Protecting Both Our Children And Young People

Every child has the right to be safe from neglect and abuse. Where there is a concern that this is not the case there are a number of steps commonly taken by support services.

But people’s lives and circumstances don’t always neatly fit into processes or systems so, at various points in time, there could be repeats of certain stages of the process, revisiting of some aspects and ongoing assessment of developments.

The aim must be that children get the help they need when they need it. And if – at any point – immediate action is needed to safeguard the child then that will be taken, regardless of the stage in the process. Throughout, the child’s welfare is of paramount importance.  

Initial concern/inquiries

When an initial concern is raised, possibly through a call to the information line, through direct contact with the police or social work service by the public, or through contact from other professionals i.e. a teacher, inquiries are made to establish the child’s needs and whether this is a child who has been, or is, at risk of abuse or neglect.

Referral

If it is, the case will normally be referred to the local authority social work service who will make further inquiries – of, for instance, the police, health and education services – to consider what needs to be done.

Having considered the information gathered about the child and the circumstances, there are a number of options open to the social worker at this stage depending on the assessment of risk and the need to involve others. These include:  

• Providing advice or information to support the child/family/carer
• Referring the family to another agency or service
• Offering a support service, such as allocating a social worker to visit the family or providing a day care place
• Further assessing the child and family’s needs
• If a child may have been a victim of abuse or neglect, undertaking a joint investigation with the police.

Inter-agency case conference

Where a case requires input of another agency/agencies – such as the police, health or education services – the social work department will convene a case conference. This will:  

• Ensure all relevant information is shared and collated
• Assess the degree of existing and likely future risk to the child
• Identify the child’s needs and any services that may be needed
• Review any current child protection plan
• Decide whether a child’s name should be placed on, or remain on, the child protection register
• Agree an action plan, monitoring and review arrangements.

Child protection register

This is a register maintained by the local authorities, of children who are suffering from, or who are at risk of suffering from, abuse or neglect. Any child on the register will have an inter-agency child protection plan which must be formally reviewed at least every six months, and often more frequently.
The sorts of concerns that can lead to placing a child on the register include:  

• Physical injury
• Sexual abuse
• Failure to thrive
• Emotional abuse
• Physical neglect
Where the action plan is felt to require underpinning by legal controls, or a current action plan is failing to improve the situation for the child as a result of non-cooperation of the parents for example, referral can be made to the Children’s Hearings system to seek compulsory measures on behalf of the child.

Amy’s Story

A simple telephone call not only helped ten-year-old Amy but her mum too. Amy is 10 and lives with her mum and her younger brother Jack. Amy used to be a bubbly little girl but last year, one of Amy’s neighbours became concerned about her wellbeing.

She had become withdrawn and thin and her clothes were dirty. The neighbour also noticed that it was Amy that took Jack to and from school and that she often went out to buy food on her own in the evening.

Unsure what to do, the neighbour phoned the Child Protection Line for advice. The operator put him in touch with his local social work office and he was able to explain his concerns.

The next day, a social worker called in on Amy’s family. It turned out that Amy’s mum was experiencing a severe bout of depression. Her way of coping was to drink excessively.

The social worker arranged for Amy and Jack to stay with another family member for a week to give their mum a short break. In that time, Amy’s mum began treatment for her depression and counselling for alcohol dependency.

In the months after that, social services kept in touch, providing Amy’s mum advice about parenting. Amy is much healthier and happier now because her mum feels better and is now coping. Things could have become a lot worse for Amy and her family if the neighbour hadn’t called the Child Protection Line.

Michael’s Tale

Baby Michael was too young to defend or speak up for himself and his mum was too scared. Both of them are safe now – thanks to the action of a concerned friend.

Michael is just over a year old and lives with his mum, Carol. Michael’s dad, who sometimes lived at home, led a chaotic and unpredictable life due to his addiction to drugs.

Often he was violent and aggressive towards Carol and increasingly, towards Michael. Like many women who experience domestic violence, Carol was frightened to tell anyone in case things got worse.

Carol sometimes took Michael to a local playgroup run by other mums who live nearby.

One day, Michael was playing with another child when he cried out. The child had fallen on top of Michael. One of the mums noticed that Michael seemed to be more upset than she would have expected from a normal childhood tumble.

She asked Carol if Michael was ok. Carol burst into tears. Michael’s dad had had an outburst the previous night and had beaten Michael across the chest and stomach because he was crying. He was covered in bruises.

The mum comforted Carol but wasn’t sure what else she could do. After a sleepless night, she decided to phone the Child Protection Line who put her in touch with the local child protection office.

A policewoman and a social worker visited Carol that day and explained what could be done to help her.

Michael’s dad was charged and while he is trying to overcome his drug addition, he is not allowed to see Michael or get in touch with Carol. Michael is safe from harm now.

ACROSS SCOTLAND
• 2,288 children were on child protection registers (as at 31 March 2006)
• Over 2005/06, there were 10,527 child protection referrals
• Just over 80% of children on the child protection register were under the age of 11 years old (as at 31 March 2006)
• As at 31 March 2006, 12,996 children were being looked after by the local authority
• On March 31, 2006, 13% of children were looked after in residential accommodation. Of these 1,638 children, the highest proportion (64%) were in the 12-15 age category.