Introduction to Safeguarding and Child Protection

1. Introduction to Safeguarding and Child Protection Helen Elliott and Barry Rawlings

2. Welcome ! • Introduction • Housekeeping • Learning Contract • Looking after ourselves

3. Aims of the session • To provide an overview of the legal and policy framework of safeguarding and child protection • To consider roles and responsibilities of staff and volunteers in safeguarding • To raise awareness of types of abuse, signs and symptoms • To provide information about what to do if you have concerns

4. Introductory Exercise Safeguarding Quiz

5. The National Picture • Tragedy of child deaths • Laming Enquiry • Failures at every level and in every organisation • Problems in sharing information • Soham/Safer Recruitment • We all have a part to play - Safeguarding children is everybody’s responsibility

6. What Do We Mean By Safeguarding? • Duty to protect children from impairment • Duty to prevent impairment • Promoting wellbeing By Working Together Safeguarding is everybody’s business!

7. Legislation, Guidance, Procedure Children Act 1989 - Education Act 2002 -Children Act 2004

8. UN Convention of the Rights of the Child • 42 Articles which state that all rights guaranteed by it must be available to all children without discrimination. • Article 19 “Children have the right to be protected from all forms of violence. They must be kept safe from harm. They must be given proper care by those looking after them.” • Article 34 “Children have a right to protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.” • Article 37 “Children have the right not to be punished cruelly or in a way that would belittle them.”

9. Awareness of impact of racism. Awareness of cultural misunderstanding or misinterpretation. Consider how religious beliefs and cultural traditions influence values, attitudes and behaviour, and the way in which family and community life is structured and organized. Cultural and religious factors should not be regarded as acceptable explanations for abuse or neglect and are not acceptable grounds for inaction if a child is at risk Guard against myths and stereotypes. Fear of being accused of racism should not stop safeguarding a child. Safeguarding Children In Diverse Communities: Working Together 2010

10. Child Protection The process of protecting individual children identified as either suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm as a result of abuse or neglect

11. Prevention and Early Intervention (Common Assessment Framework :CAF ) • For children where there are concerns about welfare but NOT at risk of significant harm • Practitioners from any agency can carry out a CAF • Common forms and shared language to assess children when parents consent

12. Stages of intervention- the CAF in context SPECIALIST ASSESSMENTS & STATUTORY INTERVENTION (children in care), Children with Child Protection Plans, Young offenders, Special Educational Needs (SEN), complex health & disability CAF, with Lead Professional Several agencies involved CAF e.g. Schools and health visiting, Children’s Centres, youth work

13. The Children Act 1989 The legal duty to protect children is governed by this act which introduced: • The welfare of the child as paramount • Wishes and feelings of child must be ascertained • Working in partnership with families • Parental responsibility is always retained by parents. • Duty to provide services to families with ‘children in need’. • L.A. promote the upbringing of children by families

14. Child in Need (Children Act 1989 s17) • Unlikely to achieve or maintain, or have opportunity of achieving a reasonable standard of health or development without provision of services • Health or development likely to be significantly impaired or further impaired without provision of such services • Disabled

15. Significant Harm • Concept of significant harm justifies compulsory intervention in family life (S47 Children Act) • Duty to make enquiries where reasonable cause to suspect child suffering from significant harm

16. Definition of Significant Harm ( Children Act 1989) • Ill–treatment (including sexual abuse and physical abuse) • Impairment of health(physical or mental) or development compared to a similar child • Now includes impairment as a result of witnessing ill-treatment of another person(domestic violence) Adoption & Children Act 2002

17. There is no absolute criteria but London Procedures give guidance “Significant harm can be caused by one traumatic event or a compilation of events that interrupt, change or damage the child’s physical or psychological development.” It is necessary to consider The severity of ill treatment, the degree and extent of physical harm, the duration and frequency of abuse and neglect, the extent of pre-meditation the degree of threat and coercion, sadism and bizarre or unusualelements in child sexual abuse. Threshold for Significant Harm

18. To understand significant harm… • …. It is necessary to consider: • The nature of harm, in terms of maltreatment or failure to provide adequate care • The impact on the child’s health or development • The child’s development within the context of their family and wider environment • Any special needs, such as medical condition, impairment or disability that may affect the child’s development and care in the family • The capacity of parents to meet the child’s needs • The wider and environmental family context

19. Categories Of Abuse • Physical Abuse • Sexual Abuse • Neglect • Emotional Abuse

20. Exercise: Recognising Abuse

21. Includes Shaking Hitting Burning/scalding Female Genital Mutilation Fabricated and Induced illness Drowning Suffocating Possible signs Bruises (soft tissue areas ) Grasp marks Bites Burns/scalds Fractures Large number of differering aged marks Failure to seek medical help/opposite Physical Abuse

23. Includes Forcing/enticing child to take part in sexual activity Contact,penetrative/non penetrative Non contact eg watching sexual activity/pornography Encouraging inappropriate sexual behaviour Possible signs Pregnancy where father’s identity concealed Genital bruising STDs/ UTIs Inappropriate sexualised behaviour Child hinting of secrets Deliberate self-harm /anorexia other disturbance Sexual Abuse

24. Includes Failure to meet physical needs Failure to meet psychological needs Failure to provide food, shelter, clothing Failure to protect from harm Failure to seek medical care Possible signs Malnutrition Dirty/cold environment Leaving young child unattended Failure to protect from physical danger Lack of supervision Lack of stimulation, social contact, education Neglect

25. Includes Overly critical parenting Causing child to feel unloved, worthless Inappropriate expectations Causing children to feel frightened Witnessing domestic violence or other forms of abuse Possible signs Very low self esteem High level of anxiety Overly compliant/eager to please Fearfulness/appearing withdrawn Behavioural issues Self harm Emotional Abuse

26. What is your role? • Recognising indicators of abuse • Recording and acting on concerns, referring to designated colleague or Manager • Ensuring all communication with parents is managed professionally and sensitively • If in doubt use consultation line • Making detailed accurate referral reports • Providing information as needed to Children’s Social Care • Supporting child and family , being sensitive to stress a referral can bring • Maintain confidentiality of written records

27. What to do if you have concerns • Follow procedures • Talk to your manager or designated person • Listen to the child but don’t ask leading questions • Record full information, who, what, when • Refer any concerns to Police or Children’s services via named staff

28. Managing a Disclosure • Listen carefully, do not interrupt the child or ask any questions • Reassure the child that they have done the right thing by telling someone • Do not promise confidentiality • Record the conversation ASAP include date time, persons present and sign it

29. Safer Working Practice • Importance of safer recruitment • Induction and training • Clear expectations re code of conduct • Awareness of role and maintaining professional boundaries • Minimising risk of allegations • Clear systems to report concerns by children, staff or parents • Open and transparent culture

30. Dealing with allegations against staff or volunteers • All allegations must be reported immediately to your designated person/manager who will refer to the Local Authority Designated Officer for threshold discussion • No automatic assumption of guilt but all cases must be properly investigated

31. Exercise : Safeguarding Scenarios

32. Making a referral • This is what I am worried about • This is what I have seen and/or heard: when, who from and where • This is what I have done • What more do I need to do? • If parents/carers/child are aware of this referral? • Confirm name of person and next steps • Who should I speak to if I am not happy with the outcome

33. You can expect children’s services to.. • discuss your concerns with you • decide what action is needed • agree with you what the child and parents are told, by whom and when If there are concerns about a child’s safety: • check whether the child has a child protection plan • consult with other agencies • take action to ensure the child is safe • involve the police if a crime may have been committed • tell you if they are taking no further action and why • acknowledge your written referral within one working day of receipt

34. What happens next? When there is a likelihood of continuing significant harm s47 enquiries core assessment child protection conference recognition and referral initial assessment child protection plan review strategy discussion

35. What parents worry about ? • Sexual activity • Drugs • Gangs • Extremism • Discrimination • Dilution of culture and religion

36. Key Themes in perception of abuse Honour Respect Cultural clashes in values Faith Mistrust of agencies

37. Working in Partnership Safeguarding agencies need to gain an understanding of how abuse, in any family, is understood in regard to Faith and culture. It has implications for likelihood of harm, risk analysis, input into what would be an effective protection plan Faiths/cultural groups- singularly and inter faith need to grapple with arguments used to minimise, deny or justify abuse on the grounds of Faith.

38. Sources of Advice • Barnet Children’s Service Advice and Consultation Line 020 8359 4336 • Local Contact details see handout • CommUNITY Barnet • Muslim Youth Helpline 0808 808 2008 • NSPCC 0800 056 0566

39. Questions ?