Effective Safeguarding System

Children Act 1989 – Determines the duty of early year’s practitioners to identify and meet the separate and distinctive needs of children and to keep them safe. It initiated the belief that the child ought to be at the centre of planning and that a child’s well-being and safety are vital when judgements are made concerning them. This act also recognises the accountabilities of parents in keeping their offspring safe. In this act there are two particular segments that relate to the duty of local authority with concern to child protection, these are-

The children act 1989 has influenced some settings by bringing together several sets of guidance and provided the foundation for many of the standards practitioners sustain and maintain when working with children. The act requires that settings work together in the best interests of the child and form partnerships with parents or carers. It requires settings to have appropriate adult to child ratios and policies and procedures on child protection. This act has had an influence in all areas of practice from planning a curriculum and record keeping. The every child matters framework has

1.3 Analyse how national and local guidelines, policies and procedures for safeguarding affect day-to-day work with children and young people

1. Outline current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures within own UK Home Nation affecting the safeguarding of children and young people.

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

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

Safeguarding children is paramount to promoting the welfare of children and protect them from harm, everyone who comes into contact with children and families has a role to play, protecting children from maltreatment; Preventing impairment of children's health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes. Eventually, effective safeguarding of the children can only be achieved through putting children at the centre of the system, and playing their full part i.e. every individual and agency playing their full part, working together to meet the requirements and needs of our most vulnerable children.

As well as observing policies and ensuring that children are secure when on site, child protection records will need to be kept of what pupils have said, as well as notes, dates and times of any meetings that have taken place between the school and other agencies. If a pupil reports anything which is a cause for concern, the school needs to make sure that accurateit is followed up. Parents must be notified if any photographs of children are to be taken which are likely to be used or seen outside the school

The legislations that affects safeguarding children with in the UK is, Every Child Matters Education Act 2002 this act was and is to achieve health and economic wellbeing, stay safe and make a positive contribution for better outcomes for all children and young people, as well as narrowing the gap. There are also guidelines that must be followed within the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) and the Special Educational Needs (SEN) code of practice. Within Schools and children’s car homes there will be a Child Protection Policy and a Health and Safety Policy, which will clearly state what procedures the staff must follow to keep children and young people safe. Child protection is your responsibility and it is important to follow your settings

Child protection is linked to safeguarding and the definition is protecting the child that is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm or any kind of abuse or neglect and it involves in preventing it from happening. (RCPCH 2016)

'Working together to safeguard children ' 2013 defined safeguarding as protecting “children form maltreatment, preventing impairment of children 's health and development, ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision and effective care and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.” Having safeguards in place not only protects and promotes the welfare of children but also it enhances the confidence of staff, volunteers, parents/carers and the general public in the schools and other organisations working with children.

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

For ensuring the protection of children and young people is really important to work with the families, as they might be having difficult times or experiences, or lack of knowledge, that prevents them from offering the best possible

There are various different legislation and guidelines to follow for the safeguarding of children and young people as the welfare of the child is paramount. Children are better looked after within their own families and only with the suspicion of neglect or abuse of the child should the relevant people step in. Local authorities should work in partnership with families to ensure child welfare and safety and must be sensitive regarding the family’s cultural background.

All staff working in an education setting have a responsibility to ensure that children are cared for and safe. The Children Act 2004 also requires that practitioners protect children as far as possible when placed in the practitioners care i.e. at school. This includes preventing any risks which may occur. Everyone who comes into contact with children, young people and families have a role to play; local agencies, including the police and health services, also have a duty under the Children Act 2004 to ensure that they are aware of the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children when carrying out their functions or duties. Under the same act a similar range of agencies are required to cooperate with local authorities to promote the safeguarding, well-being and protection of children in each local authority area. This cooperation should exist and be effective at all levels of the organisation.