Care planning for children and young people subject to the Public Law Outline pre-proceedings in Torfaen
The review took place in January 2023.
The purpose of the review is to provide external scrutiny, assurance and to promote improvement in relation to the care planning for children and young people subject to the Public Law Outline (pre-proceedings).
When social services are concerned about the welfare of a child they may hold a Public Law Outline Meeting (PLO) or a pre-proceedings meeting. If adequate change or improvements are not made following this meeting then the local authority may need to make an application to the court and ask them to make orders to protect the child.
It was clear from the social care records we reviewed that Torfaen County Borough Council is committed to supporting children and young people to remain with their families where it is safe for them to do so. We saw this reflected in an established culture of not issuing proceedings unless other avenues had been explored, which was also evident both in documentation reviewed and in our discussions with lead practitioners.
Next steps
We will publish a national overview report informed by our findings in spring 2023.
To see all our findings and recommendations, read the full letter below.