Every year, 74,000 child protection conferences in England decide whether a child is at risk of significant harm—and since the pandemic, many of these meetings now mix in-person and online attendance, with no research to guide how this should work. This matters because the shift to hybrid conferences happened rapidly and without evidence. No one knows whether parents—especially those from minoritised groups—can participate fairly when attending remotely, or whether professionals make different decisions when some people are on screen and others in the room. The research fills this gap by mapping how all 152 local authorities currently run hybrid conferences, observing 60 meetings in detail, and interviewing parents and professionals about their experiences. If successful, the project will produce co-produced guidance for local authorities on how to run hybrid child protection conferences that maximise parental participation without compromising child safety. This could change a process that directly affects tens of thousands of vulnerable families each year, ensuring that a practical shift made in haste does not inadvertently undermine fairness or decision-making in child protection.
View original technical description
Aim This research will investigate hybrid child protection conferences (CPCs) in England. It aims to provide the first overview of the implementation of hybrid CPCs in England identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for vulnerable children and their parents across a range of user groups. The overarching objective is to evaluate critically the use of the hybrid approach and provide guidance on how to maximise parental participation. Background CPCs are an important stage of the child protection process in England. A CPC is held where there are concerns that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm. CPCs are attended by parents and the professionals working with them. CPCs are significant events, determining the level and nature of children s social care intervention. Last year in England there were 74,000 initial child protection conferences. Following the pandemic, there was a major shift from in-person to hybrid CPCs where there is a combination of in-person and online attendance. This has important implications for: parental participation, fairness and efficiency and decision-making to protect at-risk children. However, there is no existing research on the implementation of hybrid CPCs or the equality, diversion and inclusion implications of this change. Research questions How are local authorities in England implementing hybrid CPCs and to what extent is there local variation? How, if at all, do hybrid arrangements affect professional decision-making in CPCs? Are there implications of hybrid CPCs for parental involvement and participation, especially those from minoritised groups? Are there implications of hybrid CPCs for different types of safeguarding concern? How do parents and professionals experience hybrid CPCs and what, if anything, do they think needs to change? Methods and timeline The research will consist of three stages (total duration = 30 months). Stage one (12 months) will scope national hybrid CPC implementation across England. It will consist of consultation workshops with a) safeguarding professionals (n=160) across local authorities and safeguarding partnerships b) consultation workshops with parents (n=30) with lived experience of hybrid CPCs and c) a desktop analysis of policy documents from local authorities (n=152) on the current arrangements for CPCs. Stage two (12 months) will provide a detailed, qualitative picture of the processes of hybrid CPCs. It will identify the impacts for specific user groups and types of safeguarding concern. It will involve in-depth case studies of CPC practice in six local authorities using ethnographic methods. This will consist of observations of CPCs (n=60), interviews with parents (n=30) and interviews/focus groups with professionals (n=60). Stage three (6 months) will generate co-produced guidance on effective hybrid CPC delivery. The research will be underpinned by the involvement of parents with lived experience of child protection processes working alongside the team as co-researchers. Impact and dissemination This research will have important messages for the delivery of CPCs in England. The findings, together with resources and practice guidance for CPCs, will be disseminated nationally by Research in Practice and via a national launch event and policy-maker roundtable.
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know