Safeguarding Awareness LSCB Training and Development Officer Jan Blackburn LSCB Training and Development Officer Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

By the end of this session you will be aware of: Aim: to raise awareness in the safeguarding of children and to remind you of your responsibilities whenever you have a concern about a child. By the end of this session you will be aware of: what is meant by the term safeguarding children; the various types of intervention and their thresholds; some signs and symptoms of possible abuse; what you should do if you have a concern for a child’s welfare or safety. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Legislation, Guidance, Procedure Notes for Trainers The above documents represent the main legislation and Government guidance as well as the London-wide procedures. Point out that there are other guidance documents but the slide indicates the main, basic documents.

Bexley Safeguarding Childrens’ Board Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Working Together 2015 Safeguarding children and protecting them from harm is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play.3 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board 5

Working Together 2015 No single professional can have a full picture of a child’s needs and circumstances and, if children and families are to receive the right help at the right time, everyone who comes into contact with them has a role to play in identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Barriers to Working Together With Families Between Professionals Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Safeguarding and Promoting Welfare Protecting children from maltreatment Preventing impairment of children’s health or development Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes Ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care London Child Protection Procedures 2015 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

For children who need additional help, every day matters. Academic research is consistent in underlining the damage to children from delaying intervention. The actions taken by professionals to meet the needs of these children as early as possible can be critical to their future. Working Together to safeguard Children 2015 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Continuum Of Need s47 Common Assessment Framework s17 Complex support needs / Children in Need Child protection needs Simple support needs Everyday needs Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Safeguarding Children Child Protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or at risk of suffering, significant harm. Working together to safeguard Children 2010. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.” Child Protection Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to make enquiries if there is “reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found, in their area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm.” Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Significant Harm ‘harm’ means ill-treatment or the impairment of health or development, including, for example, impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another; ‘development’ means physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development; ‘health’ means physical or mental health; and ‘ill-treatment’ includes sexual abuse and forms of ill-treatment which are not physical. (Source: Children Act 1989 as amended by the Adoption and Children Act 2002) Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Significant Harm Under s31 (10) of the Children Act 2004, the question of whether harm suffered by a child is significant relates specifically to the child’s health and development. Their health or development should be compared with that which could reasonably be expected of a similar child. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010, Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Recognising Abuse NEGLECT PHYSICAL ABUSE SEXUAL ABUSE EMOTIONAL ABUSE Children can be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting, by those known to them or, more rarely, by a stranger for example, via the internet. They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children. (Source: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010, 1.32, p37) Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Recognising Abuse Exercise: What are the signs of: Physical Abuse Sexual Abuse Emotional Abuse Neglect Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Vulnerability Children who may be more vulnerable to being harmed babies and younger children disabled children children who are isolated children who are already thought of as a problem (e.g. children in care; children in secure accommodation, children with emotional/behavioural difficulties) Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Vulnerability Over two thirds (68%) of children killed at the hands of another person in England and Wales are aged under five years. Infants aged under one year are more at risk of being killed at the hands of another person than any other single year age group in England and Wales. Source: NSPCC, 2014 42% of children who are the subject of a child protection plan are under 4 years old. Source: Department for Education, 2013 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Vulnerability 3.8 time more likely to be neglected; Disabled children are: 3.8 time more likely to be neglected; 3.8 more likely to be physically abused; 3.1 times more likely to be emotionally abused. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Children In Need … vulnerability is such that they are unlikely to reach or maintain a satisfactory level of health or development, or their health and development will be significantly impaired, without the provision of services; those who are disabled. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board (Source: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010, 1.25, p35)

Children in Need Local authorities have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Identifying Early Need Professionals should .. Be alert to the potential need for early help for a child who: Is disabled and has specific additional needs; Has special educational needs; Is a young carer; Is showing signs of engaging in anti-social or criminal behaviour; Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Identifying Early Need (2) Is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as substance abuse, adult mental health problems and domestic violence; Has returned home to their family from care Is showing early signs of abuse and / or neglect Working Together 2015 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Continuum of need exercise Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Responding to a Concern Try to be available to be spoken to. The child may not be ready when you are. Think about what you might say/do/how you present before it happens Take time to read local C.P. procedures and guidelines Keep an open mind about what you are told. Take any disclosure seriously, even if you cannot see any injury. Listen carefully to what the child says without interrupting Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Responding Be sensitive - arrange a safe and private environment for the child to talk. Stay calm - don’t show shock or horror. Be reassuring - tell the child that they were right to tell/have done nothing wrong. Acknowledge how difficult it was for the child to tell, explain what needs to happen next. Be honest - don’t make promises that you can’t keep. Be supportive - put arrangements in place for initial support. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Responding Don’t promise confidentiality. Don’t delay action in response to a disclosure Don’t pre-judge what you are told or make assumptions. Don’t be afraid of being wrong, or be concerned about starting an investigation - you will be supported At the earliest opportunity make a written record. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Responding Questions should be: Necessary – the purpose of questions at this stage is to establish whether or not there is a concern, not to interrogate the child or conduct an investigation. Non-leading – do not use questions that suggest an answer. Open – avoid questions that invite only a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Legislation, Guidance and Procedure ALWAYS Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Making a Referral Always telephone children’s social care without delay if you suspect that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering harm. Parents should be told of your concern and that you intend to refer (unless informing parents would place the child at risk of harm) – see London Procedures – if in doubt, seek advice. You do not need parental agreement to make a referral in respect of a child at risk of harm. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Making a Referral Whenever you make a telephone referral, always back this up in writing (within 48 hours) using your local authority’s referral form. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Making a Referral If your referral is in respect of support for a Child-in Need where the threshold of significant harm has not been reached, a written referral can be submitted to children’s services. This is sometimes made after assessment under the Common Assessment Framework has indicated that it is required. An assessment under the Common Assessment Framework and/or referral for support for a ‘Child in Need’ should only occur with parental consent. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Making a referral When referring a child to children’s social care, you should consider and include any information you have on the child’s development needs and their parents / carers ability to respond to these needs within the context of their wider family and environment. What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused March 2015 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Assessment Framework CH Child’s Developmental Needs Parenting Capacity Health Education Identity Emotional & Behavioural Development Family & Social Relationships Social Presentation Self-care Skills Basic Care Emotional Warmth Stimulation Guidance & Boundaries Ensuring Safety Stability CH Parenting Capacity CHILD Safeguarding and Promoting Welfare Child’s Developmental Needs Family History & functioning Wider Family Housing Employment Income Family & Social Integration Community Resources Family and Environmental Factors Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Information Sharing There are many situations in which professionals can share information legally without obtaining consent from a child or his carer …. When an assessment of the risk factors affecting a child or family is being undertaken, information will be shared without consent when consultation has taken place with a line manager or designated safeguarding professional. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Information Sharing You should weigh up what might be happen if the information is shared against the consequences of not sharing the information. Early sharing of information is key to providing effective early help where there are emerging problems. What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused 2015 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Bexley Procedures Front Door M.A.S.H. CAF Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

CAF Process Child needing multi-agency support TAF agreed with relevant agencies Seek written consent from parent / young person (16+) Smart Plan agreed and next TAF meeting agreed Basic details and consent sent to CAF admin Plan progresses, CAF closed and CAF admin notified Assessment on child / family completed Plan not achieved, consider referral for TF or CSC Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Responsibilities Serious case reviews alert us to the fact that once a referral is made, professionals often believe they have no further responsibility. Criticisms have been made of this. If you don’t hear about a referral, check out what decision has been made in respect of the child / family and if your concerns continue, consider escalating the case. LSCB website contains an escalation form. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Challenge ‘There had been plenty of opportunities to intervene in this child’s life, but this required the professionals involved to challenge the actions and decisions of other professionals, not to make assumptions about what others would do, and to take personal responsibility for following through on concerns about children’s safety and welfare’. Brandon et al. Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Case Study Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Voice of the Child Anyone working with children should see and speak to the child; listen to what they say; take their views seriously; and work with them collaboratively when deciding how to support their needs. Working Together 2015 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Voice of the Child Five key themes about the voice of the child have been identified …. In too many cases: the child was not seen frequently enough by the professionals involved, or was not asked about their views and feelings agencies did not listen to adults who tried to speak on behalf of the child and who had important information to contribute parents and carers prevented professionals from seeing and listening to the child Notes for Trainers Achieving good outcomes for children begins with an understanding of their individual needs.

Voice of the Child practitioners focused too much on the needs of the parents, especially vulnerable parents, and overlooked the implications for the child agencies did not interpret their findings well enough to protect the child. (Source: The voice of the child: learning lessons from serious case reviews, Ofsted 2011) Bexley Safeguarding Children Board

Responsibilities Know your establishment’s child protection procedures. Know how to recognise the signs that should cause concern. Discuss your concerns about a child with your manager, a senior manager or the person with responsibility for child protection. Always make a referral to the local authority children’s social care services department when you have cause to believe that a child has suffered and/or may suffer harm. Notes for Trainers Automatic Animation - elements of this slide will appear automatically one at a time. Conclude by reminding everyone present about their basic responsibilities. Any questions. Session concludes. Seek advice from the local authority children’s social care services department if in any doubt about making a referral.

Useful Information http://www.bexleylscb.org.uk/ http://www.londonscb.gov.uk/procedures https://www.education.gov.uk http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=12619 Bexley Safeguarding Children Board