Multi Agency Meetings

[GP20232023]

Good morning,

Can I request and revive access to the minutes for a Multi Agency Meeting? Given my children are discussed in this meeting?
Thanks

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Gp20232023

Welcome to the parents’ discussion board and thank you for your post. My name is Suzie and I am Family Rights Group’s online adviser.

You are certainly entitled to ask for and, in most cases, be given, copies of minutes of multi-agency meetings, led by children’s services, about your children. You have parental responsibility for you children if you meet the conditions here. In principle, you have the right to see any information that is held on your family. There may be some exceptions though which are discussed further below.

Most multi-agency meetings about your children should involve you, as their parent. Early help and child in need processes are totally voluntary processes; you should be fully involved and receive copies of all the information discussed in them. You should also be provided with minutes of child protection conferences . Strategy meetings do not involve parents though and are professionals only. Parents are not usually provided with minutes of those meetings as their purpose is to share information in order to determine if child protection enquiries should be carried out and if so to plan how they should happen. Parents are informed of the outcome of the strategy meeting. You can ask for a copy of the minutes of a strategy meeting but if children’s services do not share them or do not share them fully you could ask for a copy of children’s services’ policy on this.

If your children are in care under a care order, information should be shared with you as far as possible and this can include minutes of multi-agency meetings. However, as children’s services are the key decision-makers when they have a care order for a child/ren they can decide what information is or is not shared. They can use their higher proportion of parental responsibility to make such decisions. The Independent Reviewing Officer is the key professional and you can contact them if you feel you are being unfairly treated.

If you are having difficulties accessing minutes you can submit an access to records request – please see advice sheet 6 a) which explains this fully. It includes an explanation of what information can be withheld under data protection regulations. Please see page 2 for details on the exemptions that can apply. There is also clear guidance on what you can do if children’s services refuse to provide you with the information you have requested i.e.:

First of all, you can ask children’s services to explain in writing why they have refused to provide you with the information. You can make a complaint. Please see here for more information about how to make a complaint.

If you are still dissatisfied you can also contact the Information Commissioner , who may:

• Make an assessment about whether the law has been complied with

• Issue enforcement proceedings to make the local authority comply with your request, if necessary

• and/or recommend that you apply to court, alleging a failure to comply with the law (the Data Protection Act 2018).

The Information Commissioner can be contacted via their Helpline: 0303 123 1113 or website.

I hope this helps.

If you wish to discuss your situation with an adviser please call Family Rights Group’s advice line on 0808 801 0366, Mon to Fri (between 9.30 am and 3.00 pm), except bank holidays or post a further query on this parents board, providing some further information about the nature of the multi-agency meeting, if possible.

If the meeting you are concerned about was not led by children’s services but by a different organisation you would need to make a subject access request to them or again contact the ICO if needed.

Best wishes

Suzie

[GP20232023]

Hi Suzie,
Thank you for your reply.

I’ve not been invited to the meetings. My ex wife’s ex partner is a high risk individual and is back in prison due for release in a few weeks. He is high risk to the ex wife and therefore by default high risk to the children should they be there and he turns up.

I know probation, the police and the social worker attend. School don’t attend but the SW keeps school up to date as do I.

The children have no idea about the ex parter of my ex wife, they have never met him and she has never mentioned him to the kids so they are completely unaware of everything.

SW have been to the house once to speak to the kids (3 houses exercise) and didn’t discuss anything specific about what’s happening.

I’ve told the SC any engagement must be done at home so the children don’t start asking questions thinking something is wrong if only they are spoken to at school.

The SW has asked school
About the children’s availability so she can go in to see them about keeping safe in general.

I was told my SW that if her boss says it has to happen in school then it has to. As the full time parent, Do I not have any rights? Thanks very much.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear GP20232023,

Thank you for your further post. I hope that the following information is helpful.

From the information you have given I think that children’s services are completing an assessment. If this assessment is being carried out under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (also known as a ‘child in need’ assessment, or sometimes as a ‘child and family’ assessment) then no visits to the children can be done without your consent. You can find out more information about this on our website HERE. However, if the assessment is being carried out under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 (also known as a ‘child protection’ assessment) then visits can be made to see your children without your consent if it is felt that this is necessary to carry out the assessment. You can find out more about this on our website HERE under the section titled ‘Children’s involvement in the child protection process’.

If you are unhappy with the social worker visiting your children in school then I would suggest that you send them an email and copy in the manager, explaining your reasons and suggesting an alternative. You could also ask to meet with the manager or speak with them over the phone to discuss your concerns. Regardless of whether the assessment being completed is under Section 17 or Section 47 of the Children Act, it is common practice for social workers to visit children in school as this is a neutral place and gives the opportunity for the social worker to build a relationship with the child one-on-one.

I hope that this clarifies the situation; please do post again if you have any further questions. Alternatively you can call our free, confidential adviceline on 0808 801 0366 (Monday – Friday, 9:30am – 3pm) or use our webchat service.

Best wishes,
Suzie