Safeguarding Children Awareness Raising

Introduction: Our names are Lindsey Heaton – Hill and Lucy Farrar. We are Independent Reviewing Officers based in the Safeguarding Children Unit. You may have seen us once or twice when we come to schools to chair LAC Reviews. We are going to talk about Safeguarding. We hope you leave with an understanding of what Safeguarding is, what your role is regarding the sharing of information and, when that information is shared, what your Designated Safeguarding Lead might do with it. We will also provide you with some useful contact numbers and information you can take away to read at your leisure.

Categories of Abuse Physical Emotional Neglect Sexual Activity - flipchart

Some of the following signs might be indicators of abuse or neglect: Children whose behaviour changes – they may become aggressive, challenging, disruptive, withdrawn or clingy, or they might have difficulty sleeping or start wetting the bed; Children with clothes which are ill-fitting and/or dirty; Children with consistently poor hygiene; Children who make strong efforts to avoid specific family members or friends, without an obvious reason; Children who don’t want to change clothes in front of others or participate in physical activities; Children who are having problems at school, for example, a sudden lack of concentration and learning or they appear to be tired and hungry;

Children who talk about being left home alone, with inappropriate carers or with strangers; Children who reach developmental milestones, such as learning to speak or walk, late, with no medical reason; Children who are regularly missing from school or education; Children who are reluctant to go home after school; Children with poor school attendance and punctuality, or who are consistently late being picked up;

Parents who are dismissive and non-responsive to practitioners’ concerns; Parents who collect their children from school when drunk, or under the influence of drugs; Children who drink alcohol regularly from an early age; Children who are concerned for younger siblings without explaining why; Children who talk about running away; and Children who shy away from being touched or flinch at sudden movements.

Who do you share information with? Each school has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). If you have a concern or even feel there is an issue regarding a child’s welfare you should err on the side of caution and share the information with the DSL. The DSL will then make a decision about how to proceed. What will the Designated Safeguarding Lead do with the information? The DSL may simply have a conversation with a parent/carer or they may feel there is a need to start a Common Assessment Framework.

Specialist Services and Statutory Intervention Common Assessment Framework (CAF) not required Initial Assessment considered Child Protection Section 47 Inquiry considered Initial Assessment or Core Assessment always completed Universal Services Targeted Services Targeted and Co-ordinated Services Common Assessment Framework (CAF) always considered Common Assessment Framework (CAF) required

What is a Common Assessment Framework (CAF)? A standardised approach to assessing children’s needs for all agencies. Aimed at the early identification of a child’s additional needs and linking interventions to assist the child with these needs. Simple to use and geared towards the practical delivery of support to children & Young People. The first building block of all specialist assessments. Central to development of lead professional role.

If necessary the DSL may feel the need to contact social care and request a Children and Families Assessment is completed by a social worker. How would the Designated Safeguarding Lead make a referral to social care? The DSL will contact the First Response Team and have a conversation with a social worker. Their request for a Children and Families Assessment will be put in writing on a Service Request Form and forwarded to the First Response Team.

Useful Contact numbers/Information: Do you know who your Designated Safeguarding Lead is in your school? You should know their internal contact details. It might be helpful to know who has and has not been the subject of a Common Assessment Framework. Contact Team – First Response Team –

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