National guidance for child protection in Scotland published

The Scottish Government has published new national guidance on child protection to help social workers, police, health professionals and others better protect Scotland’s most vulnerable children and young people.

Replacing guidance dating back to 1998, the new publication is based on the principles of Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) and includes new areas of practice such as keeping children safe online and child trafficking.

The new national guidance follows a comprehensive review and consultation on the child protection procedures used throughout Scotland and replaces previous guidance dating back to 1998.

It covers news areas of practice such as keeping children safe online and child trafficking and is based on the principles of Getting it right for every child, the Scottish Government’s approach to ensuring children get earlier, effective and integrated support from all agencies to prevent problems escalating.

Key elements include:

• Detailed advice on how and when to share information on potential risks
• Expanding the range of organisations and professionals responsible for child protection, including those dealing primarily with adults, while making clear that protecting children and young people from harm is everyone’s responsibility
• The creation of national timescales for child protection case conferences, making clear these should take place as soon as possible but no later than 21 days after the notification of a concern
• Greater protection of unborn babies by ensuring that any child who needs a child protection plan pre-birth is also placed on the Child Protection Register, helping ensure information about that child is shared between local authority areas if the mother moves before the birth
• Ending the need for professionals to identify a category of registration when placing a child on the Register to encourage greater recognition of all the needs and risks involved

The national review of child protection procedures will also lead to a further range of initiatives, including a refresh of the specific guidance for professionals working with children and families affected by parental substance misuse – Getting our Priorities Right – with the aim of publishing a draft for consultation in the summer.

Children’s Minister, Adam Ingram said: “There is no more important role for us all then keeping our children and young people safe and well. That’s why we have introduced a raft of changes to strengthen Scotland’s child protection procedures including the introduction of robust, multi-agency inspections to drive up standards and the creation of a national centre of child protection expertise at Stirling University.

“This new guidance – which follows a major review of child protection procedures in Scotland – marks a further important step forward in improving the protection our most vulnerable children, including those yet to be born. It will improve the way all professionals and organisations – health, social work and the police – work together to give children and young people the protection they need from the start.

“As part of the national review and our ongoing commitment to continually drive forward improvements, we will also be bringing in a range of further initiatives, the details of which will be announced in the New Year. This will begin with the creation of a working group to refresh the detailed, existing guidance for those working with children and families affected by parental substance misuse, to bring this into line with the general guidance published today.”

Michelle Miller, President of the Association of Directors of Social Work, said: “ADSW welcomes the publication of the revised guidelines, which bring additional clarity to the expectations on all services responsible for the protection of our children. Children across Scotland are all entitled to the same high standards of support and protection, and these national guidelines will facilitate a consistent approach in local areas.”

Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, Martin Crewe, said: “This new guidance is an important milestone, updating and consolidating policy to ensure everyone understands what has to be done to keep children safe. Voluntary organisations, including Barnardo’s Scotland, were actively engaged in developing it and we welcome the recognition that all agencies, including the voluntary sector, must work together to improve support for children at risk of harm.

“The guidance also addresses the ways in which children can be subjected to harm outwith the home and in particular the dangers of sexual exploitation and trafficking. Barnardo’s has been campaigning to increase awareness of these issues, which all too often go unrecognised. However, guidance and procedures on their own do not safeguard children, they must be accompanied by continuing vigilance from public and professionals alike.”

The guidance makes clear that the new national timescales for child protection case conferences should be met in all but exceptional circumstances, for example where there may be reasons why this would not be in a child’s best interests because the case is particularly complex and requires detailed investigation.

The scrapping of the requirement for professionals to identify a specific category of registration in the Child Protection Register, for example physical neglect, or sexual abuse, when placing a child on the register is designed to encourage a move towards a focus on all the needs and risks involved. A new approach to collecting key data on children placed on the Child Protection Register will be introduced during 2011.