The role of interagency is about evaluating and monitoring the needs of the vulnerable children and families, with a clear vision to ensure that mutual outcomes are attained to promote the safeguarding, well-being, learning and development of the vulnerable children ( Barnardos, 2007)
Furthermore, this essay will discuss the serious case review of Victoria Climbie with the dilemma of how the interagency working to benefit to children’s learning and development has failed to safeguard a vulnerable child. Whilst, the lack of interaction, respect for each other’s role and responsibilities, collaboration, assessing and transferring un-accurate record, has resulting in the death of Victoria Climbie.
In addition, to safeguard the children, there are statuary laws and policies implemented by the government for instance, the Human Right Act (1998) the Education Act (2002), Female genital mutation Act (2003) the Crime and victim Act (2004) Safeguarding vulnerable groups Act (2006) Forced marriage Act (2007) and the Child protection legislation such as Children Act (1989) and the Children Act (2004)
To promote safeguarding, the Children’s Act (2004) set out five outcomes for the children and the young people, i.e. to staying healthy, safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. This Act made it statuary for the local authorities to establish the LSCB with an aim to protect the vulnerable children from all kinds of abuse and harm, such as, forced marriage, child trafficking, physical abuse, witchcraft, sexual exploitation, female genital mutation, fabricating illness and the well-fare of an unborn child.
In addition, it was the responsibility of all the professionals including the inter-agency to safeguard and promotes the well-fare of the children. The United Nation Convention on the Right of Children (UNCRC) 1992 recognises that, the children should be allowed to participating in decisions making to influence the solutions for their future and to be heard. The children should also be provided with advocacy services, and to make sure that their rights are respected and heard.
According to the Munro report (2011) that state, a one size fits all is not the right way for child protection agencies to operate. This report also suggested that the inspection for the safeguarding services should be un-announced to help provide agencies with an exact update on the nature of the child’s needs. These recommendations suggested by Munro sets out a wide range of measures to safeguard and promote the physical, emotional, social and behavioural development of the children.
If the local authority establishes that the child is a child in need or at risk of harm, it has a duty under section 47 of the Children Act (1989) to make a care plan or child protection plan to provide support which involves adequate supervision and checks to ensure that the child is no longer at risk. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) promotes empowerment for children as they can exercise their right to express their views and be heard and their best interest would be at the centre of the intervention and social workers need to ensure that decisions made are not affected by the influence from family or professionals they work with (Lee & Hudson,
Wilson, K. and Adrian J. L. (2007) The Child Protection Handbook: The Practitioner's Guide to Safeguarding Children. Edinburgh: Bailliere Tindall
Using examples involving human service workers, discuss how interprofessional practice is defined. Discuss the barriers to interprofessional practice and how these might be addressed. Interprofessional practice is essentially the collaboration of multi-disciplinary professionals to achieve a common client-centred goal and in doing so, better assist with the complexity of the clients’ challenges (Chenoweth & McAuliffe, 2015, McCallin, 2014). Whilst the ability to work in partnership with other professionals is essential in creating the best outcomes for a wide variety of client care (Pecukonis, Doyle, & Bliss, 2008), social workers face a range of boundaries that may limit their ability to work coherently, including miscommunication, lack
...children, young people and their families can be both complex and difficult. Social work practice is one of the most challenging as it involves work with a diverse range of both professionals and service users. However, there is more that one single reason for this. As all professionals, agencies and parents continue to work together in various different cases, a variety of skills are required including: communication, preparation, intervention skills, assessment of significant harm, research of current legislation and decision making skills, all of which contribute to the complexities and difficulties of social work. It could be argued that these difficulties are highlighted most in many public cases of child abuse; moreover these cases can be seen to be changing social work practice, affecting the difficulties and complexities of working within this profession.
Finally, Children Protective Services has let down many children and families. Children who are in the homes of loving, nurturing parents are take away from their secure environments, and are placed into degrading situations. The children who are in desperate need of help do not receive it. Many of the real cases of abuse go unnoticed and unfounded. The system need to distinguish the difference between real child abuse and parenting because there is a child out there who does need help but the workers are too busy focusing their time on cases that are not necessary. If CPS would create a new sstructure and set new standards, many more lives could be saved.
The use of the Children Act 2004 in day-to-day work with children and young people allows multi-disciplinary teams to shared information, which is used to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people known to one or more agencies. The interests of the child are paramount. In the setting, a specifically trained member of staff will be appointed to supervise safeguarding and child protection.
The main points of the children’s act 1989 are parental responsibility and the welfare of the child. Children are best cared for within their own families. The act states that the mental and physical wellbeing of the child is important. Professionals and parents/carers must work together to ensure the safety of the child. Local authorities have a duty to look into situations where they suspect a child or young person to be suffering from significant harm. Duties get allocated to local authorities, and other agencies to ensure that all children are safeguarded. The children’s act 2004 reinforces that all organisations that work with children and young people must help to safeguard
Children’s Social Care work with parents and other agencies to assess the stages of child protection procedures, record information and make decisions on taking further action. The police work closely with this agency to act on decisions made such as removing a child or the person responsible for the abuse while gathering evidence and carrying out investigations regarding the matter. Health professionals have a duty to report suspected non-accidental injuries to Children’s Social Care and examine children to give evidence of abuse. The Children Act 2004 requires every local area to have a Local Safeguarding Children Board to oversee the work of agencies involved in child protection, place policies and procedures for people who work with children and conduct serious case reviews when children die as a result of abuse. The NSPCC is the only charitable organisation that has the statutory power to take action when children are at risk of abuse. They provide services to support families and children and two helplines for children in danger and adults who are concerned for a child’s safety. They also raise awareness of abuse, share their expertise with other professionals and work to influence the law and social policy protect children more efficiently. There are also acts in place to protect children such as the Children Act 1989, the United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child 1989, the Education Act 2002 and the Children Act 2004. Legal framework from such acts are provided for Every Child Matters which requires early years practitioners to demonstrate that they provide activities that help children protect themselves. This may be through books and group talks known as “Stranger
Parton, N., Thorpe, D. and Wattam, C. (1997) Child Protection Risk and Moral Order, London: Macmillan
United Nations (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child.[online] Available at: [Accessed 1 April 2014].
• International treaty covering the rights of all children, through 54 articles, including the right of the child to express his/her views in relation to decisions being made that may affect them and their
Throughout this essay, the health, safety and welfare policy and practise that came about after the Victoria Climbie case will be reviewed and evaluated. After arriving in England in November 1991 from the Ivory Coast, eight-year old Victoria Climbie suffered abuse from her great-aunt, Marie-Therese Kouao, and her great-aunts partner. The anguish and eventual murder of Victoria in 2000 from hypothermia, caused by malnourishment and damp conditions, provoked ‘the most extensive investigation into the child protection system in British history’ as described by Batty (Macleod-Brudenell, 2004). The high media profiled incident exposed a clear lack of precision and communication between all professionals and agencies involved. This is shown by the fact that the mistreatment Victoria was suffering had gone unnoticed by the social services, police and NHS staff, who failed to make each other aware of the clear danger signs. Within the Lord Laming Inquiry into Victoria Climbie’s death (2003), it can be seen that some features recur time after time in child abuse cases; inadequate resources to meet demands, inexperience and lack of skill of individual social workers. In addition, it can also be seen that crucial procedures were evidently not being followed. The procedure that was established after this case included the recommendations made by Lord Laming such as the Green Paper of Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003) and the Children Act (DfES, 2004). These ensure that all children have the fundamental right to be protected from harm and abuse. In addition to this, it also certifies all adults who come into contact with children and families have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
LSCB, (2013), SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND VULNERABLE ADULTS POLICY, (www.safechildren-cios.co.uk), [Assessed 1 November 2013].
Commission for Social Care Inspection (2005) Making Every Child Matter, Commission for Social Care Inspection
Every Child Matters is a UK government initiative for England that was launching in 2003, at least partly in response to the death of Victoria Climbie. It is one of the most important policy initiatives and development programmes in relation to children and children's services of the last decade, and has been described as a sea change to the children and families agenda. It has been the title of three government papers, leading to the Children Act 2004. Every Child Matters covers children and young adults up to the age of 19, or 24 for those with disabilities. Its main aims are for every child, whatever their background or circumstances, to have the support they need to: stay safe, be healthy, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic