Safeguarding Tasks

safeguarding, who a vulnerable adult is, different types of abuse, who may abuse, factors and

1.1 Outline current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedure within own UK Home Nation affecting the safeguarding of children and young people.

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-

Terms of reference – This report has been asked for by Veronica Cozens, class tutor. The report asks to:

1.1 outline current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures within own UK home nation affecting the safeguarding of children and young people.

It is everybody’s responsibility to safeguard children – This means every single staff member within a setting; irrelevant of what role they may have there. This also includes non-staff members, such as volunteers, student’s third-party companies (visitors, service providers etc). Each setting should therefore adopt their own safeguarding policy, of which has to be kept up to date and followed at all times.

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

1.3 Analyse how national and local guidelines, policies and procedures for safeguarding affect day-to-day work with children and young people

Today we use the term safeguarding instead of child protection because it covers a much broader range. These changes were influenced by the first Joint Chief Inspectors’ safeguarding report 2002 and formalised in the Every Child Matters legislation outlined in the Children Act 2004. By safeguarding a child or young person we ensure they get the very best of the opportunities available to them for them to achieve the best of their potential while keeping them safe from bullying, crime, accidents, neglect and abuse.

Assess strategies and methods used to minimise the harm to children, young people and their families where abuse is confirmed (M3). Justify responses where child maltreatment or abuse id suspected or confirmed, referring to current legislation and policies (D2)

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

The UK Government has defined the term ‘safeguarding children’ as: ‘The process of protecting children from abuse or neglect, preventing impairment of their health and development, and ensuring they are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care that enables children to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood successfully.’

1. Outline current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures within own UK Home Nation affecting the safeguarding of children and young people.

In a case of suspected abuse your priority should be making sure that if you have any suspicions you should report them and follow them through, you should do this because even if you are unsure whether they are ex piercing a use, you should not just let it slide as you may be covering up abuse if you do. if you look on the accidental and non accidental bruising chart and you think you see bruises where it states on the non accidental chart but the parents have not mentioned it, you should report it, don't just brush it off because you are embarrassed that you may be wrong, you should do this because even if you are wrong, you have done your job in the well being of the child within you're care. If you are suspicious of a child's behaviour, if they are awkward when it comes to a certain sex, show sexual advances I.e. Pull their underwear down continuously even after being told it's wrong

1.3 Analyse how national and local guidelines, policies, and procedures for safeguarding affect day to day work with children and young people