Peter Peacock, MSP Minister for Education and Young People

Cover…. Children’s Charter Framework for Standards multidisciplinary inspection Child Protection Committees

The Charter the voice of the child our pledges to children and young people making clear what the Executive will do to deliver

The Charter Get to know us Speak to us Listen to us Take us seriously Involve us Respect our privacy Be responsible to us Think about our lives as a whole Think carefully about how you use information about us Put us in touch with the right people Use your power to help Make things happen when they should Help us be safe

The Charter Our Pledges Get the help you need when you need it; Be seen by a professional such as as teacher, doctor or social worker to make sure you are alright and not put at more risk; Be listened to seriously, and professionals will use their power to help you; Be able to discuss issues in private when, and if, you want to; Be involved with, and helped to understand, decisions made about your life; and Have named person to help you.

The Executive will…. Publish national framework for standards Help raise awareness – community & professionals Ensure local leaders review quality assurance Pilot multi-disciplinary inspection Support 24hr national helpline (with agencies and existing helplines) Issue guidance on key issues and legislate where necessary

Framework for Standards 8 Standards Children get the help they need when they need it Professionals take timely and effective action Children are listened to and respected Information shared whenever necessary to protect a child Agencies work together to assess needs and risks and develop effective plans Professionals are competent and confident Agencies work in partnership with communities Agencies demonstrate leadership and accountability for their work and its effectiveness.

Standard 8 Agencies, individually and collectively, demonstrate leadership and accountability for their work and its effectiveness.

Standard 8 Para 1 - Agencies have in place policies, procedures, systems, structures, resources and personnel to support the needs of children coming first in all decision making. Para 6 - Agencies ensure their staff are effectively and relevantly trained, and that they are supported, supervised and accountable in their work.

Future Work the development of exemplars of what good practice looks like what evidence is needed to assess performance and how to get it identifying best practice and how this can be shared identifying poor performance and what needs to be done to improve; and the development of multi-disciplinary inspection.

Child Protection Committees ‘owned’ by all the agencies clearly mandated from the top have representation with delegated authority undertake shared core activities across the country flexibile to take account of local conditions

Finally…. information sharing staff training and development

Peter Peacock, MSP Minister for Education and Young People