Working Together to Safeguard Children

Working Together to Safeguard Children

A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

March 2010

Working Together to Safeguard Children

A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children

March 2010

A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children 1

Contents

Working Together to Safeguard Children: Executive Summary 7

Introduction

7

Part 1: Statutory guidance

8

Part 2: Non-statutory practice guidance

18

Preface

22

Introduction

22

Purpose of the document and who should read it

22

Content of this guidance

24

Other related guidance

24

Status of the document as statutory guidance

25

When does the guidance apply?

26

Glossary

27

Part 1: Statutory Guidance

28

Chapter 1 ? Introduction: working together to safeguard

and promote the welfare of children and families

29

Supporting children and families

29

Parenting, family life and services

29

Lord Laming's progress report

30

The Government's response

30

An integrated approach

31

A shared responsibility

31

The child in focus

32

Key definitions

34

Chapter 2 ? Roles and responsibilities

40

Introduction

40

The statutory framework within which organisations operate

40

Infrastructure and governance to deliver safeguarding responsibilities

42

Information sharing

43

ContactPoint

44

Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

44

Local authorities that are children's services authorities

45

Other local authority roles

48

Health services

51

2 Working Together to Safeguard Children

Health organisations Roles of different health services Health professionals Criminal justice organisations Schools and further education institutions Early years services Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) The armed services The voluntary and private sectors Faith communities

Chapter 3 ? Local Safeguarding Children Boards

LSCB role Scope of the LSCB LSCB functions Other policies and procedures LSCB governance and operational arrangements Membership of an LSCB

Chapter 4 ? Training, development and supervision for inter-agency working

Introduction and definitions Purpose Roles and responsibilities Content, audiences and values Planning, organisation, delivery and evaluation Effective support and supervision Table 1: Suggested training for different target groups

Chapter 5 ? Managing individual cases where there are concerns about a child's safety and welfare

Introduction Working with children when there are concerns about their safety and welfare Principles underpinning work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children The processes for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children The welfare of unborn children Referrals to local authority children's social care where there are concerns about a child's safety or welfare Response of local authority children's social care to a referral Initial assessment

52 60 67 70 78 80 81 82 84 86

88

88 89 90 93 99 102

113

113 114 114 118 121 123 126

133

133

133

134 137 140

140 144 146

A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children 3

Next steps ? child in need but no suspected actual or likely significant harm 150

Next steps ? suspicion that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer,

significant harm

151

Immediate protection

152

Strategy discussion

153

Section 47 enquiries and core assessment

155

Child Assessment Orders

158

The impact of section 47 enquiries on the family and child

159

The outcome of section 47 enquiries

159

Concerns are not substantiated

160

Concerns are substantiated, but the child is not judged

to be continuing to, or be likely to, suffer significant harm

160

Concerns are substantiated and the child is judged to be

continuing to, or be likely to, suffer significant harm

162

The initial child protection conference

162

Action following the initial child protection conference

172

Completion of the core assessment

174

The child protection plan

175

Intervention

176

The child protection review conference

179

Discontinuing the child protection plan

180

Children looked after by the local authority

181

Pre-birth child protection conferences and reviews

182

Recording that a child is the subject of a child protection plan

182

Managing and providing information about a child

183

Recording in individual case records

184

Request for a change of worker

185

Chapter 6 ? Supplementary guidance on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children

Introduction Sexually exploited children Children affected by gang activity Fabricated or induced illness (FII) Investigating complex (organised or multiple) abuse Female genital mutilation Forced marriage and honour-based violence Allegations of abuse made against a person who works with children Abuse of disabled children Child abuse linked to belief in `spirit possession' Child victims of trafficking

191

191 191 192 192 194 195 196 199 201 204 204

4 Working Together to Safeguard Children

Chapter 7 ? Child death review processes

Introduction Overall principles Involvement of parents and family members (for all child deaths) The Regulations relating to child deaths Supply of information about child deaths by registrars Duty and powers of coroners to share information Duty and powers of Medical Examiners (MEs) to share information Definition of an unexpected death of a child Definition of preventable child deaths LSCB responsibilities for the child death review processes Procedures to be followed by the local Child Death Overview Panel (for all child deaths) The process to be followed by Child Death Overview Panels (for all child deaths) Roles and responsibilities when responding rapidly to an unexpected death of a child Other related processes Processes for a rapid response from professionals to all unexpected deaths of children (0?18 years) Use of child death information to prevent future deaths

208

208 209 209 210 211 212 212 212 213 213

215

217

220 221

223 231

Chapter 8 ? Serious case reviews

Reviewing and investigative functions of Local Safeguarding Children Boards The purposes of Serious Case Reviews Safeguarding siblings or other children When should a LSCB undertake a Serious Case Review? When should a LSCB consider undertaking a Serious Case Review? Which LSCB should take lead responsibility? Membership of SCR sub-committees and SCR Panels Instigating a Serious Case Review Timescales for initiating and undertaking a Serious Case Review Who should be involved in the Serious Case Review? Individual management reviews ? general principles The Serious Case Review overview report SCR Panel responsibilities for the overview report The executive summary LSCB action on receiving the Serious Case Review report Reviewing institutional abuse Accountability and disclosure Learning lessons locally Learning lessons nationally

233

233 234 234 235 235 237 237 238 241 242 243 247 248 249 251 252 253 254 255

A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children 5

Part 2: Non-statutory practice guidance

Chapter 9 ? Lessons from research

Introduction The impact of maltreatment on children Physical abuse Emotional abuse Sexual abuse Neglect Sources of stress for children and families Social exclusion Domestic violence Mental illness of a parent or carer Parental problem drug use Parental problem alcohol use Parents with a Learning Disability

Chapter 10 ? Implementing the principles on working with children and their families

Introduction Family group conferences Support, advice and advocacy to children and families Communication and information Race, ethnicity and culture Children in `Families at risk' having very poor outcomes Think Family practice Effectiveness of parenting and family interventions Working with fathers Family Intervention Projects Family Nurse Partnership

Chapter 11 ? Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children who may be particularly vulnerable

Introduction Children living away from home Abuse by children and young people Children whose behaviour indicates a lack of parental control Race and racism Violent extremism Domestic violence Child abuse and information communication technology (ICT) Children with families whose whereabouts are unknown

257

258

258 258 259 260 260 260 261 262 262 265 269 274 278

284

284 284 285 286 286 287 288 289 290 290 291

292

292 292 302 307 308 309 310 315 316

6 Working Together to Safeguard Children

Children who go missing

316

Children who go missing from education

317

Children of families living in temporary accommodation

319

Migrant children

319

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC)

319

Chapter 12 ? Managing individuals who pose a risk

of harm to children

322

Introduction

322

Collaborative working

322

Use of the term `Schedule One offender'

322

New offences targeted at those who sexually exploit children and young people 324

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA)

324

Other processes and mechanisms

328

Appendices

Appendix 1 ? Statutory framework

336

Appendix 2 ? Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need

344

Appendix 3 ? Using standardised assessment tools to evidence assessment

and decision making

350

Appendix 4 ? MOD child protection contacts

353

Appendix 5 ? Procedures for managing allegations against people

who work with children

356

Appendix 6 ? Faith community contacts and resources

366

Appendix 7 ? A guide to acronyms in the document

368

References and internet links

371

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