gesture by placing the teacher's hand near his genitals. The conference will determine whether the child needs a child protection plan and whether the child is at risk of significant harm. As different agencies come on board, I will assess the roles of the most important members and make specific reference to interprofessional working. For further research, I will also examine various legislation, policies and supervisory issues. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Assessing the roleplay as a whole, it became clear that it was overall disorganized and unfocused. Besides the positive aspects, many weaknesses were also visible during the conference. From the outset, while the chair was managing the conference, the confidentiality clause should be read to ensure that every professional and parent is aware of the “conference process” and “ensure that confidentiality is emphasized” of the NYSCB. (2012). It is important that parents are aware of this, even if they themselves are not bound by confidentiality. While continuing the lecture, it is considered professional to raise your hand when you wish to contribute to the lecture. This allows the president to maintain order and direction. I then noticed that the majority of the group had not succeeded, which unfortunately created a clearly disorganized atmosphere at certain moments. Another important aspect of the meeting that was not demonstrated was the delivery of specific reports from each agency. As the social worker is one of the most important agencies, he should have submitted a report to the president before the conference and given him time to discuss it with the family. Without these reports, it became apparent that some information was not being distributed between agencies and parents, creating confusion and communication problems. For example, when the social worker states that Edwin's behavior is due to his father's drinking and his mother's "mental health"! this was inaccurate because the mother has a “history” of mental health and received treatment for it. However, some positives were taken from the conference as the social worker decided that the child should not attend the conference. As the child has all legal rights to participate in a conference and under section 22 of the Children Act 1989 it is determined that the emotional state and wishes of the child are respected, opinions are “divided on how best to achieve this participation so that the child's voice is heard without harming them in the process” (Wilson, K 2002). It is extremely important for professionals to know children as individuals and take into account how the child feels about the situation. It was highlighted that between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008, "the failure of all professionals to see the situation from the child's point of view and experience" Dfe (2010) was appalling . During the conference, the different agencies all had the opportunity to contribute. . A clear example of good practice is how the president asks the primary school teacher if "Troy, the younger brother has aunusual behavior.” This was a very good approach, as if at the end of the conference it had been decided that the finding constituted significant harm within the meaning of the Children Act 1989. "Being able to live with siblings where they are equally taken care of is an important protective factor for many people. looked after children » Department of Children, Schools and Families. (2010). Another aspect that stood out to me was the lack of professional language used. For example, this was demonstrated when the social worker referred to the father having a “drinking problem.” This was incorrect because he should have stated that the father was known to abuse alcohol. Using the correct language within the conference helps maintain that level of formality, professionalism and respect. Another aspect of the conference that demonstrated poor practice was once again the lack of professionalism. This was due to the social worker not addressing the father by his name and calling him "the father", forcing the president to repeatedly ask the social worker to call him by his name. Looking at the practice of social workers, it becomes clear that they “need to be very alert to the potential risk of child abuse and neglect” and that “this should be standard practice” DfE (2010). Throughout the conference, different agencies continued to refer back to specific issues with the child. These included references to Edwin's lack of social skills, his eating habits and that he was "a loner". With this information, attention continued to be diverted from the overall welfare of the child and focused primarily on child protection. When assessing a child who may be in a child protection case and at risk of significant harm, it is crucial to consider "the complexity of child protection in contexts humanitarian and development, the areas indicated should be seen as a range of areas to assess, which should be selected according to the context” McCormick, C. (2011). In terms of planning the evaluation, each agency should have planned and researched relevant information for the conference. This mainly involves the social worker, the police, the child psychologist and the addiction worker. As the child suffered from overall developmental delay, the child psychologist should have individual sessions with the child. This would involve monitoring its behavior and its evolution. Overall developmental delay occurs when a child has failed to meet two or more milestones in all areas of development such as motor skills or social and emotional skills. By talking to the child about the child protection conference and making them aware of what could happen. By not talking to the child “This assessment serves the function of confirming developmental delay…it fails to analyze what this means for (the child) in terms of care needs, safety and security. well-being (IMRHealth) Brandon, M (2010). In examining the child's overall health and well-being, a social worker needs to know as much as possible about the child and his or her family. As the conference was convened from the perspective of sexual abuse, a social worker should investigate the matter by speaking to both parents and the child and all members of the household. Children who have been or may have been sexually exploited are victims of sexual abuse and require special and careful assessment. A child who is "at risk of being sexually exploited must always triggeragreed local procedures to ensure their safety and well-being.” DfE (2010). As the police were also involved in this case conference, they are primarily attending a conference aimed at "holding a wealth of information regarding conviction records, non-conviction information and incident-based intelligence" from the Leeds Safeguarding Children Board. (2013). In this case at the conference, the police were not very involved in the agenda. When the police were called due to a noise disturbance, it became clear that they were not really concerned in terms of violence or abuse. Also on one occasion, the police forgot the dates on which the disturbances took place, which constitutes a lack of professionalism and they should have had a clear and precise report in front of them. Working in a multi-agency setting has its strengths and weaknesses. A positive aspect is that in successful multi-agency case conferences, information would have been distributed among the other agencies, allowing there to be a clear structure. The saying two heads are better than one has a huge role to play within a conference, as people will be able to hear the points of view of other agencies and see other sides, which might not otherwise have been been recognized previously. Being part of other agencies and working together has also proven that “multidisciplinary working in children's services has increased significantly since the Children Act 2004” Unwin, P (2012). It also gives agencies the opportunity to develop their relationships with each other. In doing so, it will allow agencies and families to become more secure with each other, allowing them to feel safe and in good hands. However, there are also some negative aspects of holding a multi-agency conference. This would be due to too much complexity and information overload. This can become confusing to other agencies and force them to challenge erroneous information. Local child protection councils are paramount in ensuring children are safe and do not put them at risk in the event of significant harm. The dismissal was reportedly due to suspicion of neglect or abuse. Finding out if a child has or is being sexually abused can be done through many observations. This can obviously be the case if the child says something to someone else, but also if he or she has "disturbed behavior, including self-harm, inappropriate sexualized behavior, sexually abusive behavior, depression and a loss of self-esteem” DfE (2010). Sexual abuse suffered in childhood can unfortunately lead to emotional consequences well into adulthood. This is why it is important for agencies and professionals to support and ensure interventions for these children before they reach adolescence or adulthood. This could help prevent further harm to the child. Fortunately, if my child has a supportive, non-abusive parent or guardian who trusts and believes the child's judgment, then the child's "ability to cope with the experience of sexual abuse » DfE (2010) will grow stronger with its support. With the support of others, this will also allow the child to understand the abuse. Additionally, a high percentage of adults who sexually abuse others have also been victims of sexual abuse themselves. However, it would be wrong to assume that all children and adults who have suffered sexual abuse will continue to abuse themselves. In cases of parental drug and alcohol abuse, it is estimated that at least 1% of children are born to drug-addicted women. A number of women abuse drugs and alcoholduring their pregnancy, which can lead to tragic and unfortunate circumstances. This can range from developmental effects to the fetus to miscarriage. After having a baby, many women are prone to feeling "remorse and sadness about the actual or potential consequences of their substance abuse." This can then inspire them to stop using drugs with the help of professionals and agencies. An unfortunate side effect of parental substance abuse impacting a child is that “lack of structure often means children have to become more self-reliant” NA (2013), forcing them to grow up faster than necessary. Another aspect of protection that shows signs of poor professional behavior is abuse in general. One of the most famous child protection cases in which no signs of abuse were detected in a child is the story of Baby P. An example of professionals who failed to see even the slightest sign of his injuries was a visit from a social worker who failed to see the "injuries to Peter's face and hands after he was deliberately smeared with chocolate to hide them" Doyle, J et al, (October 27 2010). As the social worker did not see these horrible signs, this led to the death of Baby P. Questions are asked: why did the social worker not ask the mother to remove the chocolate ? If there is even the slightest suspicion of abuse, all aspects of the child should be looked closely at. Doctors, lawyers, police and social workers all contributed and recorded errors, which then led to Baby P's death. Another aspect of the case study that was mishandled was that after Baby P's hospitalization, the pediatrician said she was unable to examine the child because he was "miserable" and "grumpy" Doyle, J et al, (October 27, 2010 ). The pediatrician not having seen his injuries already suffered, namely "his broken back and his fractured ribs" Doyle, J et al, (October 27, 2010), this unfortunately added to the death of Baby P which seems to have could have been avoided. The main reason for Baby P's death was because the mother's boyfriend who authorities had not seen was living there and abusing Baby P. With Baby P's case failing, this then leads Ofsted to place more emphasis on safeguarding and strengthen more assessments. include direct contact with any child. In reviewing Baby P's case, it was highlighted that all the different agencies failed to implement the common assessment framework of case preparation, discussion and delivery. One thing of great importance in safeguarding is staff training. As social workers have to work with very damaged and vulnerable children, they “must be properly equipped for such difficult tasks” Department of Health (2002). As the names of social workers have been devalued over the years through special training, this will give them the opportunity to overcome the bad press they usually receive and transform their status into a positive one. This, however, is secondary to the need to protect all children. For future best practice recommendations, it should be mandatory that all social workers be tested on how they will “demonstrate knowledge of human growth and development, particularly the development of children and other vulnerable groups” Ministry of Health (2002). They should also improve their communication skills, allowing them to engage with the child more effectively. Another aspect that could perhaps be improved (2010)..