Dissent

Dissent is simply a formal way of disagreeing with the outcome of a Child Protection Conference.  If you disagree you should say 'I dissent'

This may happen if the Chair of a conference is unable to achieve a consensus as to if a child protection plan is needed or not. The chair will then make a decision based on what they have heard and read. If there is a disagreement, then a decision will be made with a note of the dissenting views.

Sometimes if you disagree, you may just wish to record your opinion or dissent formally, but not challenge the result. At other times, if you feel strongly the decision was wrong, you may wish to take this further.  

In the event that the dissenting professional believes the decision reached by the Chair places a child at (further) risk of significant harm, the matter should be formally raised with their agency’s designated safeguarding lead. If the designated lead agrees with the concerns of the professional, the Children’s social care safeguarding manager should be informed in writing. 

You will be asked to fill out the form below as soon as possible if you dissent. The senior Child Protection Chair will then review the case and respond to you directly. 

Further information on dissent is in the londonsafeguardingchildrenprocedures.co.uk under 'Core Procedures for Child Protection 4  section 11'.