Understand How to Safeguard the Wellbeing 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.

It is important to safeguard children and young people because no one deserves to be abused whether it be emotional, physical, sexual abuse and no young person deserves to be neglected and we have a duty to protect them from harm.

Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people is extremely important. It involves more than just protecting children from abuse – it also includes promoting their interests, keeping them safe and protecting their rights.

D2-Justify responses where child maltreatment or abuse is suspected or confirmed, referring to current legislation and policies.

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.

Different agencies involved in safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and their roles:

The importance of interagency working in the safeguarding and protection of children in the UK

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

Working together to safeguard children 2006 sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in accordance with the Children’s Act 1989 and the Children’s Act 2004. It is important that all practitioners within settings and environments looking and caring after children and young people must know their responsibilities and duties in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, following their legislations, policies and procedures.

* Describe the roles of different agencies involved in safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.

The NSW have two main organisations and they are: a. Department of community services work together with other non- government organisations (NGOs), government departments and the community and their main focus is to provide support to vulnerable families and keep children and young people safe from abuse and neglect. b. Commission for children and Young People which consults with stakeholders, including children and youngest, to build an effective and strong voice for children and young people in

The benefits of the police department and social services working together to investigate when a child has been physically or sexually abused is a good combination because the police can work on catching and arresting whomever cause harm to the child, and social services can help get the child the proper help and also get the out of the place where the abuse was occurring. Social services can look at things going on inside of the child’s home and let the police know about their investigation so that they can have knowledge on the case before going forward with it. With them working together all in all it is the best solution for the child because in the end the child will get the exact treatment and care that they need in their difficult time.

This could be the first contact that a child or young person may make if they are at risk of abuse or have been abused. There are organisations like the NSPCC who can put the child in contact with professionals that can put a stop to abuse happening. The NSPCC sate that; “We work directly with children and families in over 40 service centres across the UK. We collaborate with frontline professionals and researchers to find innovative solutions and evaluate what works. And we can help you find the latest policy, practice, research or news - whether you're researching a particular therapy or preparing a court report.” (NSPCC,

It is difficult to comprehend that as advanced as human evolution has become there are individuals who act on horrible inexplicable instincts such as molesting a child or even to the point of sexually abusing a child. We as a society are constantly bombarded with reports of extreme sexual abuse cases of children and even infants. When we read or see a report of sexual abuse in the news the first thing that comes to mind is, what sick individual would think to do that to such an innocent child. More often than not the culprit ends up being an individual that fits the profile of a normal law abiding citizen that displays no signs of being a deranged abuser like what we typically see on television shows or movies. In most instances the abuser is a close friend or family member which can make things even more complicated and traumatic for a child. In addition and contrary to what most people believe sexual abuse can be very difficult to prove due to a variety of reasons. Along with the difficulty of proving that sexual abuse has occurred the trauma that is left on the child can affect their wellbeing as well as causing drastic short-term and long-term consequences. Because child abuse can be so traumatic it not only affects the wellbeing of the child but the entire family as well especially in instances where the abuser is a family member. As social workers and as students part of our profession is to protect the disadvantage and children is no exception. The social work

The instant a child has been expected of being abused or neglected and a responsible citizen takes the initiative to involve authorities on the behalf of the children is the ultimate time when a life changing moment occurs. Child Protective Services makes the decision as to whether or not a reported situation is worthy of an investigation. Reporting neglect or abuse doesn't have to directly be made to Child Protective Services; law enforcement can be notified as well through an emergency and/or non-emergency hotline. Child Protective Services and law enforcement personnel work hand in hand, but each entity completes a different type of investigation. The law enforcement investigation involves criminal charges and deciding whether a not a caregiver, guardian, parent or anyone else broke any laws and regulations. Child Protective Services investigation will involve whether or not a child is being neglected and should be placed in an alternative living arrangement, along with completing other family assessments.