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Safeguarding Children

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Children and Adults at risk is everyone’s business.

Coventry Safeguarding Childrens Partnership

Warwickshire Safeguarding Childrens Partnership

 


You may not have enough information to determine this and may need to speak to other agencies or professionals involved with the child and family, these may include teachers, health visitor, GP, other carers, children’s centres. You should still share your concerns

Do not assume someone else will act, safeguarding is your business.

What are the roles of the Designated and Named Professionals for Safeguarding? 

Designated and named professionals have specific roles and responsibilities for safeguarding children. All ICBs have a designated doctor, and nurse, to take a professional and strategic lead on all aspects of the health service contribution to safeguarding children.

Who do I discuss my concerns with?

All NHS Trusts have a named doctor, and nurse, for child protection / safeguarding, who will provide advice and expertise for fellow professionals and promote good practice within their organisation. The ICB will monitor that these roles are in place.

GP practices have a lead GP for Safeguarding and support for the lead GP is available from designated professionals.

See contacts for Designated/Named nurses for Safeguarding on the Safeguarding Team page.

Child Death Review Arrangements

The death of a child is a devastating loss that profoundly affects all those involved. A sensitive approach is critical in meeting the needs of those parents, siblings, families, friends and professionals involved in caring for the child.

The child death review process seeks to respect the rights of the child and their family with the intention of learning what happened and why, and whether there are any lessons to be learned, with the aim of preventing future child deaths.

Categories of Abuse

Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them or, more rarely, by others (e.g. via the internet). They may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.

A child is defined as anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday (includes the term young person).

Physical abuse

Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.

Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces illness in a child.

Bruising in Pre-Mobile Babies.

Bruising is the most common presenting feature of physical abuse in children.

The younger the child the higher the risk that the bruising is non-accidental, especially where the child is under the age of 6 months.

Bruising in any child ‘not independently mobile’ should prompt suspicion of maltreatment.

Bruising in any pre-mobile baby, and concerns of physical abuse for any child, should prompt an immediate referral to Children’s Social Care via Somerset Direct on 0300 123 2224, who will arrange an urgent medical examination by a senior paediatrician

Emotional Abuse

Persistent emotional maltreatment of a child (causing severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development).

Conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.

Not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate.

Age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children.

Bullying behaviours.

Sexual Abuse

Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening.

The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing.

They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet).

Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

Neglect

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.

Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food and clothing; shelter, including exclusion from home or abandonment; failing to protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; failure to ensure adequate supervision including the use of inadequate care-takers; or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

For further information see: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/neglect/

Coventry Safeguarding Children

If you have concerns that a child is at risk of harm you must act.

How do I contact someone if I am concerned about a child or young person?

If you wish to report a matter to the police, call 101 and state your concerns.
If you wish to report an emergency matter always dial 999.
Social worker (out of office hours): 024 7683 2222.

If there is no immediate danger or you need advice or information, you should call the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub on 024 7678 8555.

Advice and information

If you want to discuss your concerns or need advice e.g. if you are not sure whether your concerns are justified, you would like more information about issues like confidentiality or you would like to know what happens next (after you have reported your concerns), do one of the following:

Call Childline on 0800 1111

Call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000

Check Coventry CSCP procedures

For professionals

To make a referral, please complete the multi-agency referral form.

Example of a completed multi-agency referral form.

Further information click here

Right Help Right Time

Coventry CSCP have produced new Right Help Right Time Guidance. The guidance helps practitioners to understand and assess risk consistently and appropriately so that children and families can receive the right help at the right time. It will help professionals to identify the support that a child, young person or family might need and how best this support can be provided. It replaces all previous threshold guidance or levels of need documents.

For information on Family hubs – Coventry City Council

Sign up to the Coventry Safeguarding Childrens Partnership Newsletter click here

Coventry Safeguarding Children Partnership policies and procedures

One Minute Guides – Coventry City Council

Warwickshire Safeguarding Children

If you have concerns that a child is at risk of harm you must act.

What to do if you have concerns about a child in Warwickshire?

Before making a referral - please take a look at the Spectrum of Support document to decide whether your concerns require a referral to Children’s Social Care.

For urgent concerns - if you have an urgent child protection concern and need to get in touch with us, call the Front Door on 01926 414144

Lines are open:

Monday to Thursday - 8.30am – 5:30pm

Friday - 8.30am – 5:00pm

You will then need to complete and return a Multi-Agency Contact Form (MAC) and send via email to the Front Door team:

Please email - TriageHub@Warwickshire.gov.uk

Out of hours - if you need to get in touch out of usual office hours, please contact the Emergency Duty Team immediately on 01926 886922.

Emergencies - if you think that a child is at immediate risk, contact the police immediately on 999.

Non-urgent concerns - complete the Multi Agency Contact Form and send to email address as stated above.

For further information on the new MAC form please contact Carmen Lazea, MASH Service Delivery Lead carmenlazea@warwickshire.gov.uk 

Children and young people come into care following often traumatic experiences including abuse, and neglect, as unaccompanied asylum seekers, due to loss of main carers through illness, death or imprisonment, which make them more vulnerable to:

  • Emotional and Mental Health issues, including attachment difficulties
  • Early pregnancy
  • Physical health and developmental delay
  • Exploitation
  • Disengaging from education

NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB are committed to ensuring the best services are available for all children. The Coventry and Warwickshire ICB can provide support and relevant information.

Coventry Children in Care

The Provider for Looked after Children’s Health Services in Coventry is NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT). CWPT provides Health Assessments and health support and advice for Coventry City Council responsible children and young people. Completion, commissioning and quality assurance of the health provision and assessment remains the responsibility of Coventry and Warwickshire ICB.

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust

Named Nurse for Looked After Children – Jackie Ruddy – Tel:  02476 961442

Looked after Children’s Health Co-ordinator – Coventry- Tel: 02476 961442

Email: childrenincare@covwarkpt.nhs.uk

Placing a Child in Care into Coventry

If you are a Local Authority or Responsible Commissioner placing a child into Coventry (CV1-CV6), please request Initial and Review Children in Care Health Assessments via Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust (02476 961442)  or via email childrenincare@covwarkpt.nhs.uk. There will be a charge for completing these assessments.

Warwickshire Children in Care

The Provider for Children in Care Health Services is South Warwickshire Foundation Trust (SWFT). SWFT provides Health Assessments and health support and advice for Warwickshire County Council responsible children and young people. Completion, commissioning and quality assurance of the health provision and assessment remains the responsibility of Coventry and Warwickshire ICB.

If you are a Local Authority or Responsible Commissioner placing a child into Warwickshire, please request Initial and Review Looked after Children’s Health Assessments via Warwickshire Children in Care Team. There will be a charge for completing these assessments.

South Warwickshire Foundation Trust

Named Children in Care Nurse email: swg-tr.lacteamadministrators@nhs.net

Children in Care – Info Cartoons:  

Registering with a GP  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biAYRg-juQw

Registering with a dentist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZFVyZtvZx0

Getting your vaccinations /Jabs/Injections done https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_POnF0ez4Y

Registering with an Optician https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hst_9hHB-6w

 

Further resources

Safeguarding Children and Young People: The RCGP/NSPCC Safeguarding Children Toolkit for General Practice

NSPCC information service

Our Knowledge and Information Service provides quick and easy access to the latest information, guidance and research to help you keep children and young people safe.

You can find out more by visiting their website.

Find online safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe online:

NSPCC Net Aware

NSPCC Talking to your child about Online Safety

Think you know: What to do if your child has seen something inappropriate online

Think you know: There’s a viral scare online. What should I do?

UK Safer Internet Centre

Press release: New measures to keep children safe online at school and at home – All schools to filter inappropriate online content and teach pupils about staying safe.