Title: Safeguarding children: the importance of multi professional and multiagency working
1Safeguarding children the importance of multi
professional and multi-agency working
- Christopher Cloke,
- Head of CP Awareness and Diversity, NSPCC
- Tuesday 20 November 2007
2The route
- Safeguarding and the elusiveness of inter-agency
working - Government policy
- Role of early years workers
- Barriers to multi agency working
- NSPCC position
- Areas for co-operation
3- Safeguarding and the elusiveness of inter-agency
working
4Safeguarding a definition
- All agencies working with children, young people
and their families take all reasonable measures
to ensure that the risks of harm to childrens
welfare are minimised. - Where there are concerns about children and young
peoples welfare, all agencies take all
appropriate actions to address those concerns,
working to agreed local policies and procedures
in full partnership with other local agencies. - (Safeguarding Children a joint Chief
Inspectors Report on arrangements to safeguard
children, October 2002)
5A multi-agency approach a definition
- Agency covers the range of organisations,
services and professional groups who provide
services to children and their families. - (Safeguarding Children a joint Chief
Inspectors Report, 2002) - Multi-disciplinary working different
disciplines working together, as appropriate. -
6The elusiveness of multi-agency working
- Since the 1970s repeated inquiries into child
abuse cases have highlighted the failures of
multi-agency working.
7 Maria Colwell
- What has clearly emerged is a failure of
system compounded of several factors of which the
greatest and most obvious must be that of the
lack of, or effectiveness of, communication and
liaison. - Cases usually involve several professions
and two or more agencies, but effective work is
often hampered by ignorance, or misunderstanding
of respective functions. All workers need a
clear and common understanding of the extent and
purpose of each individuals involvement in the
case. - (Report of the Inquiry into the death of
Maria Colwell, 1974)
8Cleveland reasons for the crisis
- i. Lack of proper understanding by the main
agencies of each others functions in relation
to child sexual abuse - ii. A lack of communication between the
agencies - iii. Differences of views at middle management
level which were not recognised by senior staff.
These eventually affected those working on the
ground. - It is unacceptable that the disagreements and
failure of - communication of adults should be allowed to
obscure the - needs of children.
- (Report of the Inquiry into Child Abuse in
Cleveland, 1987)
9Victoria Climbié
- It is deeply disturbing that during the days
and months following the initial contact with
Ealing Housing Department, Victoria was known to
over ten other agencies. On twelve key occasions
relevant services had the opportunity to
intervene in Victorias life. - A gross failure of the system.
-
- (The Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report, 2003)
10Victoria and the child minder
- Mrs Cameron gave Victoria a clean pair of
pyjamas and put her to bed. Later that evening,
she heard groaning and called her daughter Avril
to come and look. They agreed that Victoria had
to be taken to hospital.
11Childhood Lost Part 8 Case Review Overview
- Almost every inquiry and Part 8 Case Review
Report from the early 1970s onwards has
commented on the problems of inter-agency and
inter-professional co-operation. The problems
with inter-agency co-operation usually stem from
three sources the complexity of the case, the
numbers of organisations and professionals
involved or the lack of understanding from the
professional involved of what is required. -
- (Childhood Lost Part 8 Case Review
Overview Report, - The Bridge, 2001)
12A study of inquiry reports 1973-1981
- Cases usually involve several professions and
two or - more agencies, but effective work is often
hampered by - ignorance, or misunderstanding of respective
functions. - All workers need agreed arrangements for
exchanging - information and a clear and common
understanding of - the extent and purpose of each individuals
involvement - in the case.
- (Child Abuse a study of inquiry reports,
1973-1981, DHSS, 1982)
13Learning from Past Experience
- The most commonly identified practice
shortcomings expressed in the 40 reviews included
inadequate sharing of information, poor
assessments, ineffective decision making and lack
of inter-agency working. - (A Review of Serious Case Reviews (DOH) 2002)
14 15Every child matters agenda
- Child protection cannot be separated from
policies to - improve childrens lives as a whole.
- Five outcomes underpin the governments strategy
- being healthy
- staying safe
- enjoying and achieving
- making a positive contribution
- economic wellbeing
- Early years workers have an important role to
play in helping to deliver - these outcomes
16Every child matters agenda
- Supporting parents and carers.
- Early intervention and effective protection.
- Accountability and integration locally,
regionally and - nationally.
- Workforce reform.
17A shared responsibility
- Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of
children depends on effective joint working
between agencies and professionals that have
different roles and expertise. Individual
children, especially some of the most vulnerable
children and those at greatest risk of social
exclusion, will need co-ordinated help from
health, education, childrens social care, and
quite possibly the voluntary sector and other
agencies. - (Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2006)
18A shared responsibility (2)
- There needs to be constructive working
relationships between individual workers,
promoted and supported by a strong lead from
elected or appointed authority members and the
commitment of chief officers in all agencies
effective local co-ordination by the Local
Safeguarding Children Board
19Staying safe consultation
- Keeping children and young people safe is a top
priority. It is the responsibility of us all
Childhood has changed(it) is a time for learning
and exploring Government has a role to play in
supporting parents to strike the right balance
between protecting their children whilst allowing
them to learn and explore safely We want to
raise awareness of how we can all help children
to stay safe. - (Ed Balls MP, Foreword, Staying Safe)
20Roles, Responsibilities, and Principles
- The following groups are identified
- Children , young people, parents and families
- The general public
- Childrens social care
- Police Services
- NHS organisations and staff
- Other services
- LSCBs and childrens trusts
- Inspectorates
- Government
21Comprehensive Spending Review
- Government commitment to improving safety of
children - PSA on Improving Children and Young Peoples
Safety - Sets 4 indicators for measuring progress
- Key role for LSCBs in ensuring delivery
- Everyone working with children should promote
childrens resilience to harm, be alert to risks
and indicators of harm and know when and with
whom to share information
22- Role of early years workers
23The vital contribution of early years workers
- A range of workers have contact with children
including - Child minders
- Play groups
- Nurseries
- Toy libraries
- Out of school provision
- Sure Start Childrens Centres
- and more!
24A good position to respond
- More approachable and less stigmatising than
many - other professionals.
- Longer periods of contact with children and
families, enabling them to build relationships. - A broader, preventive remit.
- Knowledge of large numbers of children and
therefore an understanding of child development.
25Doing a good job
- The vast majority of child care settings keep
children safe and protect them from harm. Almost
all (97) inspected are satisfactory or better in
delivering this outcome for children. - (Safe and Sound, OFSTED, 2006)
26Staying safe effectiveness
- 05/06 06/07
- Outstanding 4 5
- Good 55 51
- Satisfactory 38 42
- Inadequate 3 2
- (Percentage of providers inspected)
27Staying safe inadequate care
- No staff were trained in protecting children or
in following the local safeguarding procedures
adults knowledge of possible signs of abuse was
poor adults were not helping children to learn
how to protect themselves from harm or adults
did not recognise that their methods of managing
childrens behaviour could raise child protection
concerns.
28- Barriers to multi agency working
29Barriers to multi-agency/multi-disciplinary
working
- Different professional/discipline traditions and
cultures. - Lack of shared perspectives/understanding.
- Organisational structures and working practises.
- Professional status.
- Different professional priorities.
- Confidentiality.
- Relationships between professional and service
user. - The same pressures as those on the wider public
- childrens rights ignored denial of abuse
reluctance to - intervene.
30Exhortation is not enough
- We need to win the hearts and minds of
professionals in - different agencies.
- Training multi-disciplinary training where
appropriate. - Supervision and support.
- Pay and workforce reform.
31EduCare - what pre-school staff said Reviewed
pre-school child protection policy and altered
volunteer induction form to include a signed
statement that they have read, understood and
agree to abide by the policyWe are looking
into child protection policy on allegations
against staff as a separate policy
32Feedback from child minders
- 97.4 felt that EduCare had helped them
understand child abuse - 97.6 felt it helped them identify their role in
protecting children - 97.4 felt more confident in recognition
- 97.6 felt more confident to take action
- 23 said they had changed their practice
33What child minders said
- I have written a more clear code of conduct and
given a copy to all my parents and carers. - I record all details of any concerns as a
precaution. - An excellent introduction to the recognition
and procedures involved in child abuse
allegations.
34Uptake of Training and Support Needs Survey
- 19,422 people completed the survey
35Child Protection Concerns
- 88.4 of people who completed the survey come
into direct daily contact with children - 50 of these had had concerns about the safety of
a child, or suspected that a child was
experiencing abuse during the course of their
work - The average number of children that each
respondent had had a concern about was 5
36Taking Action
- The majority of people had taken action last
time they had a concern about a child. The three
most likely forms of action were - Raised concerns with a colleague within the
organisation who has responsibility for child
protection (21) - Referred concerns to social services (21)
- Discussed the concern with colleagues to get
their advice (20)
37Barriers to Action
- The main barriers or difficulties that people
reported experiencing in deciding what to do
about their concerns was the following - Being unsure as to whether abuse was taking place
(28) - Being worried that if they did something it would
have a negative impact on their relationship with
the childs parents/carers (13.18) - Thinking that it might make the situation worse
for the child if they did something (7)
38Child Protection Policies and Procedures
- The majority of professionals know that their
organisation has a child protection policy - 40 of these however are only broadly familiar
with it or not familiar at all
39Training
- The issues which respondents would most like
to receive updates on were as follows - Understanding the roles and responsibilities of
other agencies/working together - Understanding the legal and policy framework for
safeguarding - Communicating with children and young people
where there are child protection concerns - Domestic violence and child protection
- Assessing risk where there is a child protection
concern - Working with families where there is a child
protection concern
40Child Protection Concerns
- Early Years Workers were the least likely to have
- had concerns about a child (22)
41 42NSPCC activities
- Operates 180 teams and projects whose activities
- include
- - Investigations into allegations of complex
child abuse. - - Counselling and therapy.
- - Supporting families in successful
parenting. - - Working within schools.
- - Providing a voice for children and young
people. - Provides an independent voice campaigning on
behalf - of children.
43NSPCC activities CONTINUED
- Works with other organisations in effective
co-operation. - Operates the 24-hour freephone Child Protection
- Helplines.
- ChildLine
- Provides support to children at a distance
through - There4me.com.
- Gives training, consultancy, and advice on child
protection to local authorities and other
organisations. - Carries out research.
- Publishes books, leaflets and newsletters.
44NSPCC commitment to multi-agency working
- Working in partnership with other agencies is
crucial to - ending child cruelty.
- No one organisation can do it alone.
45 46Equal protection from assault
- Reform the law on physical punishment
- Education on alternatives, including positive
parenting - Early years providers to campaign for a change
47(No Transcript)
48Anti Bullying Week 2007
- Safer together, safer wherever.
- Focus on bullying in the community.
- The importance of starting early.
49(No Transcript)
50- A copy of this presentation can be found on our
website at - www.nspcc.org.uk/inform
51(No Transcript)