What is happening with Safeguarding and Child Protection?

Ruth Hester Training 4 Student Success

Outcomes

•To be aware of new developments in Safeguarding

•To have the opportunity to raise any Safeguarding issues

•To confirm role as a Designated Lead

•To devise an action plan

Why I’m Here....

What do you want to get out of the session?

What are your concerns in relation to Safeguarding/Child Protection ?

Quiz

•What do we mean by Safeguarding?

•What do we mean by Child Protection?

•Who is a vulnerable adult?

•What is abuse:

In relation to a child

In relation to a vulnerable adult?

Safeguarding

Child Protection

Staff Conduct

Curriculum

Managing Allegations Against Staff

Safe Recruitment and Selection

Health and Safety

Behaviour Management

Attendance

Anti Bullying Policies

Whistle blowing Safe Built Environment

RestraintIntimate Care

Significant Harm

•What is significant about the Children Act 1989 in relation to Child Protection?

•What is significant harm?

•How does this relate to ‘Thresholds’What are ‘Threshold’s?

•Why are thresholds important?

The Windscreen

Education Act 2002

What is significant about this act?

Some clues:

•Training

•Responsibility

(Awaiting Keeping Children Safe in Education)

Sexual Offences Act

Why is this significant for us in FE?

Guidance•Working Together 2013

•Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment (updated Oct 2012)

•Guidance for Safe Working Practice for Adults who work with Children and Young People in Education Settings (March 2009)

•Colleges CP/Safeguarding & VA Policy/ies.

•LSCB Procedures.

• Safer Practice Safer Learning (NIACE 2007)

Significant Developments

Munro Review of Child Protection 2011

Protection of Freedoms Act 2012

North Somerset SCR 2012

Rochdale SCR 2012

Working Together 2013

Daniel Pelka SCR 2013

Keeping Children Safe in Education.....pending

Care Bill 2012• Duty for LA to investigate any suspected case of abuse• All LAs to set up a Safeguarding Adults Board• No powers of entry for LAs• SABs can hold Safeguarding Adult Reviews

• The existing legal framework for adult protection is neither systematic nor co-ordinated, reflecting sporadic development of safeguarding policy over the last 25 yrs(Commission for Social Care Inspection)

DBS

• Disclosure and Barring Service• On 1 December 2012 the functions of the

Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) were merged with the functions of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and are now undertaken by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

• - See more at: http://www.optimus-education.com/vetting-and-barring#sthash.

Safer Recruitment Updates• The new Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Update

Service has been available to use from 17 June 2013

• The DBS Update Service is an online service, which aims to remove the need for repetitive applications.

• The applicant pays an annual subscription of £13, so that their DBS certificate will be kept up to date and can be transferred between roles. Volunteers can access the service for free, and employers do not need to register or to subscribe themselves - See more at:

http://www.optimus-education.com/new-dbs-update-service#sthash.

• There is only one copy of the DBS certificate, issued to the applicant.

Significant Developments

The Munro Review of Child Protection (May 2011)

Greater emphasis on Partnership Working and a stronger emphasis on the child Less prescription and less bureaucracyReview of Working Together (2013)

Working Together 2013

• Working Together to Safeguard Children

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

Philosophy

• WT 2013 puts the child in focus at all stages of the child protection process.

• It creates the expectation that collaborative inter agency work will address the outcomes for the child of any actions taken and services provided, begging the professionals to ask the question:

...............

• Is this work going to have a positive impact on the life of this child, if so, what will it be like and what is going to happen, if nothing changes?

• Twice in the document the word ‘rescue’ is used in relation to action that should be taken to safeguard children, who live in homes where there is chronic neglect which illustrates the government’s strategy.

Working Together 2013

• A requirement that designated professional roles should always be explicitly defined in job descriptions and that sufficient time, funding, supervision and support should be provided for them to carry out their role effectively. The guidance is also more specific on staff competencies around safeguarding, with a specific requirement for staff to undertake mandatory child protection induction.

Early Help

• Each LSCB needs to have a published threshold document which outlines the types of early help on offer and the criteria for referral to Children’s Social Care for statutory services and assessments.

North Somerset SCR 2012

Teacher at a primary school for 15 yearsGuilty of 36 sexual offences‘concerns’ over a period of 10 years

Lessons to be learnt:•Accurate records of all incidents.•Whistle-Blowing policy.•Personal Responsibility for the role of DT.(speak to the Duty Social Worker)

Rochdale SCR 2012

•Identifies schools as important partners in recognising signs of sexual exploitation.•All secondary schools to be offered awareness training briefings.•Confirmed school representation on the Safeguarding Board. •All referrals to social care of children over the age of 12 are also now screened for signs of sexual exploitation.

Yaseen Ali SCR 2013

• All schools should have more than one designated person to deal with child protection issues

• Designated staff to update training on a regular basis.

• Discuss with ‘external support services’ (ie CSC)

Daniel Pelka SCR 2013

• Each opportunity to intervene to protect children must be taken

• Domestic Abuse is always a child protection issue

• Robust system for recording any injuries or welfare concerns and necessary actions taken

• Role and responsibilities of the DP are clearly understood and acted upon. Discuss/refer with/to CSC-role

Finally

I also need to know.....

Thank you for your contributions to this session