Childhood

Assignment 008 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people

Task A

1. Identify a current a national piece of legislation relevant to safeguarding children and young people’s welfare.

The current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures.

Legislations and guidelines

Policies and procedures for safeguarding and child protection in settings for children and young people in England and Wales are the results of legislation passed in Parliament, including:

• In England and Wales, The Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004

• In Northern Ireland, Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995

The Children Act 1989 (England & Wales)/Children (Northern Ireland) order 1995

These Acts were brought in with the aim of simplifying the laws that protect children and young people. They tell people what their duties are and how they should work together when child abuse is suspected.

Working Together to Safeguarding children (1999)

This provides guidelines for professionals in England and Wales to help them work with children who are at risk.

Children Act 2004

The death of Victoria Climbié at the hands of her carers resulted in an independent inquiry, lead by Lord Laming, into her death in 2003. The Laming report led to the green paper Every Child Matters, which in turn led to the Children Act 2004 in England and similar bills and Act in all four countries in the UK.

The Act includes:

• The introduction of local authority’s Children’s Directors with responsibility for education and children’s social services

• Councillors for children’s services with responsibility for local child welfare

• Laming for Children’s Boards (LSCB) with powers to make sure that social services, the NHS, education services, the police and other services work together to protect vulnerable children

• A common Assessment Framework to help agencies to identify needs of children

• Revised arrangements for different agencies to share information

Working Together to Safeguarding Children 2006

This updates safeguarding and how agencies should work individually and together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

The Vetting and Barring Scheme

Anyone who wants to work with children, young people or vulnerable adults must register with the independent Safeguarding authority (ISA). The ISA checks every person who applies by looking at their CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check, any relevant criminal convictions, cautions, police intelligence and other appropriate sources before registering them.

2. Identify two current local policies, procedures or guidance in relation to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.

Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is one of are local companies that help protect children from child abuse. LADO is normally used if a member of staff has made an allegation against another staff harming or think another member of staff is harming a child this can also be known as whistle blowing. They provide advice and guidance to employers and voluntary organisations. After a case has been brought to them they then monitor that the progress of that case and all their cases to make sure that they are dealt with quickly and consistently as possible through the use of fair and thorough process. Liaising with the police where appropriate, chairing meeting that does not immediately meet a section 47 threshold. It starts with an allegation, then the allegation gets reported to senior manager named in employers procedures, after that senior manager considers alleged behaviour, then they will contact LADO last of all they discuss with LADO and decision re course of action Police investigation, strategy meeting/discussion Assessment by Social Care, Employers Action (including disciplinary action). If you see a member of staff behave in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed a child, or possibly committed a criminal offence against, or related to, a child; or behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates she/he is unsuitable to work with children then these actions need to be taken. LADO also tracks progress, monitors outcomes and reports to the LSCB and DFE. LADO works within Children’s services and should be alerted of all cases. The LADO role applies to paid, unpaid, volunteer, casual, agency and self- employed workers. They capture concerns, allegations or offences emanating from outside of work. The LADO is involved from the initial phase of the allegation through to the conclusion of the case. They will provide advice, guidance and help to determine whether the allegation sits within the scope of the procedures. The LADO helps co-ordinate information-sharing with the right people and will also monitor and track any investigation, with the aim to resolve it as quickly as possible.

Wigan Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) Child Protection Procedures is another organisation that helps safeguarding children and help stop child abuse. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children requires effective co-ordination in every local area. For this reason, the Children Act 2004 required each Local Authority to establish a Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB). Wigan Safeguarding Children Board acts as the key statutory mechanism for agreeing how relevant organisations in Wigan co0operate to safeguarding and promote the welfare of children in that locality, and for ensuring the effectiveness of what they do. Detailed on this website is the Wigan Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) child protection procedures that represent an agreed framework for working together with respect to the prevention, identification and investigation of abuse and neglect within the Wigan Council area, based on best practice identified from local experience and from across the country. They clarify the expectations placed on partner agencies as to how they, and their respective staff, will conduct their roles and responsibility relating to protecting, safeguarding and promoting the welfare and development of all children and young people within Wigan Council area, through working with together. Best practice requires those working with children and families to be sensitive to differing family patterns and lifestyles and to child rearing patterns that vary across different racial, ethnic and cultural reasons groups. However we “must be clear that child abuse cannot be condoned for religious or cultural reasons” and “all children, whatever their religious or cultural background, must receive the same care and safeguards with regard to abuse and neglect”. It is the duty of individual professionals, and their employing agency, to ensure that any assessment focuses on the needs of the child, in order to ensure appropriate safeguarding steps are taken, when a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm. In conjunction with the Children, Young people and their Families Strategic Partnership ‘change for Children and Young people system’ (CfCYPS), which “provides a framework for promoting children and young people’s wellbeing and ensuring their safety,” they represent a new integrated system based on ‘Common Processes and a Common Assessment Framework’ for planning co-ordinate interventions based on collecting, sharing and using interventions to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families.

|Agency name (involved in safeguarding children and |Role of the agency (in own work setting) |
|young people) | |
|Social Services |Social services have a legal responsibility to support vulnerable children and families in need. Social services|
| |help families in foster care and do visits to check up on that child at home and in nursery if they are in a |
| |nursery. |
|Police |Police are involved in the criminal proceedings that may result from safeguarding issues. The police may contact|
| |the nursery with any information necessary. If a child has been harmed in the nursery setting the police would |
| |be contacted and further action would be taken. |

3. Complete the following table with two examples:

1. Complete the following table.

|Types of child abuse |List THREE characteristics for each type of child abuse |
|Physical |Bruises- This could be caused by hitting, shaking, kicking and pushing child over. |
| |Burns- This could be caused by pouring kettle over child, cigarette, putting child’s hand on oven or iron and |
| |other electrical appliances. |
| |Fractures- This could be caused by grabbing a child’s arm to hard or pushing them over and pulling arms. |
|Emotional |Self Harm- This could be caused by a child releasing all their problems they are having by hurting themselves.|
| |Sleep Disturbance- This could be caused by child having nightmares and bad dreams from all the emotional |
| |worries they are going through. |
| | |
| |Low Self-Esteem- This could be caused by thing being said making them feel bad about themselves or someone |
| |doing something to make them feel low. It could also make them feel like they do not look nice which would to |
| |low self-image and low self-concept. |
|Sexual |Lose of appetite- This could be caused by pregnancy or the abuse making you feel sick. |
| |Drawing Inappropriate Pictures- This could be caused as they are drawing how they feel or what they have seen.|
| |Starting to wet or soil themselves- This could be caused as they are scared it may happen again. |
|Neglect |Constant Hunger- This could be caused as child is not being fed only getting food if they go to nursery. |
| |Delayed Development- This could be caused as they have not been taken care of and do not no what to do or how |
| |to do it if asked. |
| |Speech Problems- This could be cause if parent have not helped to develop speech by not speaking to them or |
| |got someone speech therapist to help them with there speech. |
|Bullying |Low self-esteem- This could be caused by thing being said making them feel bad about themselves or someone |
| |doing something to make them feel low. It could also make them feel like they do not look nice which would to |
| |low self-image and low self-concept. |
| |Shyness- This could be caused if they then start to feel like no one likes them and everyone feels the same if|
| |they are going through verbal abuse feel like they are on there own. |
| |Threatened or attempt suicide- This could be caused by them feeling safer to not be around like no one is |
| |there for them they are alone. |

|Concerns that a colleague is : |Give a description of the action to be taken in response |
|Failing to comply with safeguarding procedures |If you see any of this happening in nursery then you must report to safeguarding officer at the|
| |nursery or if it is them not complying with the safeguarding procedures then you would have to |
| |report straight to LADO if it is the colleague that is harming a child or Social Services. |
|Harming, abusing or bullying a child or young person |If this happens in your nursery then you would have to report straight to safeguarding officer |
| |who would report it to LADO. |

2. Complete the following table.

6. Describe the principles and boundaries of confidentiality and when to share information.

The principles and boundaries of confidentiality when sharing information is to only share any with parents and key workers for the children’s concerns. You may need to refer a child to social services with out parents consent if you feel the child is in danger of harm and abuse. You would inform the parent after the report to tell them what as happened and this is included in the safeguarding policy. If a child tells you that they have found something exciting in the play area you can keep that a secret, but if they are asking can you keep a something secret that they are upset about needs treating with care. Any personal information on a child has to be kept on a password protected computer or in a locked file.

Assignment 008 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people

Task B

Complete the following table.

|Common childhood illnesses |Signs and symptoms |Actions to take |
|1. Common cold |Sneezing, sore throat, runny nose, headache, temperature. |Rest, plenty of fluids, encourage child to blow nose. |
|2. Chicken Pox |Fever, very itchy rash with blister type appearance. |Calamine to stop itching. |
|3. Measles |At first high fever, runny nose and eyes, later cough, white spots in |Rest, fluids, tepid sponging, medical attention. |
| |mouth blotchy red rash on body and face. | |
|4. Tonsillitis |Very sore throat, fever, headache, aches and pains. |Rest, fluids, medical attention as antibiotics may be |
| | |needed. |
|5. Mumps |Pain swelling of jaw, painful swallowing, fever, (maybe swollen testes in|Fluids. |
| |boys). | |

Complete a five point action plan to follow if a child is suffering from any or all of the following signs and symptoms: Severe headache, feeling nauseous, raised temperature, sensitivity to light, raised rash or spots.

|Actions to take |
|1. Report to manager. Calm / reassuring. |
|2. Glass test. |
|3. “999” |
|4. Ring child’s parents / Get child’s info whilst on phone. |
|5. Take child to a quiet area. |

Complete the following table showing what actions to take in an emergency.

|Emergency |Action to take |
|Fires |Raise alarm / call “999”. Stay calm, get the register, gather children, check |
| |area, evacuate, do not enter, go to meeting point, count / register children / |
| |staff then wait until told to enter. |
|Security incident |If it at the door then you would start by: Don’t recognise then report, ask for |
| |password, don’t know it do not let them in then “999” if convenient. |
|Missing child or young people |Search 10mins / Ensure ALL children are safe, speak to staff, report to manager, |
| |“999”, parents, report to OFSTED. |

Assignment 008 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people

Task C

Complete the table below showing the procedures to follow if there is evidence or are concerns that a child or young person has been, is being or is at risk of being abused, harmed or bullied.

|Number |Actions to take if a child or young person IS/HAS BEEN abused, harmed or |Actions to take if a child or young person IS AT RISK OF BEING |
| |bullied |abused, harmed or bullied |
|1. |Report to safeguarding officer. |Monitor child. |
|2. |Incident report, nature, area, date, time, details-child, who, recorded it.|Report / Incident report. |
|3. |Investigate in setting. |Investigate in setting. |
|4. |Report LADO / Social services / Police |Report s/s. |