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Safeguarding cases - decisions to respond
A Buddhist organisation regularly runs nature days for children in the summer with a range of activities. Some of the parents who are members of the organisation want to help out and get more involved with running and supervising the activities.
Response: The following advice is ethical and legal to protect all children participating in the activities.
Safer recruitment is essential to child protection. This set of practises ensures that people working or volunteering with children are qualified (Molnar et al., 2020). The Children Act 2004 and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 provide clear guidelines for organisations working with children in the UK.
The organisation must first determine the parent helpers' responsibilities. If they only supervise their own kids, the rules may be looser. If they care for other children in a formal role, they must be recruited in a safer manner. The level of scrutiny and training required depends on this distinction.
When hiring parent helpers for other children, the following are recommended steps:
1. Application Form: Volunteers must complete an application form to provide their personal information, experience, and qualifications.
2. Face-to-face interviews: Assess volunteers' suitability and child safeguarding knowledge.
3. References: Ask for references, preferably from a professional who has seen the applicant work with children.
4. Background checks: In the UK, this involves a DBS check to ensure they have no criminal record that would disqualify them from working with children.
5. Policy Agreement: Get parent helpers to sign the organization's child protection policies.
Training and Support
1. Safer Recruitment Training: Recruitment professionals should receive safer recruitment training. This training helps identify and mitigate hiring risks for staff and volunteers.
2. Keep up with safer recruitment practises and laws: They change, so stay informed. The company should review its policies and practises according to current laws and guidelines.
Child protection training is essential for any organisation (Connolly and Katz, 2019). This training equips all employees to identify and address child welfare concerns.
Child protection training should cover several key areas, including:
1. Understanding of Child Abuse: Volunteers should learn about child abuse types and signs.
2. Legal Framework: UK child welfare laws, including the Children Acts of 1989 and 2004 and the Education Act 2002.
3. Policies and Procedures: Knowledge of the organisation's child protection, reporting, and response policies.
4. Behavioural Guidelines: Clear behaviour and boundary guidelines for working with children.
5. First Response: Training on who to contact and what to do if abuse is disclosed or suspected.
All new volunteers and staff should receive child protection training. The requirement is not one-time. To keep volunteers and staff informed and emphasise child safeguarding, the organisation should provide regular refresher training (Forslund et al., 2022). Laws or best practises may require refresher training every two to three years, but it is recommended.
1. Introductory Courses: Offer introductory courses tailored to volunteers' level of child contact. To accommodate volunteers, these courses should be accessible and available online or in-person.
2. Training Frequency Information: Provide clear guidelines on how often child protection training is required. This information should reflect best practises and legislative changes.
Parents helping with children's activities at the Buddhist organisation is commendable and can improve the programme. However, child protection must come first. The organisation protects children and equips volunteers to positively impact their experiences by using safer recruitment practises and providing comprehensive child protection training.
This advice balances volunteerism's openness and community spirit with child protection's strict requirements to create a safe, supportive, and enriching environment for all. These guidelines must be clearly communicated to potential parent helpers, along with their importance. To maintain high child safeguarding standards, the organisation should support and resource volunteers.
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Connolly, M. and Katz, I., 2019. Typologies of child protection systems: An international approach. Child Abuse Review, 28(5), pp.381-394.
Forslund, T., Granqvist, P., van IJzendoorn, M.H., Sagi-Schwartz, A., Glaser, D., Steele, M., Hammarlund, M., Schuengel, C., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J., Steele, H. and Shaver, P.R., 2022. Attachment goes to court: Child protection and custody issues. Attachment & Human Development, 24(1), pp.1-52.
Molnar, B.E., Meeker, S.A., Manners, K., Tieszen, L., Kalergis, K., Fine, J.E., Hallinan, S., Wolfe, J.D. and Wells, M.K., 2020. Vicarious traumatization among child welfare and child protection professionals: A systematic review. Child Abuse & Neglect, 110, p.104679.
Mini Essay
The UK's social fabric includes safeguarding and child protection to keep children safe and healthy. The terms are interconnected but serve different purposes in UK child welfare.
Safeguarding includes all efforts to protect children. This concept encompasses children's health, development, and welfare as well as abuse and maltreatment prevention (Baginsky and Manthorpe, 2021). Safeguarding policies foster children's safe development.
Safeguarding involves proactive strategies, educational programmes, and community awareness campaigns to prevent child harm. Keeping children safe requires community cooperation, including professionals, organisations, and the public, as a preventive and holistic approach.
However, child protection is targeted safeguarding. It focuses on identifying, investigating, and responding to cases of child abuse or neglect (Redden et al., 2020). Protection procedures are reactive, triggered when a child's safety is threatened. These procedures are essential for protecting vulnerable children immediately. In such cases, child protection agencies collaborate with law enforcement, healthcare providers, and social services to ensure child safety.
The Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, and Children and Social Work Act 2017 form the basis for UK child protection and safeguarding laws. Individuals and organisations have statutory duties to care for and protect at-risk children under these acts. The legal foundation is crucial for shaping child welfare policies and practices, ensuring a consistent and accountable approach to child protection nationwide.
Child health and welfare professionals lead safeguarding efforts. Teachers, doctors, social workers, and police officers are examples. They monitor children and intervene when necessary to protect them (Warrington and Larkins, 2019). Reporting concerns, participating in child protection plans, and collaborating with professionals and agencies can create a safety network for at-risk children.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and other non-governmental organisations provide resources, training, and support to professionals and the public in safeguarding and child protection (Redden et al., 2020). These organisations are vital in promoting children's rights and fostering a culture that prioritises their protection.
In essence, UK safeguarding and child protection are two frameworks for child welfare. Safeguarding protects children from harm through preventive and proactive measures. Child protection targets the immediate needs of children who have been or may be abused or neglected.
They represent the UK's commitment to a society where children's safety, health, and happiness are prioritised, supported by a strong legal framework and dedicated professionals from across sectors. This commitment guarantees every child a safe and nurturing environment to grow and thrive.
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Baginsky, M. and Manthorpe, J., 2021. The impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Social Care in England. Child Abuse & Neglect, 116, p.104739.
Redden, J., Dencik, L. and Warne, H., 2020. Datafied child welfare services: unpacking politics, economics and power. Policy Studies, 41(5), pp.507-526.
Warrington, C. and Larkins, C., 2019. Children at the centre of safety: challenging the false juxtaposition of protection and participation. Journal of Children's Services, 14(3), pp.133-142
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