Children are protected better when professionals who are supporting them know what the child needs and how they can work together to achieve this. Partnership working involves each professional identifying their own concerns, then sharing this with other professionals and finally taking prompt action if it is required. In order for this method to be effective, professionals need to be able to work together efficiently.
In order to carry out sufficient safeguarding measures, it is beneficial to build a complete †̃pictureâ€TM of the child. Therefore, if a professional has concerns about a childâ€TMs welfare, they should work with other organisations who are also in contact with the child, in order to develop a more holistic view on what is
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Social services will carry out an initial assessment in order to determine what is the best course of action to take. If the initial assessment seems to indicate that the child is at risk of harm, the social worker cannot take the child away from their parents, instead they must apply for a court order. If the child was seen to be in immediate harm, a strategy discussion would be held involving all parties in the childâ€TMs life.
The NSPCC is responsible for protecting all children from abuse and neglect. They treat every case individually and give tailor made support to help the child in need. The NSPCC will work closely with the child, their family and other agencies, such as social services, the police and family protection services.
The police have a legislation to protect the welfare of children that they must adhere to. They have specialist training in investigating cases of child abuse and will work with other agencies in order to gather information needed to formulate a case. They will then pass this information to criminal prosecution services, in the event that criminal proceedings will be taking place. The police also have the power to enter into premises if a child needs to be immediately protected from significant
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Children do not yet have the knowledge of how to protect themselves from abuse or harm, therefore adults have a duty to look after them. Parents leave their children in the care of the school and trust staff to ensure that their child is well cared for whilst in the setting. Failing to do so shows unprofessionalism of the school and staff.
Theoretically, everyone in a school setting has the opportunity to harm children. Therefore, measures must be taken to prevent this, such as every member of staff that works in a school having a valid DBS check, in order to ensure that they are suitable to work in a childcare environment. Many accidents could happen within a school environment that could cause harm to pupils. Therefore, teachers must carry out risk assessments before children take part in any activities, in order to make sure that they are not at risk of harm. Finally, it is beneficial to give children the knowledge that they require on how to protect themselves from abuse. For example, teaching children about how to handle situations of bullying will enable them to know who to talk to if this situation ever
It emphasises the important principles to be followed when working with children and young people: settings must provide a safe and secure environment, if any children are identified as suffering from abuse or likely to suffer the appropriate action must be taken.
The needs, rights and views of the child are at the centre of all practice
There are many procedures, policies, legislations and statutory guidance to support the safety and welfare of children and young people. They have been developed over many years to recognise the rights of children and young people, protect vulnerable children and young people and after independent inquiries of fatal abuse cases, to recognise the failures of multi agencies and support services.
Integrated working is achieved through effective collaboration and co-ordination across all services and sectors including voluntary who work with children, young people and their families. These sectors could be housing, police, health, child-minders, community groups or early year’s workers. The above services are a fundamental role for both children, families and carers who may need the support of these agencies .Multi- agency Collaboration is crucial in partnership working, to support better outcomes for children and their families. Integrated working brings many benefits to delivering a more improved service by:
Children and young people should feel happy, safe, respected and included in the school or early years setting environment and all staff should be proactive in promoting positive behavior in the classroom, playground and the wider community. Policies and practice which make sure the safety and wellbeing of children should already be in place and it is this legislation develop through many years and experiences, and mistakes, that underpin the working practices that are used today.
This means keeping children safe from accidents (i.e. road safety), crime and bullying and actively promoting their well-being in a healthy, safe and supportive environment. It also encompasses issues such as pupil health and safety and bullying, about which there are specific statutory requirements, and a range of other issues, for example, arrangements for meeting the medical needs of children with medical conditions, providing first aid, school security, drugs and substance misuse.
All organisations and people that work with, or come into contact with children should have safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure that every child, regardless of their age, gender, religion or ethnicity, can be protected from harm. This includes hospitals, schools, private sector providers, sports clubs, faith groups and voluntary/community organisations.
If any professional becomes concerned that a child might be at risk of abuse, be it physical, sexual, emotional or neglect, it is their legal duty to pass on such concerns to the appropriate professionals who can assess if and what action should be taken. In cases where it will not put the child at greater risk or danger, the parents / carers of the child will be informed that such action has been taken.
It is very important that anyone working with children should be able to recognise if a child is at risk of harm of in need because of their vulnerability. The earlier this is recognised, the better outcome for the child involved.
Allocates duties to local authorities, courts, parents and other agencies in the UK to ensure children are safeguarded and their welfare is promoted. It focuses on the idea that children are best cared for by their own families, however it also makes provisions for parents and families who do not cooperate with the professional bodies.
Decision made by an agency with Statutory Child Protection Powers (Police, LA or NSPCC) that emergency action may be necessary to safeguard child
As can be seen there are many different organisations involved when there is any suspicion that a child may have been abused or actually harmed.
Working together to safeguard children 2006 sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in accordance with the Children’s Act 1989 and the Children’s Act 2004. It is important that all practitioners within settings and environments looking and caring after children and young people must know their responsibilities and duties in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, following their legislations, policies and procedures.
Your child's school should have a number of measures in place to help protect them, including: staff who have been trained to identify signs of abuse including what to do if they or someone else is worried about a child a designated teacher responsible for dealing with child protection procedures for checking on staff before they are allowed to
Social services- They work in partnership with families and other agencies. When a concern is raised about a child they can carry out assessments. Meet and conduct interviews with the child and family members. Liaise with and gather other information from