Excerpt
In the UK each year a small minority of children are ‘locked up’ in Secure Children’s Homes. But what does this actually mean for the child and what are the processes in place to safeguard their welfare?
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What age can a young person get a tattoo or body piercing? What is the law around body modification? What are the safeguarding implications? Read More →
Children who are looked after should be accommodated in care provision that meets their needs and is in their best interest. Does placing a child many miles away from their home area weaken safeguarding measures? What are the correct procedures? Read More →
The NCA have produced their latest assessment into county lines drug supplies. Find out more here.
Is it lawful to prevent a child from leaving a care or foster home? Can anything be done if you believe that they might come to harm? Read More →
Chatbots used in the protection of children and vulnerable adults. What are they, what can they do? Are there any pitfalls and will they bring anything of value to the safeguarding arena?
The new Clever Never Goes programme, developed by the charity Action Against Abduction, seeks to moves the focus away from strangers and instead teaches children to recognise when someone (anyone) is asking them to go with them.Read More →
The number of children taken into local authority care has risen by 24% in the last decade. A lack of Foster Carers means that many children are placed in residential homes. For a care home, safeguarding the children in their care should be their primary objective. Read More →
When dealing with a vulnerable child or adult, safeguarding practitioners will create and update numerous documents. If the investigation leads to a criminal case, what information is recorded about the victim could well be disclosed to the accused. What professionals write about the victim is important and we should avoid ‘victim blaming language’. Read More →
The term ‘streetwise’ is often mentioned in missing children cases. It wrongly gives the impression that a child is wise to the risks they may face, and able to get themselves out of dangerous situations. It is mistakenly used to justify a reduced response from safeguarding professionals. This can lead to tragic circumstances. Read More →
Imagine a place where children who have been sexually abused can receive the response that they need, under the one roof. A place where all the safeguarding agencies work together, not only to ensure the welfare of the child, but also secure evidence the best evidence to bring perpetrators to justice. That is ‘Barnahus’, the Icelandic model being introduced into the UK. Read More →
Updated guidance and resources from the home office. Includes posters for different sectorsRead More →
Street slang has evolved into an extensive vocabulary, a combination of slang words and phrases, supplemented by texting jargon, hashtags and emojis. We ask how safeguarding professionals can understand street slang. Read More →
There are numerous pieces of legislation, both civil and criminal which deal with the protection of children. This article looks at the various court orders that can assist us in our safeguarding role. Read More →
A father takes his child out of the UK without the permission of the mother and refuses to return. Parental Child Abduction is more common than you think. What can the mother do? What is the law? Who can help? Read More →
Many missing children are harboured by adults when missing. We take a look at Child Abduction Warning Notices (CAWNS), what they are used for, the processes involved and the law if they are breached. Read More →
You can find anything on the world wide web. For most it is a place of joy, entertainment and education. Sadly, for those people contemplating taking their own lives, there are also websites and other platforms which exploit the vulnerable. We take a look at pro-suicide platforms.Read More →
Missing and vulnerable children often gravitate to a ‘friendly’ address in their area. Some are safe, many are not. Find out what the law says, when a person persistently ignores requests and warnings by the authorities not to harbour a child. Read More →
In the last few years the drugs landscape for young people has changed. Whilst cannabis is still the drug of choice, there has been a move towards “Legal Highs”, illegally purchased prescription only medication and powerful synthetic drugs. The availability of drugs on the internet has also had a significant impact. We look at some of those changes and some of the new drugs of choice. Read More →
How do we divert children away from gang involvement? What is an Osman warning? How do gang injunctions work? We take a look at some of the methods available to safeguarding professionals, that may help divert young people away from gang involvement. Read More →
A look at the recommendation from the Independent Inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) interim report, which states that those working in children’s homes in England, should be required to register, in the same way that social workers have to. Read More →
Each year across the UK, hundreds of children are removed from harmful situations by the police and placed into ‘Police Protection’. We take a look at this valuable tool, which if used responsibly, can be a very valuable tool in safeguarding vulnerable children. Read More →
We take a look at the recent NCB report highlighting the volume and lack of national response to children missing from education.Read More →
One thing that has always haunted me since visiting the Nashville State Prison and meeting with convicted paedophiles. When asked what they would do if a child said NO! when trying to abuse them. Their answer was – we would go and find another child that did not say No!….IRead More →
