1. Working with Children and Families

• 1.1

  Introduction
  
• 1.2

  Underlying Policy, Principles and Values
  
• 1.3

  Thresholds
  
• 1.4

  Terminology
  
• 1.5

  Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families
  
• 1.6

  Children’s Social Care National Framework
  
• 1.7

  Working with children and families who move across Safeguarding Children Partnership Boundaries
  
• 1.8

  Working with families who are uncooperative and/or not engaging with professionals
  
• 1.9

  Supporting families experiencing hate incidents, crimes and harassment
  
• 1.10

  Working with interpreters or signers or others with communication skills to safeguard children
  
• 1.11

  Professional Difference
  

2. The Safeguarding Children Partnership

• 2.1

  Safeguarding Children Partnership
  
• 2.2

  Agency Roles and Responsibilities
  

  Last reviewed in Feb 2023

  Date of next review Feb 2025

3. Information Sharing and Confidentiality

• 3.1

  Introduction
  
• 3.2

  Information Sharing
  - Key Points for Workers when Sharing Information
  - National Guidance on Sharing Information
  - Caldicott Guardians
  - The Domestic Abuse Disclosure Scheme
  - Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme
  - Age Assessment Information Sharing for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
  
• 3.3

  Sharing information with family members about other adults and the risk they may pose
  

4. Early Help

• 4.1

  Early Help (Family Help)
  
• 4.3

  Early Help Plan/ Strengthening Families Assessments
  

5. Recognition and Referral of Abuse and Neglect

• 5.1

  Recognition of Abuse and Neglect
  
• 5.2

  Making a Referral
  
• 5.3

  Children not brought to appointments or meetings that relate to their welfare, care or health.
  

6. Response to Child Protection Referrals

• 6.1

  Action on Receipt of Referrals
  
• 6.2

  Flow chart 1: Action taken when a child is referred to local authority children's social care services
  
• 6.3

  Family Assessments (Child and Family or Strengthening Families Assessments)
  
• 6.4

  Flow chart 2: Immediate protection
  
• 6.5

  Flow chart 3: Action taken for an assessment of a child under the Children Act 1989
  
• 6.6

  Strategy Discussions
  
• 6.7

  Flowchart 4: Action following a strategy discussion
  
• 6.8

  Section 47 Enquiries
  

7. Child Protection Conferences

• 7.1

  Guiding Principles
  
• 7.2

  Resolving Professional Differences
  
• 7.3

  Initial Child Protection Conference
  
• 7.4

  Pre-Birth Conference
  
• 7.5

  Transfer Child Protection Conference
  
• 7.6

  Child Protection Review Conference
  
• 7.7

  Membership of Child Protection Conference
  
• 7.8

  Quorate Conferences
  
• 7.9

  Involving Children and Family Members
  
• 7.10

  Exclusion of Family Members from a Conference
  
• 7.11

  Information for a Conference
  
• 7.12

  Chairing of Conferences
  
• 7.13

  Actions and Decisions of the Conference
  
• 7.14

  Disagreement by Children, Young People and their families/carers/advocates
  
• 7.15

  Administrative Arrangements and Record Keeping for Child Protection Conferences
  
• 7.16

  Flowchart: What Happens after the Child Protection Conference, including the Review Process
  

8. The Child Protection Plan

• 8.1

  Implementation of the Child Protection Plan – Lead Social Worker and Core Group Responsibilities
  
• 8.2

  Record of Children with a Child Protection Plan and Enquiries of the Record
  

9. Organisational Guidance

• 9.1

  Arrangements Regarding Recruitment and Selection of Staff
  
• 9.2

  Supervision and Management of Staff
  
• 9.3

  Arrangements for Training Staff
  
• 9.4

  Sussex Police Protocol Allegations of Child Abuse against a Police Officer or Police Staff Member
  
• 9.5

  The Sussex Joint Protocol to Reduce the Criminalisation of Children in Care and Care leavers
  

10. Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews

• 10.1

  Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews
  

11. Child Death

• 11.1

  Multi-agency guidance for responding and reviewing child deaths
  

12. Risk Management of Known Offenders and Those who Pose a Risk

• 12.1

  Register of Sexual Offenders
  
• 12.2

  MAPPA
  
• 12.3

  Working Together 2023
  
• 12.4

  Parole or Temporary Release of Prisoners Convicted of Offences Against Children
  
• 12.5

  Assessment of Young People Accused, Cautioned or Convicted of Offences Against Children
  
• 12.6

  Known Offenders and Others who may Pose a Risk to Children
  
• 12.7

  Information Sharing - MAPPA
  

13. Parents with additional needs

• 13.1

  Learning disabled parents/ carers
  
• 13.2

  Parenting Capacity and Mental Health Difficulties
  
• 13.3

  Children of Parents and carers who Misuse Substances
  

14. Self-harm and suicide

• 14.1

  Self-harm, suicidal behaviour & suicide
  
• 14.2

  Response to a suspected suicide
  
• 14.3

  Responding to a potential cluster of suicides for children and young people aged under 18
  

15. Safeguarding Children Practice Guidance (Children In Specific Circumstances)

• 15.1

  Unexplained Injuries to Young Children
  
• 15.2

  Fabricated or induced illness (FII) and Perplexing Presentations (including FII by carers)
  
• 15.3

  Safeguarding Children impacted by Domestic Abuse
  
• 15.4

  Complex (Organised and Multiple) Abuse
  
• 15.5

  Non Recent Abuse Allegations
  
• 15.6

  Missing Children
  
  • 15.6.6

    Joint Policy for Children Missing
    
  • 15.6.7

    Children and families who go missing
    
• 15.7

  Safeguarding children who are absent from education
  
• 15.8

  Elective Home Education
  
• 15.9

  Children and Young People Susceptible to Violent Extremism
  
• 15.10

  Safeguarding Children who arrive from abroad (including Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, Victims of Modern Slavery, Trafficking and Exploitation)
  
• 15.11

  Child victims of modern slavery and trafficking
  
• 15.12

  Criminal and sexual exploitation including serious organised crime and gangs
  
• 15.13

  Young people and substance misuse
  
• 15.14

  Children who Harm Other Children
  
• 15.15

  Guidance on Children who present with Harmful Sexual Behaviours
  
• 15.16

  Safeguarding children with disabilities
  
• 15.17

  Safeguarding Looked After Children (children in care)
  
• 15.18

  Safeguarding young carers
  
• 15.19

  Children left unaccompanied by parents/carers (Home alone)
  
• 15.20

  Pre-birth planning for care leavers
  
• 15.21

  Pan Sussex Protocol on Transfer of Young People to Local Authority Accommodation from Police Custody
  

16. Safeguarding children living away from home

• 16.1

  Children Living Away from Home
  
• 16.2

  Safeguarding children in hospital
  

17. Harmful practices linked to faith or culture

• 17.1

  Abuse Linked to Spiritual and Religious Beliefs/Ritual Abuse
  

  .

• 17.2

  Breast Ironing
  
• 17.3

  Forced Marriage of a child
  
• 17.4

  Female Genital Mutilation (or Cutting)
  
• 17.5

  Honour Based Abuse
  
• 17.6

  Male Circumcision
  

18. Allegations against people who work with, care for or volunteer with Children

• 18.1

  Allegations against people who work with, care for or volunteer with children
  

19. Miscellaneous Safeguarding Information

• 19.1

  Supporting online safety
  
• 19.2

  Information Communication Technology
  
• 19.3

  Child Witnesses in Criminal Prosecution and Pre-Trial Therapy Support
  
• 19.4

  Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority Claims for Looked After Children (children in care)
  
• 19.5

  Dangerous Dogs
  
• 19.6

  Parent or Carer Involved in Sex Work
  
• 19.7

  Surrogacy
  
• 19.8

  Sexually Active Children
  
• 19.9

  Concealed Pregnancy
  
• 19.10

  Children/Young People Under 18 Who Become Parents
  
• 19.11

  Restrictive Physical Intervention Policy
  
• 19.12

  Visits by a Child to High Secure Hospitals and Prisons
  

20. Appendices

• 20.1

  Local Contact Details
  
• 20.2

  Referral Form
  
• 20.3

  Child maltreatment: when to suspect maltreatment in under 18s
  
• 20.4

  General Medical Council Guidance: Protecting Children and Young People – The Responsibilities of all Doctors