Safeguarding Quiz

What are the key themes from child deaths?

• Social worker blamed• Shortage of carers/respite• Child already known to S/S• Missed opportunities• Angry/resistant families• Taking parents at their word• Climate of fear• Perpetrator known to / within family• Insufficient training of staff• Snapshot/brief visits/sporadic• Not seeing the child• Already been to hospital• Poor management/supervisory support• Information not shared.• Lack of coordination / cooperation• Lack of MAW• Moving house• Lack of staff/resources

What are the key features of current children’s services in regards to:

1. The modern task force

2. Casework

3. Health

1. Significance – each role is recognised Recording – each role recognised MAW involved New staff – protected – probationary year2. good supervision regular 121 contact meetings understand the issues direction/signposting3. Staffs health held in high regard safeguarding paramount agency accountability

• What is significant about the 1989 education act in regards to safeguarding and multi agency working?

• Section 10 of the 1989 children act mandated that agencies had the right to request help from other agencies if it benefited the services users in their care.

• This included cooperation regarding enquiries into significant harm, stating that local authorities have a duty to make enquiries to whether action should be taken. Section 47 (9-11)

• What is significant harm?

• Significant harm is the harm / ill treatment / impairment of heath or development of a young person or child. (including impairment caused by seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another) Whether the harm is significant is determined by the comparison of a child’s health and development with that which could reasonably be expected of a similar child.

• What happened after V. Climbie’s death?

• Independent enquiry made• Report by L. Laming made 108

recommendations• Report demonstrated a ‘gross failure of the

system of public agencies responsible for safeguarding children’.

• ECM green paper created 2003• Strong focus on working together, training

needs, LSCB, • 1989 CA updated to 2004 CA to include

changes.

What is the importance of assessment when working with C, YP, and their families?

• When ECM Green paper and the 2004 CA were established, it meant that legislation regarding the working methods within children’s services were amended. Assessment was now seen as an essential part of working with children and young people as:– It gave practitioners a holistic (Holistic assessment means checking up

the entire system of a person - physical condition, mental, emotional, perhaps even social condition ) tool to identify a child’s need before reaching a crisis point.

– It ensured important needs weren’t overlooked– It provided common structure to record and facilitate information that all

practitioners could use.– It provides evidence of facilitated requests.– Reduces unnecessary referrals– Allows specialist services to focus their resources where they are

needed the most.

What are the three focal areas within assessment and their sub areas?

What principles underpin assessment?

• Child centred• Rooted in child development• Ecological• Work in partnership• Build on strengths• Identify Difficulties• Multi agency• Continuing process• Parallel with other actions• Ground in evidence based practice

Why is emotional warmth significant when assessing?

• It is very difficult to review and evidence. A message from research stated that dangerous families are low on warmth and high on criticism.

What does assessment require in regards to social care?

• Knowledge• Planning• Direction• Sincere and clear instruction• Enabling people to describe their circumstances• Involvement• Use of reflection / supervision• Understanding of confidentiality• Good recording skills

What is the statutory sector?

• This is the sector which consists of public bodies, funded by the government who have a legal responsibility to the country.

How does the statutory system function?

• Every agency within the statutory sector is governed by a central government dept and acts of parliament.

• Legislation interlinks between different departments

• QUANGOs are the non departmental public bodies which check the agencies at the grassroots are operating according to the 3 Es (economy, efficiency, effectiveness) e.g.: ofsted, Audit commission, CSCI, HM inspectorate for prisons

What is the role of child commissioner?

• The children’s commissioner is Al Aynsley Green. He is there to represent the views of C and YP in central government. He ensures that there are regular inspections of children’s services by joint working between CSCI (commission for social care inspections) OFSTED and others.

What are Children’s Trusts?

• Children’s trusts are local partnerships which bring together the organisations responsible for CYP&F in a shared commitment for improvement. Directors of CS lead C’s Ts & collaborate with PCTs, police, Probation, YOT, connexions and the Learning skills and council. They work together to create targets in the local area.

What are children’s services authorities?

• Children’s service authorities are a merge of social services overseen by a director of children’s services. This included raising educational standards, keeping children safe, looking after children in care and coordinating and developing help for children with special needs.

• What is the independent sector? What is its relevance within children’s services?

• is another name for the non-profit or voluntary sector. This includes any agencies which don’t work for profit and support children’s services.

• Statutory agencies are required to work with the independent sector. The They support social workers in a huge way as families are much happier to approach them. They also help when statutory agencies fail, such as outreach work and helping homeless children or those who have left the care system.

• There are also businesses in the independent sector who work for profit and support children’s services. These include independent fostering, registered childminders, private tutors, and private health clinics.

• THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS STILL APPLY!

• What is the legislation behind collaboration between the statutory and independent sector?

• Working together 2006 –

Working Together to Safeguard Children sets out how individuals and organisations should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

What are collaborative projects? What is their role?

• Collaborative projects are MAW services which have been favoured by the government since 1997.

• They were initiated in areas of deprivation to help hard to reach families access services more efficiently.

• Sure start works with 0-5 years as a 1 stop shop. It is ironically used by better off families and easy to reach parents.

• On track works with c&yp 4-12 who are at risk of truancy/delinquency which may stem from neglect/abuse.

• Connexions is a universal service for teenagers.

What did the school standards and framework act initiate?

• Classified schools into 4 types, differentiating mainstream schools and specialist schools.

• It removed the right for schools to practice corporal punishment.

• It instituted home-school agreements in respect of school attendance and homework.

What did the education act of 1996 initiate?

• National curriculum which included personal-social-health education

• It established pupil referral units for special needs pupils. (statements done by ed. Psychologists and SENCOs.

• It allows EWOs to apply to court for a school attendance.

• What did the Education act of 2005 initiate?

• Reinforced the role of ofsted• Created a training and development agency for

education professionals• Imposed a duty on schools to prioritise

admissions of looked after children.• Required schools to have personal education

plans for looked after children.• Schools must submit to joint area reviews which

consider how far they are catering for looked after children.

What did the children act of 2004 create?

• Children’s service authorities

• What did the crime and disorder act of 1998 allow?

• Police and EWOs to take ‘truancy sweeps’ to return truants to home and school, reducing the risk of crime.

• Introduced ‘parenting orders’ in which the court can impose upon a parent whose child continues to truant. Breaching this is a criminal offence and can result in a fine or community sentence.

• What did the anti social behaviour act of 2003 introduce?

• Parenting contracts which head teachers draw up with parents which draws teachers into the net of social control.

• What are behaviour improvement programmes?

• The BiP is aimed at improving poor behaviour and attendance in schools where these issues form significant barriers to learning and pupil progress .

• The BiP is one of the central elements of the Government's strategy to improve behaviour and attendance in schools and is an integral part of the drive to raise standards. It is also intended to contribute to the Government's strategy to reduce street crime.

• Features of the BIP include BEST, (behaviour and education support teams) Pupil referral units (PRUs are a type of school, set up and run by LAs to provide education for children who cannot attend school . — those who cannot attend school because of medical problems, teenage mothers and pregnant schoolgirls, pupils who have been assessed as being school phobic, and pupils awaiting a school place. They do also provide education for pupils who have been excluded and they can be used to provide short placements for those who are at risk of exclusion. ) LSUs, counselling and special projects.

• Why was the extended schools programme created?

• To open schools to the wider community and making school resources available to adults. (sports, computer classes, adult education, parenting programmes)

• The aim is to reduce stigma associated with social services.

• What is the 1990 NHS and community care act?

• The gateway to health and s/s for adults with special needs on account of illness, impairment, pregnancy and old age.

• It gives people universal rights to access general health care. (GPs, A&E)

• What did the mental health act 2007 implicate in regards to social services?

• It allowed approved mental health practitioners to check the compulsory measures taken by medical staff and allowed them to ‘rescue’ patients who are being neglected/abused in the community. Social workers typically arrange after care services.

• What professionals work in the different tiers of CAMHS? (Child and adolescent mental health services?)

• What does CAMHS do?

• Deals with children/adolescents who suffer from a range of problems:– ADHD– Attachment disorders– Autistic Spectrum disorders– Self harm– Psychotic episodes– Substance misuse

• CAMHS specialises in therapeutic treatments but may also administer drug treatments.

• What is a child in need conference?

• A meeting to arrange a package of services to children & families which is usually multi-professional for children with disabilities or families in crisis, with key worker appointed from any agency.

• What is a child protection conference?

• A meeting to determine if child has suffered significant harm and if so what action needs to be taken, with CP plan and key worker who will usually be a QSW.

• What is a young offender conference?

• A meeting to set out a plan of support to CYP and parents and also to establish contract for attending school and avoiding crime or drug use, with key worker from YOT

• What is family group conferencing?

• FGC is alternative to conventional case conferences and is used by some LAs. It comes from NZ where SW practice was deemed oppressive by native Maori tribes. DoH has recommended it for co-ordinating multiple services for complex child in need cases and for co-ordinating the core assessment in the aftermath of case conferences. YOTs are increasingly using it in the service of restorative justice, and the victim will also be involved in these cases. The typical format may change according to context --:

1. The co-ordinator is independent of SSD and family. She has to identify all the key players in family & community & professional networks and invite them to the conference. She has veto power to exclude ‘dangerous’ people.

2. CYP may have an advocate 3. All meet together to agree the problem (usually already decided by case conference); then family

is left alone to decide how best to protect the child; what they can do themselves; where they need help from professionals; they can call in co-ordinator if they get stuck.

4. Professionals return to the meeting and family explain their action plan to professionals and ask for what assistance they need. Professionals will try to deliver the assistance but they do have veto-power if they believe that the family’s action-plan is inadequate

5. Follow up conference to see how things are going : is more assistance needed? Is it safe for professionals to pull out? Or has the child been harmed again? Or has the young person got into more trouble?

• Research shows that in 90% of cases the extended family does offer some material and social support, and in 30% of cases this includes offer of temporary home to child. The main problem is that follow-up isn’t robust.

• What is a MAPP meeting?

• A multi agency planning pathway meeting. It concerns adults convicted of offences against children; police, probation, SSD get together to decide how best to protect CYP and the public from the person if he is given a community sentence or if he is about to be released from prison.