Directors of social services must ensure that no case that has been opened in response to allegations of deliberate harm to a child is closed until the following steps have been taken: • The child has been spoken to alone. • The child’s carers have been seen and spoken to. • The accommodation in which the child is to live has been visited. • The views of all the professionals involved have been sought and considered. • A plan for the promotion and safeguarding of the child’s welfare has been agreed.