1. Early Years Safeguarding Briefing January 28th 9. 30-12
Early Years Safeguarding Briefing January 28th Ceri Mcateer – EY Safeguarding Adviser Tel:
This is an information sharing session and does not count as update training

2. Welcome
Housekeeping
Aim of the session: To provide safeguarding updates and information to CP Leads and managers of settings.

3. Child Protection for Early Years Practitioners 28th January 2013
Anouska Inns
Referral Team

4. Responsibilities of Professionals in Early Years Setting
All practitioners have a responsibility to put the welfare of children first and to keep updated on local child protection policies and procedures
Early Years Practitioners should have access to child protection policies and procedures

5. The Local Picture in Swindon Referral Team October 2012
0 Looked After Children
10 Children subject to a CP Plan
150 Contacts to the Referral Team
130 Initial Assessments

6. Guidance Working Together 2010 www.swcpp.org.ukww.swindonlscb.org.uk
Eileen Munroe Report
LSCB Websites

7. Swindon Contact Details
Referral team
EDS
LSCB website

8. Factors
Factors that make parents more likely to abuse
Factors that make children more vulnerable to abuse
Children with disabilities
Domestic Violence/Abuse

9. Child Abuse and Significant Harm Children Act (Section 47) 1989
Ill treatment or the impairment of a child’s physical health, or mental health or their development
‘Development’ means physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioral development
‘Health’ means physical or mental health
‘Ill treatment’ includes sexual abuse and forms of ill treatment which are not physical

10. Neglect
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.

11. Continued
Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:
provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home and abandonment);
protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger;
ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or
ensure access to appropriate medical care and treatment.
It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

12. Physical Abuse
Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

13. Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing.

14. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

15. Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children.

16. Continued
These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyber bullying), causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

17. What happens when you pick up the phone or you have a concern about a child?
Consultation – advice and information
Referral – making a formal referral

18. Introducing the Team Referral duty team consist of:
Three Advice & Information Officers
Three Social Workers
One Duty Manager

19. Suspicion of Abuse –Ask Yourself Some Questions before making a referral
What information do I have?
Do I have any evidence?
What do I see?
Has the child disclosed to me about abuse?
Injuries and explanation don’t add up?
Is this child’s behaviour or appearance causing me concern?

20. Evidence of Abuse? What do you do?
Inform the child’s parent or carer you will be contacting social care (unless you feel the child is at risk by doing so)
Be clear about your reasons for referring
Contact social care ( all verbal referrals must be followed up in writing within 24/48 hours)
Record all your findings, discussions with social care and actions accurately

21. Completing the Referral Form (RF1)RF1
Ideally complete the referral form with the parent (ring referral team to advise you if you don’t feel you should let parents know)
Attach any CAF’s that have been completed
Be clear with the information you have Who, what, why, when, how. Try to keep information factual

22. Completing the RF1 (con..)
Fax or RF1 to the Referral Team (463003). Please phone in advance to advise the team that this is on it’s way
Contact numbers of parents are required on the RF1
Let Ceri McAteer know of any child protection concerns on
RF1

23. Referral Made What Happens Next?
Social care will make a decision within 24 hours of the action to be taken – Could be advice/signposting/CAF/TAC
The information you provide may form the first part of the Initial Assessment which must be completed within 7 (10) working days
If your concerns meet the criteria, Section 47 investigation will commence
Strategy discussion will take place with other agencies as appropriate

24. Summary Child protection is your responsibility
You are accountable for your own actions
Access training for you and your staff
Know where the policies are and keep them updated
Contribute to CP conference even if you cannot attend
If in doubt seek advice from the named professionals or Social Care

25. Keeping Child Protection Records
“Working Together to Safeguard Children”2010 states “staff have a crucial role to play in helping identify welfare concerns and indicators of possible abuse or neglect at an early stage”
Good record keeping is essential for two main reasons;
It helps settings identify causes for concern at an early stage.
It helps settings to monitor and manage safeguarding practices
1 It is often the case that only when a few minor concerns are put together as a whole picture that safeguarding or CP concerns become apparent
2 Crucial when liaising with other agencies to be able to record accurate times, dates etc

26. What records should be kept?
A record should be made of any concern or suspicion that gives staff cause for concern as well as any disclosure or allegation made.
Even if the information does not appear to be significant at the time, it may contribute to a “jigsaw” picture of abuse that should not be ignored.

27. How to record concerns
Records should be factual, using the child’s own words.
Professional opinion can be given as long as it is supported by fact eg Jack appeared angry because he was kicking the table.
Staff should make a written account of any concerns regarding the welfare or well-being of a child. Sample disclosure incident form
If a copy of the pro forma is not available, record concerns on a piece of paper, these can be transferred onto the pro-forma at a later date, both copies of the record should be retained.

28. How to record concerns (continued)
All recorded concerns should be shared with the CP Lead as soon as possible, this may be verbally at first and in writing as soon as possible after.
If there hasn’t been a specific incident that has made you concerned try to be specific about what makes you feel worried
Avoid specialist jargon or acronyms that other agencies may not understand eg ASD, SENCO.
It is important to record what actions result from the information.
Never promise a child that you will keep information they share with you confidential.

29. How CP files should be stored
Separate from other records securely
The file should have a front sheet
The file should have a chronology
The file should be started as soon as a setting has concerns.
The CP file should contain all reports, notes, conference minutes etc relating to that child.
There should be a reference on developmental file to CP file, this can serve as a reminder when files are being transferred
Concerns may be from a disclosure, a concern by a member of staff, information from another setting or agency.
CP files should only be accessed by designated person in the setting.

30. Access to CP Files
Any child/parent of child has a right to access files unless to do so would put the child in further danger or prejudice a criminal investigation.
It is good practice to share all concerns /reports with parents (unless there is a valid reason not to do so)
All information should be shared with Children’s Social Care, Police and Health as appropriate
CP information should not normally be shared with non-statutory agencies eg solicitors unless advice has been sought.
Requests by parents to access CP files should be put in writing.
Conference reports should be shared with parents before the conference.

31. Transfer of Files
When a child leaves your setting, files should be transferred to new setting within 14 days. A photocopy of the files should be sent, separate from other files in an envelope marked confidential. See “Transfer of information” form.
If a child with CP concerns leaves a setting without informing you of where they are going inform referral team immediately
If a child leaves and there are CP records but no social care involvement retain records for a period of 5 years.
Guidance on how long records should be retained.

32. Monitoring of files Settings should monitor their own CP files.
They should be checking for a front sheet and chronology.
A reference to CP files on general files.
Cross reference to other family members.
The quality of information recorded ie legibility, detail, times dates etc.
The accuracy of recording concerns.
Details of staff involved
Actions taken and outcomes
Copies of any referrals

33. Local and National Updates

34. Websites

35. New training session for CP Leads/Managers
“New Child Protection Lead’s briefing”- Looking at the role of the Child Protection Lead - Tuesday 5th February pm

36. Disclosure and Barring Service
The CRB and ISA have now merged into a new body called the DBS. It will not represent a change to the services which you receive, it just means that they will be provided by one organisation rather than two

37. Portable criminal records checks (being introduced shortly)
Employees and volunteers will be able to apply just once to the DBS for a criminal records check certificate and then go online for an instant check to find out if their current certificate is still valid.
This will avoid the need for individuals to apply for multiple checks.
The service will be free for volunteers

38. Legal requirements for administering medication in registered childcare
You must have a written policy on giving medication
If a parent/carer asks you to administer medicine they must give you written permission (for each medicine, not every time it is given)
“medicines should not normally be administered unless prescribed by a doctor, dentist or pharmacist”- the word “prescribed” has been interpreted to include medicines “recommended “by any of these people and would include over the counter medicines such as those for fever relief, teething gel etc
A record must be kept every time a medicine is administered

39. Le Legal requirements for administering medication in registered childcare
Medication should only be administered when requested to do so by a parent and only if there is a health reason to do so
Medicines containing aspirin should only be administered when prescribed by a doctor
It is good practice to get parents to sign medicines form when you inform them what medicines have been administered
Specific medical training may be required before administering some medications eg injections
Asthma inhalers do not need specific training but written instructions must be obtained from parent

40. Huw Ford – SBC IT Manager
E Safety

41. Evaluation Thank you for coming
Evaluation Thank you for coming. I hope you have found the session useful. Please fill out an evaluation form before you leave.