1.2 Underlying Policy, Principles and Values
Show amendments
Last reviewed in December 2020
Date of next review December 2021
Contents
- Safeguarding and Promoting Children's Welfare(Jump to)
- Child Protection(Jump to)
- Shared Beliefs(Jump to)
- Principles Underpinning all Work to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children(Jump to)
- Working in Partnership with Children and Families(Jump to)
- Case Recording(Jump to)
Safeguarding and Promoting Children's Welfare
1.2.1 | Throughout this manual, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:
All professionals across Sussex play a role in ensuring children have optimum life chances to enter adulthood successfully. |
1.2.2 | Protecting children from maltreatment is important in preventing the impairment of health or development. Protecting children from maltreatment and preventing impairment of children's health or development are necessary, but not sufficient to ensure that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care. |
Child Protection
1.2.3 | Child protection is part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. This refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering or at risk of suffering Significant Harm. |
1.2.4 | Effective child protection is essential as part of wider work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. However, all agencies and individuals should aim pro actively to safeguard and promote the welfare of children so that the need for action to protect children from harm is reduced. |
1.2.5 | 1.2.5 Professionals in all agencies and organisations (including public services, commissioned provider services and voluntary organisations; whether paid or a volunteer) who come into contact with children, who work with adult parents/carers or who gain knowledge about children through working with adults, should:
|
Shared Beliefs
1.2.6 | The needs of the child are paramount and should underpin all child protection work and resolve any conflict of interests. |
1.2.7 | All children deserve the opportunity to achieve their full potential. |
1.2.8 | All children have the right to be safeguarded from harm and exploitation whatever their:
|
1.2.9 | Responsibility for the protection of children must be shared because children are safeguarded only when all relevant agencies and individuals accept responsibility and co-operate with one another. |
1.2.10 | Statements about, or allegations of abuse, or neglect made by children, must always be taken seriously. |
1.2.11 | The wishes and feelings of children are vital elements in assessing risk and formulating protection plans, and must always be sought and given weight according to the level of understanding of the child. |
1.2.12 | During enquiries, the involvement and support of those who have parental responsibility for, or regular care of a child, should be encouraged and facilitated, unless doing so compromises that enquiry or the child's immediate or long term welfare. |
1.2.13 | Practitioners should be aware that to facilitate social inclusion and equality of potential outcome, they should take all reasonable steps to support parents and children who have experienced any form of prejudice. This stance needs to be incorporated into planning, delivering, monitoring or providing training about child protection services. |
Principles Underpinning all Work to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children
1.2.14 | The safeguarding partners and all managers, employees, professionals, volunteers, carers, independent contractors and service providers must ensure that their practice reflects an approach which is:
|
Working in Partnership with Children and Families
1.2.15 | Work in partnership with families must be based on the following principles:
|
Case Recording
1.2.16 | The following is intended to ensure the security of children's case records and the integrity of the information that they contain. |
1.2.17 | Good quality case recording is essential in ensuring:
|


