This section of the toolkit provides resources and guidance on multi-agency panel meetings to address extra-familial harm. Multi-agency panel meetings are important for understanding harm and developing responses to safeguard young people experiencing extra-familial harm. All Scale-Up sites introduced or adapted existing meetings to provide oversight of multi-agency responses to extra-familial harm.
What distinguishes Contextual Safeguarding multi-agency meetings is a focus on contexts. This means discussion about the contexts (peer groups, neighbourhoods, schools) around individual young people (Level 1). It also means discussion about how to make contexts themselves safer (Level 2).
Successful Contextual Safeguarding multi-agency panels are dependent on five key principles:
- Making a quality referral – taking context into account when making a referral to multi-agency panel meetings
- Effective chairing – the role of the panel meeting chair in ensuring a contextually-informed approach
- Collaborative working – how to work together to maintain a child welfare focus as a partnership
- Involving young people and their families – making sure that the views of young people and families are represented at meetings
- Beyond talking and tasking – coming together to make clear actions in response
This section provides resources and guidance on how to set up and sustain multi-agency panel meetings to address extra-familial harm. There are three further pages below:
- Relational referrals: Resources and guidance on how to ensure effective referrals to multi-agency panel meetings
- Effective chairing and collaborative working: Guidance for chairs and partners on working in partnership to embed Contextual Safeguarding via multi-agency panel meetings
- Context conferences: Tools and guidance for those looking to conduct 'Context Conferences'
How should effective multi-agency panels be set up? What are some of the key things to consider when developing panels looking to address extra-familial harm? These resources focus on types of panels, how to include young people and key findings from our work with panels
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Case study: multi-agency panelsThis case study is about how working with new partners helped to make a supported living home for boys and girls aged 16 + safer. -
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Guidance: Multi-agency meetings - Things to considerFive key things to consider when establishing multi-agency meetings to talk about extra-familial harm -
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Guidance: Multi-agency forums Level 1 and Level 2Differences in meetings when talking about Level 1 and Level 2 work -
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Presentation: Multi-Agency Meetings by SiteIn this presentation Lisa Bostock talks about the different operational and strategic meetings for EFH across 10 sites -
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Webinar: Voice of young people - traffic light systemThis video presents an example of how a traffic light tool helped assess the inclusion of young people and family during panels -
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Example: Hackney extra-familial risk protocolHackney's extra-familial risk protocol outlines the panel's roles and responsibilities including information sharing -
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Example: Bristol risk management and EFH guidanceBristol’s Practice Guidance: risk management and extra familial abuse -
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Webinar: What we have learnt: (Making Research Count Seminar)In this webinar Lisa Bostock and Vanessa Bradbury discuss what we can learn from Multi-Agency Meetings to Address EFH -
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Example: Safer young people meetingsWiltshire's Safer Young People (SYP) Context Meetings Terms of Reference -
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Example: Safer young people partnership meetingWiltshire's Safer Young People Partnership Group meeting Terms of Reference
How to take context into account when making a referral to multi-agency panel meetings
Guidance for chairs and partners on working in partnership to embed Contextual Safeguarding via multi-agency panel meetings
Tools and guidance for those looking to conduct 'Context Conferences'
Resources to help multi-agency partnerships develop a shared vision for working together to change contexts