“In child protection services the right to life and the right to respect for private and family life will need to be balanced by circumstances when interference with these rights is justified” ‘www.humanrightsact.co.uk’
It is a matter for concern that to a large degree the views and wishes of children themselves can be overlooked at this stage of the process. Children do not as a rule attend child protection conferences as their interests are usually represented by a children’s guardian, appointed by CAFCASS to represent the child in care proceedings. However, older children who can demonstrate sufficient maturity and understanding can attend child protection conferences.
“Possible challenges may arise for example, in the area of adoption law where refusal of contact between a natural parent and their child once adopted may breach Article 8 if the refusal is not based on protecting the child's best interests.” ‘Contemporary Issues in the Early Years pg 65’
- Practical and Procedural responses to child abuse.
Prior to requesting Social Services’ assistance in providing services, the professional in identifying a need should consider whether the need or risk is sufficient to warrant a referral under the child protection procedures.
Where the child is not at risk of significant harm, but is believed that the family would benefit from receiving services from the Social Services Department, the family must be involved and give their permission for the referral.
If a member of the public requests Section 17 services on behalf of a child of another family, the family should be contacted, informed of the request and invited to seek services. No other enquiries should be made and services will not be provided without the family’s agreement.
“The aim of partnership working within the borough is to offer support to children in need and their families to minimise concerns as they are identified. The Central Duty Team (CDT) receives all new referrals for the Division and categorises them as relating to Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (Children in Need) or Section 47 (Children in Need of Protection).” ‘Protecting Children From Abuse and Neglect in Primary Care, pg 47’
If a section 47 enquiry is made, the principle Social Worker will decide how to proceed following the section 47 enquiries. After discussion between all those who have conducted, or been significantly involved in, those enquiries including relevant professionals and agencies and the child and parents themselves. The outcome of Section 47 enquiries should be recorded and parents should receive a copy of this record. It may be valuable following an evaluation of the outcome of enquiries, to make recommendations for action in an inter-disciplinary forum. If the case is not going forward to a child protection conference or a family support meeting, this could be achieved through a further strategy discussion. The decision will be taken and recorded by the principal social worker. Enquiries should be completed as soon as possible to avoid drift and soon enough to convene an initial child protection conference within 15 working days, if this is the outcome.
“In 2001/02 the numbers of children referred to the Assessment teams relating to Section 17 were 1,335 while for Section 47 the number was 521. The CDT was able to deal with some of the concerns at source by referring on to other agencies or offering advice to the referrer. Around 1,500 referrals were dealt with in this way during 2001/02.” ‘Working together to safeguard children pg 83’
- Different Professionals and how they work together.
Promoting children’s well being and safeguarding them from significant harm depends upon effective information sharing, collaboration and understanding between agencies and professionals. Constructive relationships between individual workers need to be supported by a strong lead from elected or appointed members and the commitment of chief officers.
“Each day thousands of children are protected by statutory and voluntary agencies. However, tragic cases- Victoria Climbie and Lauren Wright, for example- have meant that child abuse is rarely out of the headlines.”
‘Effective Child Protection pg 72’
Individual children, especially some of the most vulnerable children and those at greatest risk of social exclusion, will need coordinated help from health, education, social services and, quite possibly, the voluntary sector and other agencies, including youth justice services.
For those children who are suffering or at risk of suffering significant harm, joint working is essential to safeguard the child/children and – where necessary- to help bring to justice the perpetrators of crimes against children.
Chris Booth, chairman of the North East Scotland Child Protection Committee and head of Aberdeenshire Council's social work (child care) department, said:
"Working with children, families and communities to ensure that vulnerable youngsters get the care and protection they need is a key responsibility that is shared equally across all agencies; with health, education, social work, the police and voluntary organisations all working together.” ‘Contemporary Issues in the Early Years pg 45’
All agencies and professionals should;
- Be alert to potential indicators of abuse or neglect.
- Be alert to the risks which individual abusers, or potential abusers, may pose to children.
- Share and help to analyse information so that an informed assessment can be made of the child’s needs and circumstances.
- Contribute to whatever actions are needed to safeguard the child and promote his or her welfare.
- Regularly review the outcomes for the child against specific shared objectives; and work cooperatively with parents unless this is inconsistent with the need to ensure that child’s safety.
“Many cases of child abuse could be prevented if everyone was willing to take responsibility and take action. Working together- public and professionals- child abuse can be prevented.” ‘Helping Abused Children And Their Families pg 82’
- Fingertip bruising on the body, arms and legs, which may indicate that the child has been gripped hard. Such bruising on the body may indicate that the child has been shaken.
- Bruising that shows the shape of a hand or other object with which the child may have been hit.
- Bruising to the cheeks, sometimes accompanied by a torn frenlum.
- Bruises of different ages, e.g. different colours.
- Unlikely or inconsistent explanations for injuries.
“Physical abuse of children is also referred to as non-accidental injury or battering. The results of physical abuse include injury, permanent physical harm, death and psychological harm.” ‘Contemporary Issues in the Early Years pg 47’
Signs;
- failure to thrive
- erratic weight and growth patterns
- psychosomatic illness
- development delay
“6% had lived with frequent violence between their parents, been ‘really afraid’ of parents, been regularly humiliated, threatened with being thrown out or sent away or told by their parents that they wished they were dead or had never been born.” ‘Child Protection Practice pg 50’
- Self mutilation
- Wetting and/or soiling day or night in school age children.
- Withdrawn behaviour.
- Aggression.
- Difficulty in forming relationships.
- Bizarre behaviour.
- Unexplained under achievement at school.
- Inappropriate seeking of attention.
- Escape attempts, e.g. running away, sleeping out, suicide attempts or substance misuse.
- Elective mutism.
“Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill-treatment 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 are worthless or unloved. It may involve causing children to feel frightened or in danger.” ‘Working together to safeguard children (Department of Health 1999)
Sexual abuse frequently leaves no signs, rather the child presents with behavioural problems, a disclosure or genitor-urinary symptoms (often vague and/or recurrent). It should be noted that many of these symptoms may be caused by conditions unrelated to sexual abuse and that the absence of symptoms/signs does not mean a child has not been subject to sexual abuse. Warning indicators may include;
- Any even minor injury or bruising in the anal or genital areas (protected normally by legs.)
- Anal or genital soreness, bleeding or discharge.
- Recurring genitor-urinary infections.
“It is estimated that at least one child is killed each week by their parents or carers. Thousands more suffer serious harm at the hands of those who are supposed to be caring for them” ‘Effective Child Protection pg 68’
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Behavioural problems vary with age and may include;
- Sudden onset of wetting or soiling, day or night.
- Sleep disturbances such as nightmares or refusing to sleep alone.
- Inappropriate sexual play.
- Explicit sexual knowledge, especially in younger children.
- Promiscuous attention seeking behaviour.
- Self mutilation.
- Eating disorders such as Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa.
“1% had been sexually abused by a parent and 3% by another relative, ranging from penetrative or oral sex to taking pornographic photographs of them. One in ten – mostly girls – had been forced into sexual acts against their will by people they knew, when they were under sixteen.” ‘Child Protection And Early Years Work pg 36’
“6% had been left regularly without food as a young child, were not looked after or taken to the doctor when ill, or had been left to fend for themselves. 5% had been left alone at home overnight or out overnight, with their whereabouts unknown, at a young age.” ‘Good Practice in Child Protection pg 26’
Neglect includes the persistent or severe neglect of a child or the failure by carers to protect children from dangers or to carry out important care tasks.
This will usually require medical diagnosis, but warning signs, apart from the child’s obviously neglected appearance, include;
- Voracious appetite.
- The child thrives away from home.
- The child is unresponsive.
- Chronic listlessness.
- Child left unsupervised, unattended or without adequate provision.
- Inadequate or inappropriate clothing.
- Untreated conditions.
“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. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing.” ‘The Department of Health 1999’
- Strategies for the prevention and protection of children.
All those working in education can contribute to the safeguarding and protection of the welfare of a child in need. This can be through the early identification of concerns, through inter-agency working, providing information, contribution to assessment and by active participation in section 47 conferences. Child and family support meetings and core groups.
There are a number of positive ways in which you can support all children in learning to keep themselves safe. You cannot protect them completely but you can help.
“Early identification of abuse appears to be crucial to the reduction of suffering of abused youth and to the establishment of support systems for assistance in pursuing appropriate psychological development and healthier adult functioning. As long as disclosure continues to be a problem for young victims, then fear, suffering, and psychological distress will, like the secret, remain with the victim” ‘Protecting Children in Time pg 85’
Effective programmes to help children learn self- protection draw on different types of resources. Depending on the age of the children, you might use short conversations and small group discussions. Stories, told from books or played out with dolls or puppets, may be another way of communicating simple points to children. Videos can be useful with older children, but the available videos are often not suitable for the younger age range. However, do not depend on resources like books or puppets as a substitute for personal conversations with children. They learn best through talking and listening to a caring adult whom they trust, and who will answer questions now or later and sensitively return to the key ideas at appropriate opportunities in the future. Helping children learn to keep themselves safe is a continuing theme and certainly not something that can be taught in just one or two special sessions during children’s early years.
“Parent Support Groups provide a combination of education and support services that enhance parenting skills, social networks, knowledge of child development, and knowledge of community resources. By reducing these risk factors, families can be healthier and children can live in safer environments” ‘Child Protection Procedures pg 36’
The NSPCC provides an external training service, running courses and conferences at the NSPCC National Training Centre.
The NSPCC has developed interactive learning programmes designed to teach everybody about their role in protecting children. The programmes aim to enable you to; gain an awareness of child protection issues; recognise signs that a child needs help; feel confident taking a first step to get assistance.
“In view of cases such as that of Victoria Climbie, it has highlighted even further the need for extra education and training on child protection issues for all nurses and especially those within primary health care settings and for all those who come into contact with, or provide services for children in Primary Care.” ‘The New Child Protection Team Handbook pg 36’
- Services that are available to support children and families.
Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships and Sure Start projects have established an egalitarian representative forum for planning local services to meet local needs with families of young children. From bumps to babies, to starting school, Sure Start programmes (DfEE, 2000) are building on local initiatives to reduce poverty and meet targets to improve children’s health, enhance children’s abilities as learners, as well as to strengthen families and communities.
“Sure Start is the Government's programme to deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together: early education, childcare, health and family support.” ‘’
There are worthwhile schemes to support breast feeding; to help during post-natal depression; as well as developing play facilities for children under 3 years of age in crèches, drop-ins, parent link schemes, toy libraries; and many other ways of working to ensure all children have ‘good quality’ play and learning opportunities to help them progress towards early learning goals. (QCA/DfEE 2000). Sure Start aims to address the needs of parents (mostly mothers), with the job of nurturing babies’ health, learning and well-being from the foetus to the ‘foundation stage’.
“Babies and toddlers are at an increased risk of harm when their parents or carers are experiencing or subjected to the risk factors that can lead to that harm. Some parents are unable to give the consistent nurturing that babies need.” ‘The Child in Mind pg 37’
Hopefully, this Sure Start approach will develop to address the needs of all new mothers/ parents, not only financially impoverished, but also the isolated, stressed and besotted, tired but ‘happy’ average parent! Many schemes, such as the Peers Early Education Project (PEEP, 1999) in Oxford, offer universal provision (not only targeted at ‘needy families’) to bring about significant improvement in educational achievement through their projects with books, rhymes and songs for parents with their babies.
As well as supporting parents with their babies, an expansion of services in the voluntary and private sectors, day care, co-ordinated early years centres and childminders’ networks is burgeoning to support working and studying parents, all part of the political mission and momentum to enhance the life chances of babies and toddlers.
“Sure Start is a national initiative set up to tackle child poverty by changing the way services are delivered to under fours in deprived areas. The aim is to enhance existing services by new and innovative ways of working. Programmes work in partnership with local families and existing service providers to give children in disadvantaged areas a 'Sure Start' in life.” ‘ ’
Bibliography
Bannon, M. and Carter, H. (2003) Protecting Children From Abuse and Neglect in Primary Care, Oxford.
Barker, J. and Hodes, D. (2002) The Child in Mind; A child protection handbook, London.
Bross, D. C., Krugman, R. D., Lenherr, M. R., Rosenberg, D., and Schmitt, B., eds. (1988) The New Child Protection Team Handbook. New York: Garland Publishing.
Child Protection Procedures (2000) Chair of Cumbria Child Protection Committee.
Clark, K. (1990) "Innocent Victims and Blind Justice: Children's Rights To Be Free From Child Sexual Abuse." New York Law School Journal of Human Rights.
Ferguson, H. (2004) Protecting Children in Time, London.
Hobart, C. and Frankel, J. (1998) Good Practice in Child Protection, Cheltenham.
Kay, J (2003) A Practical Guide to Protecting Children, London.
Lindon, J. (2002) Child Protection And Early Years Work, London.
Munro, E. (2002) Effective Child Protection, London.
Owen, M (1995) Child Protection Practice: Private Risks And Public Remedies, London.
Pugh, G. (2001) Contemporary Issues in the Early Years, London.
Trotter, C. (2004) Helping Abused Children And Their Families, London.
Websites
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www.humanrightsact.co.uk