Amendments

Once the initial results of the post mortem (or provisional results) are known an interim/review discussion or meeting should take place between the lead health professional (paediatrician) , child death specialist nurse, police investigator and coroner’s officer to consider this, the outcome of the joint visit ( if undertaken) and the results of any other investigations. 

The purpose of this discussion is to: 

• review any emerging information 
• consider what is known about the cause of death and any possible contributory factors 
• determine whether any further investigations or enquiries are needed, including the need for a forensic post-mortem
• confirm what information can be provided to the family, how this will be shared, and by whom 
• Consider whether a referral to the Partnership’s Child Safeguarding Practice Review Group is required 

Domestic abuse can encompass a wide range of behaviours. It does not necessarily have to involve physical acts of violence and can include emotional, psychological, controlling, or coercive, sexual and/or economic abuse under section 1(3) of the 2021 Act. Many victims will experience these abusive behaviours simultaneously. At the centre of all these abusive behaviours is the perpetrator’s desire to exercise power and control over the victim.

Practitioners should be aware that children who are Looked After by the Local Authority can be particularly vulnerable to becoming involved in gangs. There may be a need to review their Care Plan considering this information and provide additional support.

Child criminal exploitation (CCE) or child sexual exploitation (CSE) often occurs without the child/young person’s immediate recognition, with the child/young person believing that they are in control of the situation. In all cases, those exploiting the child/young person have power over them by virtue of their age, gender, intellect, physical strength and/or economic or other resources. Violence, coercion and intimidation are common, involvement in exploitation relationships being characterised in the main by the child or young person’s limited availability of choice resulting from their social/economic/emotional vulnerability.

Quality assurance activity is essential to ensuring that policies and strategies are effective. This may include:

• Gathering relevant information to establish the extent of current awareness and training resources available;
• Review and evaluate all internal policies and procedures (at least every;
• 12 months or in response to new technologies or online safety incidents if sooner);
• Developing a mechanism for reporting the number of online safety incidents;
• Developing an audit plan to assess the extent to which online safety is incorporated into safeguarding activity.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and the Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnerships take seriously the statutory role they have to ensure that member agencies co-operate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in Sussex and to ensure that they are effective in doing so.

Initial Response to Allegation or Concern

Working Together to Safeguard Children provides that professionals  do not need consent to share personal information. It is one way to comply with the data protection legislation but not the only way. The GDPR provides a number of bases for sharing personal information.

Working Together to Safeguard Children provides that professionals  do not need consent to share personal information. It is one way to comply with the data protection legislation but not the only way. The GDPR provides a number of bases for sharing personal information.

• Body Maps

The child‘s name will remain on the list of Children with a Child Protection Plan in the permanent home.

Added new CPS guidance on breast ironing as a crime.

Amended Keeping Children Safe in Education link.

Amended Keeping Children Safe in Education link.

It is often unclear in these cases whether the carer is actively fabricating their child’s illness, whether they are simply an anxious parent with a distorted view of their child’s state of health, whether the carer holds inappropriate beliefs or expectations about health and illness, or if the parent and child are interacting in a way that involves the child assuming the ‘sick role’ or the role of a disabled child. Sometimes there are familial or cultural styles of ‘illness behaviour’ that affect how children are presented to doctors. Most of these cases, at least in the initial stages, do not need a safeguarding approach and are probably not ‘true’ FII cases. It should be considered at this stage whether the child is experiencing the forms of emotional abuse or neglect, including medical and/or educational neglect.

Contextual Safeguarding is an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people’s experiences of significant harm beyond their families. It recognises that the different relationships that young people form in their neighbourhoods, schools and online can feature violence and abuse. Parents and carers have little influence over these contexts, and young people’s experiences of extra-familial abuse can undermine parent-child relationships.

Therefore children’s social care practitioners need to engage with and recognise individuals, spaces and sectors who do have influence over the young person, within extra-familial contexts, and recognise that assessment of, and intervention with, these spaces are a critical part of safeguarding practices.

Contextual Safeguarding, therefore, expands the objectives of child protection systems in recognition that young people are vulnerable to abuse in a range of social contexts.

Contextual Safeguarding Network Briefing

It is important to note that perpetrators of criminal exploitation may themselves be children who are criminally exploited and that the victims of crimial expolitation may also be at risk of becoming perpetrators.

Amended formatting.

Amended formatting of table.

Changed WT2015 to WT2018

Revised order of sections

'Use of Internet' updated to Serious Crime Act 2015 

'No Apparent Risk' category removed as no longer used by police.

Outdated details removed.

Corrected spelling.

Changed LSCB to safeguarding partner.

Paragraph 3.2.6 added as per WT2018.

Changed LSCB to safeguarding partners.

Paragraph 3.1.25 added as per WT2018.

Changed wording in light of WT2018: 'Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse.'

Changed LSCBs to Safeguarding partners.

Changed LSCBs to Safeguarding partners and added 2017 Children and Social Care Act.

Changed LSCBs to Safeguarding partners.

Changed LSCBs to Safeguarding partners.

Changed LSCBs to Safeguarding partners.

Changed LSCBs to Safeguarding partners.

Added live streaming and video games.

Additional risk factors added from Home Office county lines guidance, and link to guidance added.

Updated WT2018

Updated WT2018

Updated WT2018

Updated WT2018

Updated WT2018

Updated WT2018

Updated WT2018

Updated WT2018

Updated WT2018

Updated to WT2018

Updated WT2018.

Added information from Myth Busting Guide 

Remove ref to LSCB Chair

Removed - Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015, Flowchart 5, What happens after the child protection conference, including the review?  states that the date of the first Core Group meeting must be within 10 working days of the Initial Child Protection Conference. This date must be arranged at the end of the conference, along with an indication of the required frequency of subsequent meetings.

The Data Protection Act 1998 requires that:

Personal information is obtained and processed fairly and lawfully; only disclosed in appropriate circumstances; is accurate, relevant and not held longer than necessary; and is kept securely.

The Act balances the rights of the information subject (the individual whom the information is about) and the need to share information about them. Never assume sharing is prohibited – it is essential to consider this balance in every case. The Information Commissioner has published a statutory code of practice on information sharing to help organisations adopt good practice

Removed

Working Together 2015 states that:

“… all organisations should have arrangements in place which set out clearly the processes and the principles for sharing information between each other, with other professionals and with the LSCB; and no professional should assume that someone else will pass on information which they think may be critical to keeping a child safe. If a professional has concerns about a child’s welfare and believes they are suffering, or likely to suffer, harm, then they should share the information with local authority children’s social care.

Information Sharing: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers (2015) supports frontline practitioners working in child or adult service who have to make decisions about sharing personal information on a case- by-case basis. The guidance can be used to supplement local guidance and encourage good practice in information sharing.” (Working Together 2015) 

Removed

Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services (March 2015) states that:

Wherever possible, you should seek consent or be open and honest with the individual (and/or their family, where appropriate) from the outset as to why, what, how and with whom, their information will be shared. You should seek consent where an individual may not expect their information to be passed on and they have a genuine choice about this. Consent in relation to personal information does not need to be explicit – it can be implied where to do so would be reasonable, i.e. a referral to a provider or another service. More stringent rules apply to sensitive personal information, when, if consent is necessary then it should be explicit. But even without consent, or explicit consent, it is still possible to share personal information if it is necessary in order to carry out your role, or to protect the vital interests of the individual where, for example, consent cannot be given. Also, if it is unsafe or inappropriate to do so, i.e. where there are concerns that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer significant harm, you would not need to seek consent. A record of what has been shared should be kept.

Removed-

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 states that:

“Effective sharing of information between professionals and local agencies is essential for effective identification, assessment and service provision.

Early sharing of information is the key to providing effective early help where there are emerging problems. At the other end of the continuum, sharing information can be essential to put in place effective child protection services. Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) have shown how poor information - sharing has contributed to the deaths or serious injuries of children.

Fears about sharing information cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the need to promote the welfare and protect the safety of children.” (Working Together 2015)

This definition is inclusive of internal trafficking or trafficking of children within borders.

Care of Unaccompanied and Trafficked Children: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities on the Care of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking and Trafficked Children (2014) provides that where the age of a person is uncertain and there are reasons to believe that they are a child, they are presumed to be a child in order to receive immediate access to assistance, support and protection in accordance with Article 10(3) of the European Convention on action Against Trafficking in Human Beings. Age assessments should only be carried out where there is significant reason to doubt that the claimant is a child. Age assessments should not be a routine part of a local authority’s assessment of unaccompanied or trafficked children. Where age assessments are conducted, they must be Merton Compliant.

This guidance provides information about trafficking, the roles and functions of relevant agencies and the procedures practitioners should follow to ensure the safety and well-being of children who it is suspected have been trafficked

The organised crime of child trafficking into the UK has become an issue of considerable concern to all professionals with responsibility for the care and protection of children. Any form of trafficking children is an abuse. Children are coerced, deceived or forced into the control of others who seek to profit from their exploitation and suffering. Some cases involve UK-born children being trafficked within the UK.

Caps - Young Witness Service

Addition of Emotional, physical or sexual abuse of the parent or any behaviour in another adult which leaves the parent involved in prostitution in fear.

updated details for B&H

Amended B&H details 

Added sentence on children's services and housing services working together and link to government guidance. 

Updated Keeping Children Safe in Education link and date.

udpated with new links

Updated to include WT2018

updated to reflect publications in 2018

removed link Department of Health Best Practice Guidance for Doctors and other Health Professionals on the provision of Advice and Treatment to Young People Under 16 On Contraception, Sexual, and Reproductive Health.

Replaced with guidance issued in Feb 2018

removed link Department of Health Best Practice Guidance for Doctors and other Health Professionals on the provision of Advice and Treatment to Young People Under 16 On Contraception, Sexual, and Reproductive Health.

Replaced with guidance issued in Feb 2018

removed link Department of Health Best Practice Guidance for Doctors and other Health Professionals on the provision of Advice and Treatment to Young People Under 16 On Contraception, Sexual, and Reproductive Health.

Replaced with guidance issued in Feb 2018

Request at Pan Sussex Procs meeting to remove references to interagency referral form (Meeting July 2018)

Replace Absent with No Apparent Risk

Replaces - Where the child's location or reason for absence is unknown and/or there is cause for concern for the child because of their vulnerability or there is a potential danger to the public. A child in this category must be reported to the police.

Replaces  -

Anyone whose whereabouts cannot be established and where the circumstances are out of character, or the context suggests the person may be the subject of crime or at risk of harm to themselves or another.

Additon of - Across Sussex, Police attend a number of information sharing meetings alongside partner agencies. These meetings aim to support in finding resolutions to issues regarding repeat missing children or missing incidents of concern. These meetings also focus on reviewing cases and raising concerns in relation to missing children.

Not suggested as a new paragraph.

Removes- Often such children are immediately labelled as 'the problem' and insufficient consideration is given to why they are persistently absenting themselves.

Replaces - If appropriate the child should have this policy explained to them so that they understand what actions will be taken if they absent themselves without permission.

 Provides wider narrative 

Replaces - The top 5 repeat callers for missing reports were from Children’s Homes. These 5 Children’s Homes equate to a total of 7% of all calls received regarding missing children. Children in Care Homes may have been placed by one of the local authorities within Sussex or by another, more distant Local Authority with the residential homes often managed within the Private Sector. Looked after children are at high risk of being reported missing. 1 in 10 looked after children are reported missing each year compared to 1 in 200 total children. Looked after children who are reported missing will be reported on average 6 times (Missing People, 2016).

Updated figures from 62% of the 4,820 

Removed - A school based study in 2005 showed that 52% of runaways stayed away for one night, 27% stayed away for 2-6 nights, 11% stayed away for 1- 4 weeks and 10% stayed away for longer than 4 weeks.

Addition of definition and removal of RHI provider

Updated link to Brighton & Hove Channel Panel referral form

Formatting

Updated to reflect Department for Education guidance issued February 2017.

Definition updated to reflect Department for Education guidance issued in February 2017.

Clarified status and timing of pre-birth CP conferences following feedback (May 2016)

Clarified status and timing of pre-birth CP conferences following feedback (May 2016)

Clarified status and timing of pre-birth CP conferences following feedback (May 2016)

Clarified status and timing of pre-birth CP conferences following feedback (May 2016)

Clarified status and timing of pre-birth CP conferences following feedback (May 2016)

Clarified status and timing of pre-birth CP conferences following feedback.

Updated details for East Sussex following introduction of Single Point of Advice from 3 May 2016.

Local flowchart pathways and leaflets for parents added

Missing People Pan Sussex Missing Children’s Service Operational Instructions added

Whole chapter updated 

Whole chapter updated

Contact details updated 

Added additional bullet: 'Children not in stable accommodattion/between local authorities/sofa-surfing'.

Guidance added for SARC medicals 

Added SARC Guidance 

Changed CAF to Early Help Plan

Changed CAF to Early Help Plan throughout chapter.

Throughout chapter changed CPT to Safetyguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Throughout chapter changed CAF to Early Help Plan.

Throughout chapter changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Throughout chapter changed CAF to Early Help Plan.

Changed CAF to Early Help Plan

Changed CAF to Early Help Plan

Throughout chapter changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Throughout chapter changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Throughout chapter changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Throughout chapter changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Throughout chapter changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Thoughout chapter changed Police CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Police CPT changed to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Changed CPT to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

CPT changed to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

Police CPT changed to Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

'All disclosures of historic abuse should be referred into the MASH/CAP' added to paragraph.

Changed CAF to Early Help Plan

Changed CAF to Early Help Plan

Changed Common Assessment Framework to Early Help Plan