Adoption and Children Act 2002
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Legislation
An introduction to child protection legislation in the UK (NSPCC)
A brief introduction to some of the key legislation that protects children and young people in the UK.
Children Act 1989
The Children Act 1989 sets out in detail what local authorities and the courts should do to protect the welfare of children. It charged local authorities with the "duty to investigate … if they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found, in their area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm" (section 47). Local authorities were also charged with a duty to provide "services for children in need, their families and others"
(section 17).
The Children Act 1989 Report 2004 and 2005 (DfES, 2006)
This report describes a period of intense activity as Government and partners worked hard to make a reality of the vision for children's services set out in Every child matters: change for children (December 2004) and the children act.
Adoption and Children Act 2002
On 30 December 2005 the Adoption and Children Act 2002 was fully implemented. It represents the most radical overhaul of adoption law for 26 years, replacing the outdated Adoption Act 1976 and modernising the entire legal framework for domestic and intercountry adoption. Local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies must comply with the new provisions.
Education Act 2002
The Education Act 2002 included a provision (section 175) requiring school governing bodies, local education authorities and further education institutions to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Sexual Offences Act 2003
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 was introduced to update the legislation relating to offences against children. It includes the offences of grooming, abuse of position of trust, trafficking, and covers offences committed by British citizens whilst abroad. It also updated the Sex Offenders Act 1997 to strengthen the monitoring of offenders on the sex offenders' register.
Children Act 2004
The Government's response to the 2002 Victoria Climbié Inquiry report was the Every Child Matters programme, which in turn led to the Children Act 2004.
Children Act 2004 summary (DfES, 2004)
For a detailed legal account of what the Act does, copies of the Explanatory Notes and the Act itself are available from the Stationery Office. A full text of both is available at www.hmso.gov.uk/acts.htm. This is a brief account of the key parts of the Act that specifically relate to the Change for Children programme in England.
Adoption and Children Act 2006
Includes several provisions relating to intercountry adoption and adds to the safeguards for intercountry adoption already provided by the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
This Act legislates for the establishment of a new centralised vetting and barring scheme for people working with children.
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Government guidance
What to do if you're worried a child is being abused (DCSF, 2006)
What to do if you're worried a child is being abused - summary (DCSF, 2006)
This practice guidance has been developed to assist practitioners to work together to promote children's welfare and safeguard them from harm. It is for anyone whose work brings them into contact with children and families, but particularly those who work in social care, health, education and criminal justice services.
Every Child Matters (DfES, 2004)
This Green paper was part of the Government's response to the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié. It outlines plans to improve the services supporting children from all backgrounds, looking at how such a framework will be able to help those most at risk.
NSF - executive summary (DoH, 2004)
This is an executive summary of the national service framework for children, young people and maternity services. It is a 10-year programme intended to stimulate long-term and sustained improvement in children's health.
CAF Practitioners Guide (DfES, 2006)
This guide is for any practitioner who wants to know about the Common Assessment Framework for children and young people (CAF), and when to use it.
Working Together to Safeguard Children (DCSF, 2010)
This document sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It is addressed to practitioners and front-line managers who have particular responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and to senior and operational managers in organisations that provide services for children.
Safeguarding children and safer recruitment in education (DfES, 2006)
This document sets out the responsibilities of all local authorities, schools and Further Education (FE) colleges in England to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. It sets out recruitment best practice, some underpinned by legislation, for the school, local authority, and FE education sectors. This guidance is also relevant for supply agencies which supply staff to the education sector, contractors who work in education establishments responsible for under 18s, as well as other providers of education and training for those under 18 funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The document also details the process for dealing with allegations of abuse against staff.
Safeguarding children in whom illness is fabricated or induced (DH, 2002)
A national framework within which agencies and professionals at a local level can agree their own more detailed ways of working together where illness may be being fabricated or induced in a child by a carer who has parenting responsibilities.
London Child Protection Procedures 2010
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Final Report of the Munro Review
The Final Report of the Munro Review of Child Protection, A child-centred system is published today. Professor Munro's analysis finds that local areas should have more freedom to design their own child protection services and that 'one-size-fits-all approach' to child protection is preventing local areas from focusing on the needs of the child.
Professor Munro's review of child protection: Analysis of the problems
Professor Eileen Munro sets out her initial analysis on the child protection system in England. She finds that processes and procedures, and the unintentional consequences of previous reforms, are getting in the way of social workers spending time with vulnerable children and families.
Building a safe and confident future: implementing the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force
This joint publication from the Department of Health, Department for Children, Schools and Families, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was published in March 2010. It explains how the Government is now working, with employers, social work educators, the social work profession, and with people who use social work services, to develop that reform programme and put it in place. It provides a route map for improvement – setting clear milestones for those who must work together to develop and deliver reforms, and giving current and future social workers, people who use their services, professionals who work with social workers and members of the public, clarity about the changes they should expect and when they should expect to see them.
The protection of children in England: a progress report (Lord Laming, March 2009)
This document was commissioned to provide an urgent report on the progress being made across the country to implement effective arrangements for safeguarding children.
The Bichard Inquiry report (2004)
Sir Michael Bichard's enquiry into child protection procedures in Humberside Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary in the light of the trial and conviction of Ian Huntley for the murder of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells.
The Victoria Climbie Inquiry report (2003)
The full report of Lord Laming's inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Victoria Climbie.
Victoria Climbie - key findings from the self audits of NHS organisations, social services departments and police forces (2003)
Joint Chief Inspectors Report on the key findings from the self audits of NHS organisations, social services departments and police forces.
Wandsworth Partnership for Children and Young People
The Children and Young People's Plan, the "CYPP", is the single strategic plan for the Partnership. It doesn't include every piece of work going on in the borough; instead it focuses on those areas where the partners must work together to improve outcomes for children and young people.
We are keen to ensure that the CYPP reflects the views of local children and young people, their families and all the people working with them across the borough.
You can read and download copies of the full CYPP or Executive Summary by clicking here: Children and Young People's Plan 2011-2015
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For a full list of the Wandsworth Partnership for Children and Young People Strategies & Plans click here.
London Child Protection Procedures
Supplementary Procedures
If you have any difficulties accessing any of these documents or wish to make a comment then please email us or complete the feedback form or contact WSCB on 020 8871 7401.
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Ratified Multi-Agency and Good Practice Protocols and Procedures
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Local Multi-Agency Strategies
e-Safety Strategy
Today's children are citizens of a digital world. In their daily lives the use of the internet and digital technologies, including mobile phones, represent a seamless extension of the physical world. Their emotional lives and their development are bound up in the use of these technologies. In contrast to many adults for whom these technologies are additional tools to be used for specific tasks, many of today's children do not even notice they are using these technologies. As online content, social networks and instant messaging converge with mobile technology to produce lives which are always 'on', any line which may have existed between being online and offline is disintegrating.
Local Safeguarding Children Boards have a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their locality. If we accept the challenge of the digital world then the responsibilities which come with this duty must now include the development of strategies for safeguarding children in the online environment.
To ignore e-safety issues when implementing statutory guidance could ultimately lead to significant gaps in child protection policies, leaving children and young people vulnerable. Non-statutory practice guidance issued in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006) includes a section on child abuse and ICT (paragraphs 11.58-11.62). Paragraph 11.62 states: 'As part of their role in preventing abuse and neglect, LSCBs should consider activities to raise awareness about the safe use of the internet.
Wandsworth Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) accepted this role and responsibility and developed an e-Safety Strategy, Action Plan and e-Safety Policy, which was ratified by the WSCB and launched on 3rd June 2009. All WSCB partners are committed to fulfilling their safeguarding responsibilities and have agreed to implement the e-Safety Strategy and Action Plan. The e-Safety Policy was also developed to assist agencies in developing their own policy. The Strategy sets out WSCB's response to the challenge of the digital world and our strategic direction for 2008-2011, in line with the Children and Young People's Plan (CYPP).
e-Safety Strategy
e-Safety Policy
e-Safety Action Plan with timescales included (Word document)
If you wish to receive hard a copy of the e-Safety Strategy and/or e-Safety Policy, please email us at wscb@wscb.org.uk or contact WSCB on 020 8871 7401 to request a copy.
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Anti-bullying Strategy
We want every child, young person and adult in Wandsworth to be treated with dignity and respect. We believe that our homes, communities, schools, youth facilities, neighbourhoods, workplaces, streets and recreational spaces should be free from fear and intimidation so that everyone can develop, learn and flourish, make a positive contribution and achieve their potential.
Click here for more details on our borough-wide multi-agency agreed Anti-bullying Strategy.
If you wish to receive a copy of this Strategy, please email us at wscb@wscb.org.uk or contact WSCB on 020 8871 7401 to request a copy.
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Model Anti-bullying Policy
Please click here for the example of a model anti-bullying policy for schools. This policy can be slighlty amended to fit the purpose of any other setting where children and young people receive a service or have access to a service or attend.
Model Anti-bullying Policy