Barriers_to_Communication

Safeguard the well-being of children and young people The United Nations Convention on the ‘Rights of the Child 1989’ was ratified by the U.K on the 16th December 1991.This includes: • Children’s rights to protection from abuse • The right to express their views and to be listened to • The right to care • services for disabled children • Services for children living away from home There is no single piece of legislation that covers safeguarding children and young persons in the U.K. Different laws and guidelines cover different parts of the U.K: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but the British government regard it bound by the convention and refers to it in child protection guidance. The Children Act 1989 of England and Wales and the Children Order 1995 of Northern Ireland was to simplify the laws that protect children and young people in their respective UK countries. It was an act to be seen as a serious shake up and made it clear to all that worked with children what their duties were and how they should all work together in the event of allegations of child abuse. England and Wales drew up separate documents with it, emphasised the responsibilities of professionals towards children who are at risk of harm forming Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999). Further changes were made when the act was reviewed changing the way the system is organised and structured thus forming The Children Act 2004. After the tragic death of Victoria Climbie at the hands of her carers in February 2000, when the judge at the trial later in the year described the people in Climber’s case as “blindingly incompetent” by all authorities involved (police, social services department of four local authorities, the National Health service (NHS), the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and local churches all had contact with Victoria) as all failed to investigate properly yet all noted signs of abuse. In April 2000 the Health Secretary and Home Secretary appointed William Larning to conduct an investigation into Victoria’s death. The Larning Report 2003 criticised the approach to protecting children in our society, the report lead to Every Child Matters programme an initiative designed to improve the lives of children which then lead to The Children’s Act 2004 in England and similar Bills and Acts in all four countries of the U.K. The current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures for England: Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010) These guidelines are for those working within: • Health • Education • Police • Probation • Social services The guidelines are relevant to those working closely with children and their families in statutory, independent and voluntary sectors. The document covers the following areas: • A summary of the nature and impact of child abuse and neglect. • How to operate best practice in child protection procedures. • The roles and responsibilities of different agencies and practitioners. • The role of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs). • The processes to be followed when there are concerns about a child. • The action to be taken to safeguard and promote the welfare of children experiencing, or at risk of, significant harm. • The important principles to be followed when working with children and families. • Training requirements for effective child protection. As a further safeguard to children’s welfare, The Protection of Children Act 1999 requires childcare organisations, including those organisations concerned with the supervision of children, not to offer employment that involves regular contact with children, either paid or unpaid, to any person listed as unsuitable to work with children on the Department of Health list and the Department of Education and Employment’s list. The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) acts as a central access point for criminal records checks for all those people who are applying to work with children and young people. The Children Act 2004 created a Children’s Commissioner for England. The English Commissioner does not have the remit to promote children’s rights, unlike the commissioners in the rest of the UK. Also the Children Act 2004 placed a duty on local authorities to appoint a Director of Children’s Services who are accountable for the delivery of services. It placed a duty on local authorities, the police, health service providers and the youth justice system to cooperate together in promoting the wellbeing of children and young people and to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It put the new Local Safeguarding Children Board on a statutory footing so that they could investigate and review all child death in their area. The Act also revised the legislation on physical punishment by making it an offence to hit a child if it causes mental harm or leaves a lasting mark on the skin