Educating Children And Young People

It is generally accepted that people in authority have a responsibility for those in their charge. Therefore practitioners in childcare settings owe a duty of care to the children in their care. They are seen as

The importance of interagency working in the safeguarding and protection of children in the UK

Children Act 2004 section 11 states which professional and agencies have to safeguard and promote welfare. ‘’local authorities, councils, public health, NHS foundation and trust, Policing body, crime agency, college, and any person to the extent that he is providing services.’’ (Legislation.gov.uk)

Outcome 1 – Understand the main legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures for safeguarding children and young people.

Describe the roles of different agencies involved in the safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.

Although the local authority takes the lead on safeguarding children and young people, and have an all-encompassing responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people in their local area, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility when coming into contact with children and young people. All local agencies, including the police, health service and schools, have clearly defined roles and responsibilities under the Children Act 2004. They must not only promote the well-being of children but ensure that they safeguard children whilst carrying out their day-to-day functions. They must cooperate with local authorities in doing this

* Describe the roles of different agencies involved in safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.

Understand the importance of working in partnership with other organisations to safeguard children and young people

There is a duty on organisations to make appropriate arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Also government guidance makes it clear that it is a shared responsibility, and depends upon effective joint working between agencies and professionals that have different roles and expertise.

and the case gives rise to concerns about the way in which local professionals and services worked together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This includes inter-agency and/or inter-disciplinary working.”

One issue highlighted is that there is a failure to implement good practice despite that fact that there were established frameworks in place. Another problem identified is that there is a failure to share sources of information which could have contributed to a better understanding of children and families. Finally, there is often insufficient consideration given to the child’s individual views and needs. This meant that the child’s voice was not heard and listened to. When the LSCB conduct a serious case review, they follow statutory guidance set out in government legislation such as the Working Together to Safeguard Children (2013) document. This document emphasises the importance of a child centred and integrated approach to safeguarding. It details 2 key principles that should be underpinned in every local area to achieve effective safeguarding of children and young people. These are are ‘safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: for services to be effective each professional and organisation should play their full part’ and that a ‘child centred approach; for services to be effective they should be based on a clear understanding of the needs and views of children’. The document highlights the importance of services working together, learning from their own practices to improve standards and quality of care for the welfare

Summary of legislations, guidelines, policies and procedures for safeguarding the welfare of children and young people-

Schools need to establish and maintain a safe environment for students and to deal with circumstances where there is child welfare concerns, schools have an important role in the detection and prevention of child abuse and neglect this will be done through their child protection policies and procedures for safeguarding. The Children Act 1989 was introduced changes to legislation in England and Wales surrounding the welfare of children. The act also identified the responsibility of parents and those who work with children to ensure safety of the child. The main aims are as follows: - Achieve a balance between protecting children and the rights of parents to challenge state intervention - Encourage partnership between statutory authorities and parents

Safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare covers a number of different responsibilities. The Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015) document clearly outlines inter-agency working to ensure children are best protected within the policy of safeguarding.

Ensuring children and young people’s safety and protection in the setting is an essential part of safeguarding and promoting their welfare. Every adult working in the setting must be a suitable person to work with young children, and must have been checked by the Independent Safeguarding Authority. This includes students on placements and regular volunteers. Parents need to be absolutely certain that their children will be safe and protected from harm in any kind of professional care. While children are at school, practitioners act in ‘loco parentis’ while the parents are away (this means the practitioner takes on the responsibility of the parents when the child is in the practitioners care).