Revision of 1998 Guidance Feedback Summary

Revision of 1998 Guidance Feedback Summary

Paper 1/3/2009

National Child Protection Guidance Working Group

Feedback received from Child Protection Committees on current Child Protection Guidance

Child Protection Committees (CPCs) indicated earlier this year that it would be helpful ifthe current child protection guidance (Protecting Children: A Shared Responsibility could be reviewed to ensure that itwas still fit for purpose and that it reflected more recent practice and policy developments. We wrote to CPCs at the end of September to seek their views on what parts of the guidance were still valid, what parts needed to be updated and what was new and needed to be included. We received 23 responses to this consultation. A short bullet point summary of the most common responses is attached. Please note that there may be repetition within the sections.

This feedback has been used to frame the suggested remit, purpose and objectives for the Working Group and proposed sub groups. The meeting will provide the opportunity to agree whether there are additional items that need to be added to the list and whether alterations need to be made to it. Further work will then be done following the meeting to turn the views of the group into an action plan for future work.

Still valid:

  • Still a useful document, with updates and changes now necessary
  • Roles and responsibilities section of the document
  • Overall philosophy of gathering and sharing info, analysing risk, providing a multi-agency forum
  • Info on thresholds is still adequate – decisions need to be made by professionals on individual cases rather than making thresholds more prescriptive
  • Working together chapter essential – just needs updated
  • It is all still relevant. It is particularly useful to have guidance such as this emanating from the Scottish Government as it further heightens and raises the status of child protection – both at public and professional level
  • The section specific to investigation is still broadly relevant though could benefit from a ‘tidy up’ and greater clarity brought around tripartite discussions, exchange of information etc.
  • The methodology by which investigations are undertaken and the legislation in this regard are still current.
  • Sections referring to learning from major investigations (Caleb Ness Danielle Reid etc.), sections on cultural issues and substance misuse
  • References to the Children Scotland Act, responsibility of all agencies to work in partnership to promote children and young people’s welfare and keep them safe, and the role of parents and the wider community

What needs to be updated:

  • Categories / grounds for registration
  • Transfers between authorities
  • Reconsider the age range for child protection procedures – procedures for 16-18 year olds
  • Expand section on children affected by disability and ethnic and cultural minorities
  • Staff selection section
  • Information sharing - needs to be expanded, to cover consent, confidentiality, risk assessment, and how to deal with uncooperative families
  • Update ‘Special Circumstances’ section to include: historic abuse; sexually problematic behaviour and risk management; GOPR protocols; internet dangers; child trafficking
  • Section on assessment and planning to protect children needs further debate on timescales for investigation, assessment, review and expectations re chronologies
  • Link with policies, research and local protocols an substance misuse
  • Improve section on criminal prosecution of alleged perpetrators
  • Section on children’s needs and rights needs to be more robust
  • Update and spell out roles and responsibilities of all services and agencies
  • Useful to strengthen the message that child protection is everyone’s responsibility. There are professional/voluntary organisations who come into contact with children and families (eg housing, environmental services, fire service) who need to be aware that they too have a duty to report any concerns they may have
  • Inter-agency child protection training
  • Guidance on storage and retention of records
  • Timescales and guidance on transfer of cases
  • More info needed on promoting children’s welfare, media campaigns and raising public awareness, determining children’s and parent’s views
  • Need detail on managers’ roles and responsibilities, particularly re briefing, debriefing and recording decisions for assessment and planning
  • More consideration of national and international research
  • Arrangements for transfer of child protection cases and case conferences
  • Update on non-engaging and hostile families
  • Stronger focus on the rights of the child
  • key messages from national inquires
  • Adolescents and the need to ensure their needs are met
  • Need to determine ‘Child Protection’ more clearly – difficulties sometimes in the definition

What’s new:

  • Child Protection Reform Programme, Child Protection Committee Guidance, Children’s Charter and Framework for Standards
  • GIRFEC
  • Revised Children’s Hearings System
  • HMIE joint inspection, reports and quality indicators
  • Current guidance on information sharing
  • Link to Early Years Strategy
  • Adult support and protection
  • MAPPA
  • Link to disqualified from working with children list, safer recruitment
  • Extend inter-agency focus to include relevant adult services
  • Tri-partite/IRD; Joint Investigative Interviewing (including visual recording); Interviewing Children Guidance
  • Management of Offenders
  • Young people with violent and sexually harmful behaviours
  • A prevention framework for youth justice
  • Vulnerable adults
  • Criminal injuries compensation
  • Link to diversity, ethnicity
  • Additional support for learning, disability,
  • SCCPN
  • MARS
  • Greater emphasis/description needed on role of each CPC member as a representative of their agency/profession and their responsibility to garner views and ‘be a voice’ for their agency/profession.
  • A statement of CPCs need to incorporate and have an understanding of current theory and research relating to child protection issues.
  • Rape and sexual offences – underage sex
  • Trafficked children
  • Missing children
  • Female Genital Mutilation and child death enquiries guidance
  • Significant Case Review Guidance
  • The National Standards for Engagement (with young people)
  • The impact assessment form for the rights of children and young people
  • Community Planning Agreements and Single Outcome Agreements
  • Integrated children’s services planning
  • Children living with domestic abuse
  • Children affected by mental ill health
  • Internet abuse
  • The Impact Nominal Index (lessons from Bichard)
  • Best practice from public enquiries SRCs etc
  • Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003
  • Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004
  • Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2005
  • Protection of Children and Prevention of Sex Offences (Scotland) 2005 – mobiles and cyber-bullying
  • PVG Act
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