Current Legislation and Guidelines for Safeguarding Children
Safeguarding is considered as one of the most important as well as sensitive issues of today. Most of the countries have realized the importance rather the necessity of safeguarding the children and young people. On the other words, it can be said that safeguarding can be accepted as one of the best initiatives that the nation take in order to keep safe the countrymen especially for the people who are unable to keep them safe by themselves such as children, young people and even the elderly people. This assignment is concerned of the safeguarding, protection and welfare of the children. Making safe all the children of a nation is not a flimsy issue rather in order to make activate the safeguarding regime, the respected government has enabled number of legislations through which a better outcome can be expected. With restless efforts of the organisations, individuals and the government ensuring a better world for the children is possible.
1.1 Summarize current legislation and guidelines for the safeguarding, protection and welfare of children.
Legislation is accepted as the best tool through which a nation can direct and maintain its countrymen in the right track. On the other words, it can be said that it is the duty of the government to ensure that all the countrymen are getting equal facilities and protection. And in order to perform the duties, the government has enabled bunch of legislation. In the next lines, the most relevant acts, legislations are summarized.
? Working together to safeguard children (2013) – “Working together to safeguard children (2013)” was introduced into the force on 15th April, 2013. With the same title, in 2010, a document was released but it is getting accepted as the updated version. According to this statutory guidance, the organisations and the individuals should enable a proper working regime in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children. The framework of this opinion is about the children and their families who are in need (2000). And this regime falls under the 11th section of the Children Act 2004 (2007). Generally the statutory guidance focuses on the legal requirements (Peckover and Trotter, 2015)
? What to do if you are worried a child is being abused (2006) – this is a non-statutory guidance and was introduced into the genre in order to make responsible the people who are directly and indirectly connected with the children through their work such as social care, education, health care, the police and the adult services. Here the responsible people need to follow four principles such as-
- All the children have the right to remain safe from any kind of abuse and neglect
- Safeguarding the children is considered as the responsibility of all the countrymen
- The issues related to the child abuse should get solved as early as possible unless it can take a more complicated form
- All the agencies should enable the co-ordinate responses in order to support and protect the children and families
Along with these principles an individual can take right step during the requirement. Generally, there are four steps through it is possible to identify and response to the potential abuse or neglect-
Better alertness> Question behaviors> Ask for help> refer
? Children’s act (2004) (emphasis on multi agency working) – according to this Act, safeguarding is the responsibility of all the people and it takes most important form when it comes to safeguarding the children. Actually, safeguarding is a wide idea and it can get achieved only through the various outcomes for the children and young people. Here few facts such as education, health, development, and economic circumstances get incorporated. In order to improve the living condition of the children this Act generally acts as a legislative spine.
Roles and Responsibilities of Early Years Practitioners for Safeguarding Children
?Protection of children act (1999) – this act was introduced into the genre in order to notify the regulated childcare organisations to maintain a statutory duty in order to reveal the names, with whom they are facing complications to promote and maintain proper safeguarding for children for possible insertion in poCA list.
? The disclosure and barring service (DBS) – when the concern comes to children and young people then an organisation has some legal obligations in order to make it sure that all the employees are suitable to perform in close proximity to children and young adults. And in order to check the ability or the employee is suitable or not the use of DBS checking is enhanced.
1.3 Analyzes how current legislation and guidelines for safeguarding inform policy and procedures.
Policy and procedures are there to offer proper guidance in order to accelerate the steps to perform the best task according the circumstance criteria. It is also noticed that here the regime of information recording and managing the complaints are also important in order to ensure the implementation and compliance. But here the current legislation plays a pivotal role or it can be said that policies and procedures are in right track because of the right implementation of legislation. According to the assignment criteria, in the following lines, five legislations are discussed (Humphreys and Bradbury?Jones, 2015)
Equalities Act 2010- this Equality Act 2010 has brought together 116 separated pieces of legislation into one single Act. And all of these in one alignment ensure the rights and advance equality for all the people. Generally, it concentrates on the portions where an individual is not getting his/her proper facilities according the right. Discrimination can get properly judged more closely when it comes to safeguarding the children. Favoritism cannot be accepted to an organisation or any framework which has aimed to serve the children. The organisations should ensure the appropriate staff setting, provide them proper training and warning to perform their task without considering any discrimination.
Health and Safety at work Act (1992/1999) – according to this Act, here the risk assessment is accepted as one of the most important parts. Related organisations with more or less employee support need to record the identification of the risk assessment. Actually, the organisations should enable proper training regime and there is a need of a competent person in order to ensure that all the employees are properly aware of their roles and responsibilities and what to do exactly in an emergency. In order to make the regime activated maintaining proper duty of employers to the staff, display H& S at work poster, proper monitoring of risk assessments and health and safety representative support is important (Richards and Gallagher, 2017)
Medicines Act 1996- Medicines Act is there to protect the children. When the need of medicine came to meet then prescribed medicine are the utmost need. But in case of non-medically qualified person the consent of the parents is important. The organisation should provide proper training to its non-medical employees to gain a sound knowledge on medicine and its application.
How Current Legislation Informs Policy and Procedures
Child care Act 2006- this act was introduced into the genre in order to form condition about the duties and power of the related local authorities and other bodies in the United Kingdom in order to improve the wellbeing of the young children. With the introduction of this Act, the related authorities can define its new duties in order to improve the every child matter outcomes, childcare for working parents and information services for the parents (Szilassy et al. 2017).
The Children Act 2004- presently it is accepted as the basis for official administration of thee related organisation sin in order to help the children. And here automatically all the local government functions which aim children welfare and education get incorporated. The main purpose of the introduction of this Act is to better control the official intervention when the interest is on the children (Daniel et al, 2015)
2.1 Explain the roles and responsibilities of the early years’ practitioner in relation to the safeguarding protection and welfare of children.
- When it comes to safeguarding then all the related individuals of the care unit need to play some roles and these roles are really important in order to care and protect the children of the community. In the next lines, the utmost roles are discussed.
- The applied regime is in the right track or not it can get best evaluated only though the close supervision. Actually it is noticed that children often cannot express their actual feelings or sufferings and that’s why in order to care and heal them enabling proper supervision regime is important.
- Comforting the children is another great thing and with the development of trust relationship between the care given and the children, treating the children through the better regime is possible. A comfortable person and an environment is important in order to understand the mental setting of the children.
- All the care organisations should avail the employees who have proper knowledge on health and safety policy. And the management should also be able to running the policies according to the need of the children and organisation.
- It is an all agreed fact that evaluating the potential risks is truly important and it become more vital when it comes to child care units.
- The common assessment framework is important to perform the required task in the appropriate manner. And this can get perfectly accelerated when the organisations follow the procedures and apply for safeguarding children.
- In a working atmosphere any kind of incident can take place and which can directly and indirectly affect the regime and that’s why keeping record and reporting the facts and incidents is really important.
- Proper safeguarding training is another important feature and through it a care organisation can make its employees more responsible about their roles.
2.2 Describe the lines of reporting and responsibility to meet the safeguarding, protection and welfare of children.
According to EYFs having proper safeguarding setting in all the care units is really important. But safeguarding is not a single task rather it can be accepted as an alignment of a lot of tasks, which only aim the protection, safeguarding and wellbeing of the children (Price and Spencer, 2015). Why safeguarding has become this much important to a nation may be a matter of wonder and in order to highlight the reasons it can be said that the sufferings and increasing crime to the children and young people of a nation have gained the attention of the government. In order to make a nation stronger and to keep well the nation, a government may introduce the safeguarding regime. Safeguarding is not a single task and it cannot get performed by a single organisation or only by the government. With the proper help of implemented legislation, care units and even the responsible individuals enabling proper safeguarding for the children is possible.
2.3 Explain the boundaries of confidentiality in relation to the safeguarding, protection and welfare of children.
Actually, according to the Data Protection Act 1998, the personal information should remain properly stored when it comes to safeguarding a child. And in order to attend the child’s welfare often the detailed data gets required by the professional care suppliers. In order to make the process hassle free, the detailed data of the child should keep separately so that it can get properly placed in front of the professional in order to accelerate the wellbeing of that child. But this detailed data should not get discussed outside of the setting (Waterhouse, 2015).
2.4 Analyse the benefits of partnership working in the context of safeguarding, protection and welfare of children.
In the earlier portions, it is mentioned that safeguarding is not a single task rather it requires help from all the level of a community. The government cannot make it run alone if the care organisation does not show any interest on it or help the government. In order to offer better safeguarding to the children of the nation, a care organisation needs to work with the government and follow the legislation and policies. With the proper guidance and permission, an organisation can merge to the root of the problem and it is really helpful to solve a safeguarding problem instantly. On the contrary, having better relationship of an organisation with the health visitors, parents, dietician, social workers counselors make more prominent partnership and this is really important for the safeguarding children.
Confidentiality Boundaries
3.1 Explain child protection in relation to safeguarding
Child protection and safeguarding are the most serious topics of today. Abuse of the children is not accepted in a society although it is taking place in the community (Waterhouse and McGhee, 2015). Abuse, neglect, ill-treatment all of these are really harmful for a child and it can make his/her life complicated. But all of these can get best protected through the proper safeguarding regime. Thorough the proper safeguarding setting enabling proper protection is possible. When all the people remain aware of the protection of the children then the society automatically offers better place and setting to the children.
3.2 Describe signs, symptoms, indicators and behaviours that may cause concern relating to:
Domestic abuse- the children who have suffered the domestic abuse can be of following signs, symptoms, indicators and behaviors (Jude, 2018).
Signs- aggressiveness in nature,
Symptom- low to high anti-social behavior
Indicator- generally suffer from anxiety or depression
Behavior- poor performance in the school or any field due to continuous interruption (domestic abuse)
Neglect- avoiding a child by the parents or leaving him/her alone in home for a long time can result in such issue.
Signs- poor appearance and hygiene
Symptom- many problems in health and development
Indicators- problems in house and family
Behavior- sleeping and eating disorder, over anxious, wets the bed and even the self harm thoughts
Physical abuse- with only one or two signs it cannot get assumed that the child is suffering through physical abuse as all the children face some small and medium accidents during play. But there are few signs, symptoms which need to care properly (Richard and Gallagher, 2017).
Signs- bite marks, fracture or broken bones, bruises
Symptoms- fears to talk with anyone, abnormal tension
Indicators- nightmares, sudden change in behavior
Behavior- poor performance in school, criminal risk taking behavior and drug and alcohol problems
Emotional abuse- it is also another important issue which all the responsible individuals should care about.
Signs- over affectionate towards the strangers, poor confidence level
Symptoms- act of adulthood, isolated from the parents
Indicators-anxious activity, sleeping disorder
Behavior-self harm thoughts, making distance from the known one
Sexual abuse-
Signs- avoid staying alone or with any other individual, frightened of a particular person
Symptoms & Indicators- anal or vaginal soreness, STI, pregnancy (unwanted)
Behavior- promiscuous behavior, over activeness in sexuality at a young age (Peckover and Trotter, 2015).
3.3 Describe actions to take if harm or abuse is suspected and /or disclosed
If it is about suspect of abuse or harm then the individual who is in charge should properly show the concern to the child. In order to make the child comfortable, he/she should assure the child not to having any fear. Gaining the trust of the child is also important. The regime should get accelerated with proper recording setting. It is also noticed that cross examine can terrorize a child. Whatever the outcome is, it should get properly discussed with the safeguarding officer. And the judgment can vary on various conditions (Jude, 2018).
Partnership Working in Safeguarding Children
3.4 Explain the rights of children and parents/ carers in situation where harm or abuse is suspected or alleged.
If a child has undergone several abuses then it is a completely sensitive situation and the child should get cared properly. But the child can get proper justice and treatment and in order to avail that having proper awareness of the rights of a child is important for the care units and each responsible human being. After the harm, the child should not get called from several medical examinations unless it can traumatize her/him. After that the child should get proper protection and if he/she found his/her home to live comfortably then the authority should enable that regime (Jones, 2017).
When it comes to the right of the parents then the parents have the right to express their own opinion but if the child is still suffering then the parents have no immediate rights.
3.5 Explain the responsibilities of the early year’s practitioner in relation to whistle blowing.
Whistle blowing is indeed a very important aspect when it is about safeguarding the children from the harms and abuse (Brown et al. 2017). And in order to accelerate the process, the practitioner needs to be aware and follow the related policies and procedures according to the setting. The poor practice or any incident related to child abuse should get properly reported to the high authorities by the practitioner as early as possible. The regime is completely supported and protected by the supervisor or manager.
4.1 Explain why serious case reviews are required
Serious case review takes place when the situation gets beyond control such as death of a child or very critical condition of a child. The main intentions of serious case review are highlighted and keep in concern the lesions, better promotion of safeguarding in all the levels of a society setting and proper establishment of the lesions. (Ammerman et al. 2015)
4.2 Analyse how serious case reviews inform practice
Actually, it is noticed that the responsible professionals here need to understand the exact incidents or concepts of each incident and identify the potential changes in order to prevent such tragedies to the children (Reddy and Minnaar, 2015). Here serious case review can help best as it merges towards the root of problem. The setting should also be favor of child care and for instance it can be stated that keeping the phone at a particular place during the work (by the professional) can create a better awareness among the children about discipline.
Conclusion
After the long discussion, the assignment has reached its conclusion point. Thorough the entire assignment it is getting clear that safeguarding is one of the most important initiatives by the government and it become more sensitive when it comes to the children and young people. Safeguarding is not a single task and the government cannot perform it alone if there is no help from the care units. On the contrary, it can be said that care units cannot perform the safeguarding task if there is no help from the government. Lastly it can be said that safeguarding the children of a nation is the utmost duty of every person of that nation.
Reference List
Achenbach,TM, 2001. Manual for the ASEBA school-age: Forms & profiles. Burling. Emotional Abuse of Children: Essential Information, 114(3), p.191.
Brown, L., Lei, J. and Strydom, M., 2017. Comparing International Approaches to Safeguarding Children: Global Lesson Learning. Child Abuse Review, 26(4), pp.247-251.
Daniel, B., Cooper, A., Tisdall, K., Hart, J., Spratt, T., Pösö, T., Arney, F., McDougall, S., Bromfield, L., Lorenz, W. and Montgomery, H., 2015. Challenging Child Protection: New Directions in Safeguarding Children. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Jude, N., 2018. The W Word: Witchcraft Labelling and Child Safeguarding in Social Work Practice, Prospera Tedam and Awura Adjoa. The British Journal of Social Work.
Humphreys, C. and Bradbury?Jones, C., 2015. Domestic abuse and safeguarding children: Focus, response and intervention. Child Abuse Review, 24(4), pp.231-234.
Szilassy, E., Drinkwater, J., Hester, M., Larkins, C., Stanley, N., Turner, W. and Feder, G., 2017. Making the links between domestic violence and child safeguarding: an evidence?based pilot training for general practice. Health & social care in the community, 25(6), pp.1722-1732.
Peckover, S. and Trotter, F., 2015. Keeping the focus on children: the challenges of safeguarding children affected by domestic abuse. Health & social care in the community, 23(4), pp.399-407.
Price, J. and Spencer, S., 2015. Safeguarding children from destitution: Local authority responses to families with ‘no recourse to public funds’. June, Oxford: COMPAS (www. compas. ox. ac. uk/fileadmin/files/Publications/Reports/PR-2015-No_Recourse_Public_Funds_LAs. pdf).
Reddy, E. and Minnaar, A., 2015. Safeguarding children from becoming victims of online sexual abuse facilitated by virtual worlds. Child abuse research in South Africa, 16(1), pp.23-39.
Richards, C. and Gallagher, S., 2017. Common Vigilance: A Perspective On the Role of the Community in Safeguarding Children. Contemporary Issues in Childhood: A Bio-Ecological Approach, pp.84-93.
Waterhouse, L. and McGhee, J., 2015. Introduction–Challenging Child Protection and Safeguarding Children. Challenging Child Protection: New Directions in Safeguarding Children. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp.9-18.
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