Looked After Children Case Study

The main current legislation guidelines policies and procedures within own UK home nation for safeguarding children and young people.

The 2nd Joint Chief Inspectors Report defined safeguarding children and young people as the act of taking reasonable measures to ensure that the threats of harm to children & young people’s welfare are diminished by all those who work with children. The document expressed that all agencies involve with the provision of services to children and young people should take appropriate actions to raise and address issues of concerns whilst working to agreed local policies and procedures established by Local Safeguarding Children Board, and in partnership with other local agencies to safeguard a child or young person. (CQC

The following is an outline of current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures within own UK Home Nation for safeguarding children

Children Act 1989 – Determines the duty of early year’s practitioners to identify and meet the separate and distinctive needs of children and to keep them safe. It initiated the belief that the child ought to be at the centre of planning and that a child’s well-being and safety are vital when judgements are made concerning them. This act also recognises the accountabilities of parents in keeping their offspring safe. In this act there are two particular segments that relate to the duty of local authority with concern to child protection, these are-

P1-There are many different reasons why children and young people may need to be looked after which are unforeseen, unexpected and planned situations. Common reasons could involve family related issues including: family breakdown, bereavement, loss of parent, illness or incapacity of a parent such as: hospitalisation, substance misuse or mental health needs, which means there is no one else to provide care. A Child or young person are suspected or actually being maltreated. Children and young person related: health issues, behavioural problems, disability, learning difficulties or rejection by parent as a result of a new partner or because of the child or young person’s behaviour. The child or

Ensuring children and young people’s safety and welfare in the work setting is an essential part of safeguarding. While children are at school, practitioners act in ‘loco parentis’ while their parents are away. As part of their legal and professional obligations, practitioners hold positions of trust and a duty of care to the children in their school, and therefore should always act in their best interests and ensure their safety – the welfare of the child is paramount (Children Act 1989). The Children Act 2004 came in with the Every Child Matters (ECM) guidelines and greatly impacted the way schools look at the care and welfare of pupils. Children and young people should be helped to learn and thrive and be given the opportunity to

If there are children that are being accommodated by the Local Authority, then this all comes under the Children Act 1989.

The duty that a setting has to safeguard its children, staff, parents carers & support its community and regulators in their inspection processes is paramount, this means that recommendations within serious case reviews offer the opportunity to examine current practice, what's happening and how it happens, within the setting and externally with other organisations, agencies and service providers.

* Analysing the child’s and families need’s and the level of risk or harm the child may be suffering

Within this assignment I will evaluate the regulation of care provision for looked after children. I found that two organisations supports and give guidance to schools and services which support looked after children (OFSTED and the Care Quality Commission). They are both similar but highly different in which institutes they inspect. I have analysed the OFSTED report for Pool Hayes Arts and Community School. This showed and supported the roles and responsibilities I have explained in my previous M2.

The children act 1989 has influenced some settings by bringing together several sets of guidance and provided the foundation for many of the standards practitioners sustain and maintain when working with children. The act requires that settings work together in the best interests of the child and form partnerships with parents or carers. It requires settings to have appropriate adult to child ratios and policies and procedures on child protection. This act has had an influence in all areas of practice from planning a curriculum and record keeping. The every child matters framework has

There has been certain legislation in the United Kingdom along with home policies and procedures that affect the safeguarding of children and young people. Policies and procedures for safeguarding and child protection in England and Wales are the result of the Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004 brought more changes that affected the way the child protection system works here in the United Kingdom and so affecting the safeguarding of children and young people. Through the protection policies and procedures for safeguarding children and young people, settings which work with children and young people have an important role in the

As there are a number of different agencies which may be involved when working in the context of safeguarding, it is important that they communicate and work in partnership to ensure the safety and protection of children. Each area of expertise may need to have an input in any one case and each should be considered when discussing issues around safeguarding. A working party or ‘team around the child’ meeting may be called involving a number of agencies in order to discuss how to move forward in the best interests of the child. Different organisations involved in safeguarding are: social services, the NSPCC, health visitors, GPs, the probation service, the police, schools, the psychology service. When it comes to safeguarding, children are best protected when professionals know what is required of them and how they work together. This means that everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe which involves identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action. To carry this out effectively professionals need to work in partnership with each other.

1.1 Outline current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures within own UK home Nation affecting the safeguarding of children and young people

There are many procedures, policies, legislations and statutory guidance to support the safety and welfare of children and young people. They have been developed over many years to recognise the rights of children and young people, protect vulnerable children and young people and after independent inquiries of fatal abuse cases, to recognise the failures of multi agencies and support services.