The children Act 2004 introduced further changes to the way the child protection system is structured and organised in England and Wales. The children’s act 2004 provides legal basis for how multi agencies deal with issues relating to children. This was brought in after the Victoria Climbie case. It was designed for the care and support of children, some of these principles are: To allow children to be healthy, helping children enjoy their life, help children succeed, ensuring children are safe in their environments and to help achieve economic stability for their future. In my setting the policies and procedures for safeguarding are always put into place.
Section 17 focuses on children in need and is updated in the children’s act (2004) Part V relates to safeguarding children and young people. The Education Act 2002 - This sets out the responsibilities of Local Education Authorities (LEAs), Governing bodies, head teachers and all those working in schools to ensure that children are safe and free from harm. Children Act 2004 - This provides the legal framework for Every Child Matters. It includes the requirement for: Services to work more closely, forming an integrated service. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006 - This sets out the duties of organisations and how they must work together to safeguard children and young people.
Schools should be able to make children aware of what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, as this will also have a positive impact on their development. Any professional working with children or young people is responsible for the care and well-being of those children. When parents/carers leave their children with us, they must feel assurance and trust that we have the best interest of their child and will protect them from harm. We as professionals have a duty to care for all their needs, be it, physically and emotionally all their needs must be supported, so that they can have a positive development. A child or young person has the need to feel safe in their learning environment in order to be able to develop and achieve at an early age.
Section 17 states that services must be put in place to promote and safeguard the welfare of children who are in need. The Childrens Act (2004) - This aims to bring agencies closer together to form a net of services for all and it provides a legal framework for Every Child Matters. It also provides a common assessment of children’s needs. Another part of this act is to provide a shared database of information which is relevant to the safety and welfare of children and to give earlier support for parents who are experiencing problems. The Education Act (2002) – This sets out the responsibilities of Local Education Authorities, Head teachers, those working in schools and the governing body.
Assessment Task – CYP3.3 Understand how to safeguard the wellbeing of children and young people Task 1.1 What is currently in place that affects the safeguarding of children and young people: Children’s act 1989This legislates for England and Wales | Children’s Act 2004This further puts in place the following: * A children’s commissioner for England * Provides each local authority a director for children’s services * Ensure that local authorities and their partners (including police, health service and youth justice teams) have a duty to promote the well-being of children and young people and arrangements are put into place that will safeguard and promote positive welfare. * Local Safeguarding Boards * A new legislation for physical punishment * Common Assessment Frameworks that help to identify an individual’s needs. * Every Child Matters | Data Protection Act 1998New arrangements for the sharing of information | Sex Offenders Act 1997Police require the names and addresses of known offenders. | Sexual Offences Act 2003Covers the following new legislations that relates to offences against children: * Trafficking * Monitoring of the offenders (relating to the sex offenders Act 1997) * Abuse of a position of trust | The Education Act 2002This Act involves the local education authority, governing bodies and further education to safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of children and young people. | Adoption and Children Act 2002Amends the children’s act 1989 and includes “harm” associated with seeing domestic violence | The Children Act (Every Child Matters) (2004)The government want every child no matter what culture, ethnicity or background obtain the support they need using the five areas below: * Be healthy * Stay safe * Enjoy and achieve * Make a positive contribution * Achieve economic well-being | Working
1.1 Identify the Current Legislation, Guidelines, Policies and Procedures for Safeguarding the Welfare of Children and Young People, including E-safety. Safeguarding is defined in Working together to safeguard children 2013 as: * protecting children from maltreatment * preventing impairment of children’s health and development * ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care and * taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes All staff within a school environment are responsible for the welfare of children, and to ensure that they are kept safe from harm. It is the right of every child to have a safe and secure environment to learn in and to develop essential skills for adulthood. High profile cases such as Victoria Climbie in 2000, Baby P in 2007 and Daniel Pelka in 2012 proved the need to continually review, revise and amend legislation. There is no single piece of legalisation that covers safeguarding in the UK, below are some legislation and guidelines laid down by the government to ensure schools can, and do safeguard children effectively, and to ensure correct procedures and processes are followed.
The Education Act (2002). This sets out the responsibilities of the Local Education Authorities governing bodies, head teachers and all those working in schools or childcare settings to ensure that children are safe and free from harm. Children Act (2004). This provides the legal framework for Every Child Matters. It includes the requirements for: services to work more closely, forming an integrated service, a common assessment of children’s needs, a shared database of information which is relevant to the safety and welfare of children and earlier support for parents who are experiencing problems.
Partnership working and communication between agencies is identified as key in order to identify vulnerable children and to help keep them safe from harm and abuse. The All-Wales Child Protection Procedures were originally written in 2002, and substantially revised in 2008. The children Act 1989 -- was brought in to ensure that all people who work with children worked together and were clear about their responsibilities and knew how to act if allegations of child abuse were made. Parents and professionals must work to ensure the safety of the child. Local Authority has ‘a duty to investigate when there is a reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.
The Education Act 2002 This sets out the responsibilities of Local Education Authorities (LEAs), governing bodies, head teachers and all those working in schools to ensure that children are safe and free from harm. Children Act 2004 This provides the legal framework for Every Child Matters. It includes the requirement for: ● services to work more closely, forming an integrated service a ‘common’ assessment of children’s needs ● shared database of information which is relevant to the safety and welfare of children ● earlier support for parents who are experiencing problems Policies which safeguard Schools must develop a range of policies which ensure the safety, security and well-being of their pupils. These will set out the responsibilities of
The idea behind it is that children are best cared for within their own families. However, if this is not possible the Act makes provisions for times when parents and families do not cooperate with statutory bodies. The Education Act 2002 This Act sets out the responsibilities of Local Education Authority [LEAs], governing bodies, head teachers and all others working in schools to ensure that children and young people are safe and free from harm. The aim of this Act is to place the education services for making child protection arrangements on a statutory footing and to further safe-guard against child abuse in any form. These bodies now have a duty to safe-guard and promote the welfare of children in relation to all functions relating to the conduct of a school.