Staying together and connected: getting it right for sisters and brothers: national practice guidance

20. Decision making in complex cases

In each unique and complex circumstance, practitioners and managers should be guided by an unwavering focus on making care planning decisions which are in the best interests of each child, with their need for stability in the long term always at the forefront. This is inextricably linked with the capacity of those caring for the child to meet their needs, during the complexity and challenge which come from caring for multiple children (as individuals and as a group), each with their own history and needs. As discussed in Part 2: Chapter 11 of this guidance, there are sometimes circumstances in which the needs and best interests of different children in the same household or placement do not align, and difficult decisions must be made in order to ensure the welfare of each child is safeguarded and promoted.

There are likely to be multiple perspectives from the different professionals involved (for example, different children's social workers and carers' supervising social workers) who, despite collaborative and multiagency working, may not always reach an agreement on the care planning decisions to be taken. In these circumstances, there is a key role for team managers to provide leadership in decision making. As outlined in Part 1: Chapter 9 of this guidance, where a child's care planning is intricately connected to that of other children, ensuring all the children have the same Independent Reviewing Officer can ensure consistent oversight and consideration of the views and needs of all the children. Such oversight will be invaluable in supporting decision making in complex cases.