Level 1
“The laws relating to child protection is complex, polices are specific and the guidelines are numerous. (Shulman, 2012, p. 328). Being a student social worker I will need to be aware of the legalisation that will guide my practice. As always the NISCC Code of Conduct is the base for the way I conduct my practice. The Children’s Order (NI) 1995 Article 3 tells us that the welfare of the child is paramount. This piece of legalisation sets out the powers and duties the agency has in relation to Children in Need. A child must be seen within 24 hours of a referral being made, as a social worker I have a duty to investigate, this is set out in Article 66 of The Children’s Order (NI) 1995. It may be beneficial to look at the four parts of the helping cycle which are Assessment, Care Planning, Implementation and Review. (Taylor and Devine 2004) this cycle may provide a firm foundation for the social work process. “Each assessment covers three key areas relating to the development of the child, the capacities of parents and caregivers to respond to needs and the impact of wider family and environmental factors” (Parker & Bradley, 2010) This can be linked to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of how a child’s environment affects their upbringing. UNOCINI is an assessment tool used to assess children’s needs. The Department of Health hopes that the UNOCINI framework will be used as a tool to help identify the needs of children at an early stage, so they can intervene before
Current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures within Northern Ireland 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-
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.
Keeping this is mind; Justice Harrison made a statement stating that “Abraham’s anger and resentment about her own childhood has today affected her parenting.”
Child Protection aims at prevention and reactions in relation to exploitation, violence, and abuse against children. Children obtain protection against activities such as sexual exploitation, labor, trafficking, and harmful traditional practices. Most children are vulnerable to these abuses hence require much protection for full growth and development.
In recent times safeguarding of children has once again come under spotlight with cases such as Madline McKan and the horrific murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. Prior to this the Children’s act of 1984 and updated 2004 version highlighted that all professionals have an obligation to report suspected abuse. There was a public inquiry in 2000 to address the failure of the law which was not upholding the protection of vulnerable children. There was changes to the legislation and the government set up The Every Child Maters (ECM) initiative. This works in line with current legislation Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006 Act. This Act authorised guidance on how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in accordance with the Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004. All organisations must have the succeeding policies and procedures:
* Analysing the child’s and families need’s and the level of risk or harm the child may be suffering
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
Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care and
These needs are addressed by individual work in the Centre, family homes and other settings, Co-Working on a multi-agency basis, and specific groups and courses to address particular needs, e.g. Parenting Courses and Young Parents Groups. A tailored package of support is available to the Service User. The Initial Assessment Team Social Worker made a request for Family Support work to help Tommy (names have been changed) and his family, under Section 17 CA1989, which states that a child shall be considered to be a Child in Need if: a) He is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or to have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining a reasonable standard of health and development without the provision for him of such services by the local authority b)
The U.S constitution exists to prevent the government from violating human rights. So, what solution can be put forth when the constitution is ignored and laws are enacted that do not adhere to the original writings of the forefathers of this nation? All 50 states continue to establish restrictions on sex offenders in hope that the safety of children improves. Be as it may, these laws cause more complications rather than fix the problem. Placing these restraints on sex offenders causes limited housing options, which generates a massive amount of homeless
The Common Assessment Framework 2009 aims to identify additional need and promotes information sharing and coordination of services. Working Together to Safeguard 2003 outlines legal requirements for safeguarding, promoting welfare, roles and responsibilities of professionals and working together to keep children safe. The Munro Review 2012 regards the rights, wishes and feelings to shape the provision of services. The Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements of the Statutory Framework for EYFS 2014 outlines responsibilities for childcare providers for children 0-5 years. Special Educational Needs and Disability Code 2014 provides guidance relating to promoting the welfare of children and young people with special educational needs and
Child abuse, one of the biggest and most sophisticated problems for the whole world. It has many forms and it can destroy the child's life. It can make them an abuser as an adult. In most cases, kids could be sad, lonely, angry, or hopeless. Imagine your children having to cry themselves to sleep because they feel as if they were not loved or needed in this world. Remember that children are very dainty. Children get attached to people very easily, because looks can be deceiving and many people have many beguiling looks. Should the government enact more laws to deal with convicted people of child abuse?
Have you ever wondered about how someone could hurt a child? Sometimes even their own child? How terrible is that. Child abuse is becoming a more common issue throughout the world. Whether it’s physical, sexual, or emotional. How effective has the English government been in preventing child abuse, What have they done or what are they doing to help these children out of this awful situations? While at first it may appear, That the English government is not doing anything to prevent child abuse, but really they are trying. A closer look reveals, That the English government, has new Laws to prevent Child abuse. Like, the Cinderella Law, to stop not only Physical, and sexual abuse, but also emotional abuse which sometimes is not taken as seriously
The CRA was passed as a federal law but it does not have a direct application effect in the states of the federation until individual states enact it at the state level because it is a law which is in the Residual list.