Practitioner guide - top tips for having honest conversations

• Ensure your safeguarding policies are clear and up-to- date, including referral
• Always be 'child centred' and focused on the safety and needs of the child
• Be familiar with local services you can signpost to for further support e.g. health visitors, Early Help, parenting
• Appreciate your own professional role in what you can do to support children and families within your own community networks and partnerships

• Take some time to think things through. What are the main points/concerns you really want to make?
• Choose a time and a place to give full privacy and consider language barriers or learning difficulties of the parent/carer
• If you know the parent/carer isn’t going to agree with you, prepare for that emotion and response
• Acknowledge your own anxieties to help support your communication style. Make a full assessment of the risks including previous history that suggests a parent/carer poses a risk

If you feel it's too risky to speak with parents before speaking to Children's Social Care, then don't.

• Start on a positive note. Share what you need to, being open and honest and avoiding jargon
• Explain your statutory duty to safeguard children’s welfare, ‘duty of care’ and requirement to report your concerns
• Be mindful of your tone, pitch and speed of voice. Be calm and make eye contact
• Listen to the parent/carer, and be empathetic. Don’t argue, pass judgement, jump to conclusions or let the parents/carers sentiment affect you. Encourage them to talk and summarise what they have said
• Consider that their point of view may be influenced by bad experiences of services, lack of trust, learning difficulties, cultural and language barriers
• Avoid words such as child abuse/protection and replace with 'concerns, welfare and duty of care'
• Almost always with difficult conversations, there is a “now what?” that needs to be answered. Sometimes this can be simple steps, such as:
  • Continue with the current support you are offering with a date to review
  • A referral to Children's Social Care (MASH)
• It is really helpful to end a difficult conversation by focusing on the future and giving the parent/carer a clear picture of what will happen next

• Consider next what action you need to take following your conversation with the parent/carer
• Professional curiosity – have you confirmed the responses you have received? Do you need to make further enquiries or speak to other agencies?
• Follow safeguarding procedures and seek further guidance from your safeguarding lead
• Seek supervision from your safeguarding lead to reflect on what happened and what should happen next
• If you are not satisfied with the outcome of any referrals made, and you still have concerns, follow your escalation policy