Safeguarding Agenda
What does this mean
to the EHP?
Ground Rules
•
•
•
•
•
Challenge
Ch
ll
views
i
nott th
the person
Confidentiality
y
Keep an open mind
Look after yourself
Overarching responsibility to safeguard
children and vulnerable adults
Aims
To explore our awareness of
safeguarding children* and vulnerable
adults and how the duties impact on
EHP’s.
(*the term children covers 0-18 yrs)
Values and Attitudes
•
•
•
•
Safeguarding
S
f
di involves
i
l
judgements
j d
t
We will not all agree
g
We have to live with uncertainty
Our personal values and beliefs will
influence our responses – we must be
aware of them and be responsible for
them
• The child’s/adults welfare is
paramount
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding is everybody
everybody’s
s
business
‘All
All those who come into contact with
children and families in their everyday
work including practitioners who do not
work,
have a specific role in relation to child
protection have a duty to safeguard and
protection,
promote the welfare of children.’
What to do if you are worried a child is being abused Dfes 2010
So what has it got to do with me?
• Wh
Whatt contact
t td
do you h
have with
ith
children and vulnerable adults
during the course of your work ?
The EHP’s contact with Children
and Vulnerable Adults
• As a noise complaint?
• A nuisance family?
• A housing matter – over crowding, poor
conditions?
diti
?
• Whilst
st inspecting
spect g a pub
pub?
• Following a pest control visit?
• Filthy and verminous premises?
How does the EHP fit in?
• As a manager of staff who have considerable
contact with children, families and VA
• As an individual on that works with and delivers
services to children, families and VA
• As part of a partner organisation who can ‘fill in
the gaps’
gaps in information, to safeguard
• As a partner who can alert protection authorities
as well as contribute support
Victoria Climbie – lessons learnt?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Victoria died February 2000
2000, aged 8 years old
Kouao and Manning found guilty of murder- life imprisonment in Jan
2001
Inquiry set up April 2001
2001, chaired by Lord Laming
Report published January 2003, 400 pages long, with 108
recommendations
Victoria was known to 3 housing departments, 4 social services
departments, 2 GPs, two hospitals, an NSPCC-run family centre and
two police child protection teams
Agencies had 12 separate occasions to intervene
“The
The extent of the failure to protect Victoria was
lamentable.”……“Failures at every level and in every organisation”
What is meant by Safeguarding
for Children
• Protecting
g children from maltreatment
• Preventing impairment of children’s health and
development; and
• Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances
consistent with the provision of safe and effective care;
and
• Undertaking that role so as to enable those children to
have optimum chance and to enter adulthood
successfully
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010
What can make a child
vulnerable?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Poverty
Mental illness in a
parent/carer
t/
Parent/carer misusing
substances
Y
Young
Carers
C
Families facing racism or
other forms of social
isolation
Trafficked children
Privately Fostered children
•
•
•
•
•
•
Refugee/asylum seekers
Family break-up
P
Parent/carer
t/
has
h a learning
l
i
disability
Families living in areas
with high crime rates
rates, poor
housing and high
unemployment
Disabled children
Domestic Abuse
The Children Act 2004
• S
Section
ti 11 off Th
The Child
Children A
Actt 2004 places
l
““a d
duty
t on kkey
people and bodies to make arrangements to ensure that
their functions are discharged
g with regard
g
to the need to
safeguard and promote the welfare of children. ”
•
District
Di
t i t councils
il are a named
d partner
t
and
d th
the ffollowing
ll i
functions are identified as playing a key role in reducing risk
of harm and improving
p
g outcomes for children :
• Housing departments and homelessness teams,
Environmental Health, Leisure services and licensing units.
( this list is by no means exhaustive)
Under Section 11 of the Children Act district
councils should be able to demonstrate:
•
•
•
Training on safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of children for all staff working with
with, or in
contact with, children and families ( for example,
housing
gp
professionals being
g the first to make
contact with Victoria Climbie)
Effective inter-agency
g
y working
g to safeguard
g
and
promote the welfare of children
Effective information/data sharing.
What support can you get
If you have anxieties/concerns re any thing you
have witnessed or been involved with, your
emotional health is important, you can get help
by
• Talk to your manager
authority s Key Child
• Talk to one of the authority's’
Protection / Safeguarding Officers
• Talk to HR,
HR they will provide information on
counselling and support available to you
Any questions?
And finally
finally……
Remember it is not up to you to decide
whether a child or vulnerable adult has
been abused
UT
It is up
p to yyou to report
p concerns so that
the appropriate action can be taken