An outline of current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures within own UK Home Nation (England), affecting the safeguarding of children and young people.
Keeping Children Safe in Education, July 2015 • Statutory Guidance from the Department for Education (DfE), replacing March 2015 and 2014 versions. • Covers four main areas;
i. Safeguarding information for all staff (including reporting responsibilities). ii. The management of safeguarding iii. Safer recruitment iv. Allegations of abuse made against teachers and other staff. • Gives expanded/further information on;
i. A Child Missing from Education ii. Child Sexual Exploitation iii. Female Genital Mutilation iv. Preventing Radicalisation. • Should be read in conjunction
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• The role of school and college staff is highlighted as being especially important in safeguarding children because of their position to identify concerns early on, provide early intervention and to prevent concerns from escalating.
(Sources; The Key for School Governors, Keeping children Safe in Education Summary, Dec 2015 and DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education Statutory Guidance 2015).
Working Together to Safeguard Children, March 2015: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. • Statutory guidance from HM Government that replaces Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013. • Applies to all schools, local authorities and organisations that commission or provide services for children and families. • Two key principles that;
i. safeguarding is everyoneâ€TMs responsibility and ii. a child centred approach to services is needed • Guidance covers;
i. legislative requirements and expectations on individual services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and ii. A clear framework for local safeguarding boards for monitoring local services effectiveness. iii. Guidance aims to help professionals understand what they need to do and what they can expect of one another in order to safeguard/keep children
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Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015
S.26 creates the duty on certain bodies (including local authorities, childcare providers and schools and colleges) to prevent radicalisation and people being drawn into terrorism (i.e. the “Prevent Duty―)
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) (UNCRC) • 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 views to be given due weight in accordance with their age/maturity (Article 12). • UK Government, having signed the treaty, is legally obliged to support it via the implementation of legislation. • Recent examples of relevant UK legislation includes the introduction of the Children and Families Act 2014, which significantly changed the statutory framework for children with Special Educational Needs, giving them and their families more rights and
Wilson, K. and Adrian J. L. (2007) The Child Protection Handbook: The Practitioner's Guide to Safeguarding Children. Edinburgh: Bailliere Tindall
The Children’s Act 1989 and 2004: This act is all about ensuring that the children are kept safe from harm and are developing healthy. It’s important that settings support children and their families and work together with them to provide the best for the children. In 2004 the act was revisited because of the Victoria Climbie case and the every child matters came into place where five main aims were made: be healthy, stay safe, achieve through learning, achieve economic well-being and make a positive contribution to society.
There are many different regulations and strategies which are used to safeguard young adults and one of these strategies is the recruitment of staff and preventing people who may harm vulnerable people from getting assess to them. for example, the adults barred list. The is a list of people which either has a high risk of harming others or a probable risk of harming others. The people on the list are barred from working in health and social care settings and around vulnerable people. There are many different places where information is received from and this may include the police, courts, or health and social services. all this information is used to decide whether they are at risk of harming vulnerable people in order to decide whether they
Children Acts 1989 and 2004 indicates that different institutions should coordinate for promoting the well-being of children and young people.
This is an international agreement that protects the rights of children and provides a child-centred framework for the development of services to children. The UK Government ratified the UNCRC in 1991 and, by doing so, recognises children’s rights to expression and receiving information. 16.In addition to individual practitioners shaping support around the needs of individual children, local agencies need to have a clear understanding of the collective needs of children locally when commissioning effective services. As part of that process, the Director of Public Health should ensure that the needs of vulnerable children are a key part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment that is developed by the health and wellbeing board. Children have said that they need • Vigilance: to have adults notice when things are troubling them • Understanding and action: to understand what is happening; to be heard and understood; and to have that understanding acted upon • Stability: to be able to develop an on-going stable relationship of trust with those helping them • Respect: to be treated with the expectation that they are competent rather than not • Information and engagement: to be informed about and involved in procedures, decisions, concerns and plans • Explanation: to be informed of the outcome of assessments and decisions and reasons when their views have not met with a positive response • Support: to be provided with
Some of the national and local guidelines, policies and procedures for safeguarding that affect the day-to-day work with children and young people
The Children Act 2004 stats that the welfare of children and young people are paramount in all considerations of safeguarding which is everyone's responsibility. Safeguarding can only be achieved by improving working together to deliver more integrated services for children and young people which included health, education and development, safety and economic circumstances. The legislation is aimed at improving children and young people live for services to work in partnership. This targets universal services that children access and specialist services that are accessed by those that have additional
There are numerous pieces of legislation that any person working with children and young people need to follow. I have detailed them below
Wood, J. (2008), Report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW, NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, Sydney, viewed 24 March 2014, http://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/publications/news/stories/?a=33794.
They should be respectful, safe, fair and considerate. Children should not be bullied or humiliated. Adults should not befriend the children within the school as they are the adult. If a child must be disciplined the procedure must be followed so the child is treated fairly within the school guidelines. Pupils should always be be treated equally. Staff should not give or receive gifts from children. This can be seen as favourable discrimination. Relationships with children should always be professional. Children should only be touched when it is necessary for the pupils well being or safety. Arrangements to meet or communicate with pupils outside of school should not be made. This includes email, text or social media. Mobile phones should be stored away to prevent accusation of inappropriate use of them. For example taking photographs, video or using the internet. Staff should not place themselves in vulnerable position. Individual work should be carried out in sight of other adults, with the door open or in a communal area. Staff must ensure their class room or the area they are working with children is safe. This also includes considering the safety of the activity and preventable hazards that might occur. If photographs are taken of an activity the images are for school use only. If photographs are taken from external use parental permission must be
ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care and
LSCB, (2013), SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND VULNERABLE ADULTS POLICY, (www.safechildren-cios.co.uk), [Assessed 1 November 2013].
The Children and Families Act (2014) outlines requirements to promote the welfare of children and young people who have educational needs and disabilities and children in the care of the local authority.
In a child protection work, formal knowledge is not only an understanding of the law, official regulations, and ways of practice, but also a theoretical view of 'child development, family dynamics and methods of intervention' (Munro, 20...
Commission for Social Care Inspection (2005) Making Every Child Matter, Commission for Social Care Inspection