Ofsted have announced that it will perform more intensive, child focused, unannounced inspections of child protection services.  For the first time, inspections will include talking to children and parents.  The aim is to cut red tape and to put children and their families at the centre of the system.

Inspectors will shadow social workers, inspect case files, look at examples of good practice and observe how effectively they work with outside bodies such as the police, charities, schools and hospitals.

The new system will come into force from May.

Last nights TV programme “Protecting our Children” on BBC2, highlighted the very difficult role a social worker has to fill and the complex and heartbreaking decisions they sometimes need to make.  Tragic cases such as Baby P and Victoria Climbié thrust the social work profession into the media spotlight, but few understand the complexities of child protection.

It was very clear from the programme just how important it is that all of the different agencies work closely together to pull together the different pieces of the jigsaw.  The programme also showed how vital it is for everyone who comes into contact with a child to be aware of potential issues and to report any concerns.  For example in the case presented last night, the nursery that the child attended was very much aware of the issues of neglect.

One question that wasn’t raised, is what can be done to help struggling parents at a much earlier stage?  How much child abuse could be stopped if parents were given the additional support they require before a problem occurs?  Funds will always be an issue but surely it’s cheaper to nip the problem in the bud earlier when only a few people are needed, compared to the costs of a large multi-agency team and the court?

Research by Action for Children (in partnership with the University of Stirling), which was based on interviews with more than 4,000 people including social care professionals, local authorities and the public, has highlighted that more than half of social workers feel powerless to intervene in suspected cases of child neglect.

The report found that:

• 51% of social workers felt unable to intervene to protect children from neglect which was up from a third compared with 2009.
• 42% of social workers believed the point at which they could step in in cases of neglect was too high.
• 52% believed they lacked the resources to prevent child neglect.
• 43% felt there was a lack of services to refer families on to.

Action for Children said its findings painted a worrying picture of neglected children in the UK and estimated that up to 10% of all children in the UK have experienced neglect.

Once a CRB check is completed, an Official Disclosure Certificate (also referred to as a disclosure document) is issued by the CRB showing the results of the check.

There are three levels of Disclosure: Basic, Standard and Enhanced. Depending on the type/level of check requested, it may contain details of spent and unspent convictions, reprimands, warnings and where appropriate, local police records. If a Disclosure contains no record of criminal convictions it is generally considered to be a testament to good character and conduct.

Most organisations where a CRB is required will ask you to undergo a CRB check even if you have had a recent CRB check. This is not always the case but is considered good safeguarding practice.

Two thirds of schools are unsure when to contact social services about a child protection issue.

Teachers could be missing vital signs of child abuse because they lack adequate training, according to a study by the NSPCC. With an average of just two hours’ child protection training before they begin work, many teachers feel ill-prepared to deal with the issue, the survey found. And despite the school’s child protection role having been set out by the Government, a large number feel inadequately supported by Social Services to carry it out.

Eight out of 10 trainee teachers are worried their colleagues could not recognise the signs of child abuse and act on them. Two thirds of schools are unsure when to contact social services about a child protection issue, and three quarters are worried about the time taken up dealing with it the report said. More than nine out of 10 schools are also unsure how to maintain relationships with parents when involved in child protection cases.

The report made a series of recommendations, including better training and greater support from social services for teachers dealing with parents on matters of child protection. It also called for full guidance for schools on their responsibilities and a helpline to give teachers the opportunity to discuss their concerns before referring a child to social services.

Tragic cases such as Baby P and Victoria Climbié thrust the social work profession into the media spotlight, but few understand the complexities behind the work of child protection social workers.  A new series on the BBC two called Protecting Our Children aims to address this.

The degree of access the programme-makers got to the families and social work practice is remarkable. They repay this by providing a vivid depiction of what it is like to be a social worker going into family homes, checking for signs of neglect, being confronted by dangerous dogs, and poor, sometimes disgusting, home conditions.

Monday 30 January
9.00-10.00pm
BBC TWO

An article in the Guardian highlights that teenagers must not be overlooked when considering child protection.  A child is classed as anyone under the age of 18 and it is vitally important that they are kept safe too.

Older children experience different risks to younger children: some are victims of violence in their intimate relationships, others are killed or seriously injured by their peers. Many children run away and end up homeless, some are addicted to drugs or alcohol, or live in households where substance misuse is prevalent.

A report by the charity Action for Children found that half of social workers and a third of police officers felt they were unable to get involved in suspected cases of poor care by parents.

Four in 10 social workers said the threshold was too high before they could act to help at-risk children while half blamed a lack of resources for their inability to help.

Eighty per cent fear cuts to public services will make it even more difficult to intervene and prevent children being neglected by parents who may be drug addicts or alcoholics, who may have mental health problems or simply be too poor to provide for their families.

Overall, 81 per cent of the 2,174 professionals questioned by the University of Stirling said they suspected children they encountered were being neglected, up slightly on the 78 per cent figure recorded in 2009.

Half of the primary school staff surveyed said they wanted to be able to report “less serious suspicions” before problems at a pupil’s home became worse, with teachers reportedly suffering sleepless nights as they worry about children in their care.

More details can be found here.

One of the key child protection reference documents is “Working Together to Safeguard Children”.   It’s a large document and not very web friendly, however tri.x have very kindly converted it into a browsable (and searchable) format for the web, which is available free of charge.

Check out www.workingtogetheronline.co.uk for more details.

Working Together To Safeguard Children

The headmaster of a Somerset school hit by allegations of historical sexual offences has acknowledged the school’s reputation has been damaged. But Father Leo Maidlow Davis, head of Downside Abbey, said he was now “satisfied that we have our child protection issues right”.

Richard David White, 66, a monk who taught there, was jailed for five years for child sex offences. White, of Hyde, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, was sentenced on 3 January. The offences took place in the 1980s when White taught at the school in Stratton-on-the-Fosse.

Father Leo Maidlow Davis, head of Downside Abbey, said: “The reputation – the damage I’m sure has been very considerable because it’s raised a lot of concern about Catholic education. Benedictine schools and I would be very foolish to underestimate the damage that that could do to the school.”

Click here to read the full article.