1. DSCB Whole School Training Pack

2. Learning Outcomes When the training is completed you will be
Aware of legislation and national guidance relating to protecting and safeguarding children and young people
Understand what children and young people want and need to feel safe
Be aware of different forms of abuse
Be aware of possible signs and indicators of abuse and neglect
Know when and how to pass on a concern to the senior designated professional
Understand the issues from both local and national Serious Case Reviews

3. Sensitivity
We each carry our own experiences of being a child – during the training it is expected our agreement with each other will be to
Respect each other and our individual experiences
Keep any personal matter shared today private unless by doing so will be detrimental to a child
Be sensitive talking about our professional experiences as the subject often raises personal as well as professional issues for ourselves and each other.

4. Children Act 1989 Children in Need (s17)
Have a duty to investigate where there is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm (s47)

5. Section 17 What does it cover?
Impairment of health and development without the provision of services OR
The child is disabled
Duties of the Local Authority
Safeguarding and promote the welfare of the child
Promote up bringing with own family
Provide services appropriate to child’s need
Assess and provide services to child whose health and development is not as expected in partnership with parents.

6. Section 47 What does it cover?
The legislation does not talk about child abuse – it conceptualises it in terms of the outcome of the abuse for the child
Significant harm
Duties of the Local Authority
To make enquiries to enable them to decide whether they should take any action to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child.
Have a duty to investigate where there is reasonable cause to suspect that a chid is suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm.

7. Education Act 2002
Section 175 (2) A governing body of a maintained school shall make arrangements for ensuring that the functions relating to the conduct of the school are exercised with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children who are pupils at the school.

8. Safeguarding in Education
First circulated to schools in September 2004
Updated to include managing allegations of abuse against members of staff in June 2005
Developed to include requirements for safer recruitment in November 2005

9. Children Act 2004 Appointment of the children’s commissioner
A duty to co-operate using the 5 outcomes as measures
Local safeguarding children boards
Information sharing protocols
Director of children’s services
Inception of children’s trusts

10. Victoria Climbie Died in February 2000 aged 8 years old
Her ‘aunt’ and partner found guilty of murder and received life imprisonment in January 2001
Inquiry into Victoria’s life and death set up in April 2001
Inquiry chaired by Lord Laming
Report published in April 2003.

11. Findings Victoria was known to: 3 housing departments
4 social services departments
2 GP’s
2 hospitals
2 police child protection teams
1 NSPCC family centre
An unregistered child minder
Faith based organisations
‘The extent of the failure to protect Victoria was lamentable’
Lord Laming

12. J Children Serious Case Review Lack of information sharing
Inappropriate response to DV
Multiple services involved
Poor record keeping
Lack of understanding re Thresholds
Lack of engagement with father
Neglect????????

13. Background Lauren Wright 1994-2000
When Lauren died she had lost 4 stone and weighed only 2 stone
Often appeared with bruises, which were explained away
Lauren was killed by her step mother
Hansard text 24 April 2002

14. Lauren Wright
‘Lots of times, often she was covered with lots of small bruises and with major bruises about once a month. These included black eyes, bruising to her face and scratches across her back’ Class teacher ‘Her physical deterioration had been apparent for at least 5 months before she died’ Head teacher

15. What Went Wrong
Lauren’s step mother was a member of staff in the school.
The senior designated professional had left the school and the role had not been replaced.
A governor had offered to take on the role of senior designated professional
Lauren’s teacher had not received any child protection training.
Lauren’s step mother had told a paediatrician that Lauren was being bullied at school.
The school did not make a referral to children’s social care.

16. North Somerset Serious Case Review 2011
Class teacher committed and was charged with 36 sexual offences
Police uncovered 30,500 indecent photographs and 720 indecent movies
The youngest victim was aged 6

17. What Went Wrong?
The Teacher had worked in the school for 15 years, however within his first year colleagues had a variety of concerns.
30 incidents of inappropriate or unprofessional conduct were recorded in school but none were referred through the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

18. Everyone Has a Responsibility To:
Protect from maltreatment
Prevent impairment
Create opportunities to enable children to have optimum life chances in adulthood
Working together 2006

19. Safeguarding in School
Child protection
Anti bullying policy
Staff conduct
Attendance
Curriculum
Behaviour
Safer Recruitment
Whistle blowing
Allegations against staff – LADO
Health and Safety
Our building
eSafety

20. Categories for Child Protection Plans
Physical
Neglect
Types of abuse
Emotional
Sexual

21. Physical Abuse
Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning/scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent fabricates the symptoms of or deliberately induces illness in a child
Working Together 2006

22. Possible Signs of Physical Abuse
Runs away or fears going home
Aggressive behaviour
Reluctance to have parents contacted
Depression
Scalds
Injuries not treated or treated inadequately
Child flinches when approached
Injuries to parts of the body where accidental injury is unlikely
Bruising that reflects finger tops or hand marks
Reluctance to get changed for PE
Wanting arms and legs covered even in very hot weather
Broken bones
Cigarette burns
Bite marks
Ear injuries

23. Sexual Abuse
Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. It may involve physical contact, including penetrative or non penetrative acts. It may include non contact activities such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of pornographic material or watching sexual activities or encouraging children to behave sexually inappropriate ways.

24. Possible Signs of Sexual Abuse
Stomach pains when walking or sitting
Sudden unexpected changes in behaviour
Nightmares
Bedwetting
Running away from home
Fearful of someone
Self-harming
Recurrent genital discharge
Any sexual transmitted disease
Sexual drawings
Sexually inappropriate language
Not allowed to have friends
Pain, itching or bleeding of the genital areas.

25. 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 the child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate and valued in so far as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being placed on the child. Working Together 2006

26. Possible Signs of Emotional Abuse
Racial or other forms of harassment that regularly undermine a child’s self esteem
Telling a child you wish they were dead or hadn’t been born
Persistently being over protective
Constantly shouting at, threatening or demeaning a child
With holding love and affection
Regularly humiliating a child
Failure to thrive
Inability to cope with praise
Poor self esteem

27. Why Focus on Neglect?
Neglect cases provide particular challenges for professionals working with children & young people
Nationally neglect cases represent the highest proportion of children on child protection plans. Doncaster is mirroring this trend
Understanding of both the impact & the identification of neglect is severely lacking
10% of abuse cases in Britain are due to neglect

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

29. In groups:
Discuss a case that you believe neglect to be the main issue:
Identify on flip chart paper
Why you believe this is the case
Indicators

30. Deliberate Neglect or Lack of Understanding
Using the eCAF brings services together to meet the needs of the child/children
Allows for discussion about progress “when is enough, enough”
Detailed referral if thresholds are met

31. Factors Contributing to Neglect
Poor parenting of care givers
History of neglect / abused care givers
Care givers experience of care system / prison
Substance misuse
Mental illness / learning disability
Inability to nurture
Premature babies / low birth weight
Lack of bonding
Poor parenting skills

32. Factors Contributing to Neglect
Disorganisation / mismanagement
Domestic abuse
Social isolation
Frequent house moves
Failure to engage in services – missed appointments

33. Family Dynamics High stress levels Family violence
Unrealistic expectations of the child
Parents needs first
Scapegoating
Lack of boundaries
Financial problems

34. Impact on the Child Delayed development Lack of Stimulation
Behavioural problems
Aggression
Physical injury / abuse
Sexual abuse / inhibited sexuality
Poor hygiene
Hunger / feeding problems / inadequate diet
Failure to thrive
Health problems / inappropriate medical requests

35. Brain development in the first years of life
Babies are born with 25 per cent of their brains developed, and there is then rapid periods of development so that by the age of 3 their brains are 80 per cent developed.

36. The Effects of Extreme Deprivation on The Brain

37. Development doesn’t stop at age 3!
However research indicates that the most damage is done in the first 3 years of life.

38. Social and Economic benefits of intervening early
Early intervention that promotes social and emotional development can significantly improve mental and physical health, educational attainment and employment opportunities.
Early intervention can also help to prevent criminal (especially violent) behaviour, drug and alcohol misuse and teenage pregnancy

39. Parents actions are more important than who they are:
The right kind of parenting is a bigger influence on a child’s future than, wealth, class, education or any other common social factor.

40. Social Capabilities
A child will engage in give-and-take exchanges with an adult: will engage with other children: will demonstrate the ability to get along with others: will understand and respond to the emotions of others: will develop a sense of belonging to a larger community through social interactions and relationships, and will have an awareness of their relationship to others in a group; and will develop the ability to interact co-operatively with others.

41. Emotional Capabilities
A child has secure attachment; is able to experience recognise and express a variety of emotions, and to recognise and empathise with those emotions in others; will manage their internal states and feelings, as well as stimulation from the outside world; will develop strategies to control emotions and behaviours; will manage their behaviours; and will recognise their ability to do things.

42. By building these capabilities we enable children to happily engage with others and with society, and to learn, to develop fully, to attain and to achieve.

43. If the predominant early experience is fear and stress the neurochemical responses to those experiences become the primary architects of the brain.
Trauma elevates stress hormones, such as control. One result is significantly fewer synapses (or connections) . Specialist viewing CAT scans show an area that looks like a black hole.

44. House of horror in Clifton, York
A mother and father who imprisoned their pre-school youngsters for months in a house of horror have been jailed for three years.
A neighbour’s call for help finally enabled police to break through the wall of excuses made by the parents to prevent the authorities discovering the stinking, squalid conditions in which they had to live, York Crown Court heard.
Jailing them, Judge Stephen Ashurst said the couple’s three young children were “not so much living, rather surviving in that dark, insanitary and squalid house”.
He said: “All three of your children were dirty and unkempt. They had, variously, cradle cap, severe nappy rash and other areas of inflammation. The two older children including (the four-and-a-half year old) were still in nappies.
“They were prisoners in their own home unable even to play in the garden.”......

47. Neglect
Good practice when working with adolescents who have suffered neglect.

48. Most of the research around what works with adolescents who have suffered neglect, identifies that cognitive behavioural interventions offered the most benefits. Also the holistic approach used within multi – systemic therapy (MST). This approach emphasises the importance of the CAF and a multi disciplinary approach.

49. Resilience:
Young people who are doing well despite adversity
Using risk and protective factors
Using the ‘strengths’ already evident

50. Neglect does challenge professional & personal values leading to an avoidance of making value judgements. TAC meetings assist in Multi-agency decisions

51. Visit our website www.doncastersafeguardingchildren.co.uk
For any policies and procedures including the neglect assessment tool please use the Policies book in the top right hand corner.

52. Confidentiality when passing concerns to Designated Teachers
The majority of cases we will deal with arise from out knowledge of the children and our observations. This enables us to build a picture over time that might constitute a child protection concern.
Another aspect of our work is dealing with disclosures when children tell us about something
What does confidentiality mean to you as an individual and what does it mean in your role in school?

53. Allowing Children to Talk
Helpful ideas
Take what you are being told seriously
Listen carefully – do not interrupt
Acknowledge what you have been told
Remain calm
Reassure – tell them they have done the right thing
Tell them you will have to pass the information on and who you will be telling and why
Pass to the Designated Person on the referral form
What to avoid
Do not investigate
Do not look shocked or distasteful
Do not probe
Do not speculate
Do not pass an opinion about the alleged perpetrator
Do not make comments
Do not promise to keep a secret
Do not display disbelief
Never delay getting help

54. What Stops Children From Telling?
Being blamed
Direct threats
Fear of what will happen
No one listening
Lack of communication or vocabulary
Not recognising an abusive situation
Lack of trust
Abuse is not considered unusual
Feeling responsible

55. Children Talk About Their Concerns When…
School feels a safe place to be
Children’s views and contributions are respected
Adults and children are respectful of each other
There is a culture of openness, honesty and trust
Staff allow children to be heard
There is space for privacy
Self esteem is high
Safeguarding in Education and Safer Recruitment 2007

56. I Think I Should Act Now What will stop me? What if I’m wrong?
I’m not very confident
I don’t know the child very well
I’ve reported before and had a bad experience
I don’t know who to talk to
It’s not my job
Someone else will pass it on
I will do it tomorrow
I have not got the time
It doesn’t happen to families here
Why I will pass it on?
At this school we take safeguarding seriously
I know our school procedure
I know who to pass it to
I know what is expected of me
It is my responsibility
This is serious and important
Children spend more time in school than any other place
After parents, school staff are often the next adults a child will respond to
The indicators of abuse are present
Abuse investigations often highlight a failure to act

57. What Does the Senior Designated Professional Need to Know
Who is the child – full name
Where were you in school when they disclosed to you
Was anyone else with you
What did they say – their words and descriptions
What did you do or say
Did they show you an injury
Were is it colour, size what does it look like
Was the disclosure of a sexual nature
What else do you know about the child

58. Any Questions or Concerns?