Safeguarding Children and Young People and Referring Safeguarding Concerns

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and, in particular protecting them from abuse and harm, is everyone's responsibility and depends on effective joint working between all staff and carers, and relevant agencies and practitioners.

The Agency is committed to safeguarding and promoting the well-being of children and young people who are placed in our care, so that they can experience a healthy and happy childhood free from abuse and neglect.

The local authority has a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children, and to investigate and take action as necessary to protect children and young people when there are concerns that they have been abused or neglected.

All staff and carers have a responsibility to report any concerns of abuse or neglect and to take all allegations seriously, and report them to their manager or an independent person - such as the child's social worker, Police, Regulatory Authority or the NSPCC.

The procedures in this chapter are mandatory and any failure to comply with them will be addressed through appropriate procedures.

The Agency will ensure that arrangements are made for staff, foster parents and children placed by the Agency, to be provided with contact details for the area authority, and Ofsted, for the purposes of referring any concern about child welfare or safety to them. Ofsted can also be contacted on 0300 123 1231.

The Agency sets high expectations to ensure that children feel safe and are safe, understand how to protect themselves and are protected from significant harm, including (but not limited to) neglect, abuse, sexual and criminal exploitation, accidents, bullying, self-harm, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, homophobic behaviour, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination, and radicalisation. Any discriminatory behaviours are challenged and help and support are given to children about how to treat others with respect. Foster carers are prepared and supported to respond to children who may face these risks, and receive suitable training.

The Agency promotes safe care, makes unannounced visits to foster carers at least annually and ensures that children have regular opportunities to speak to a trusted professional adult without their foster carers. Children can identify a trusted adult who they can talk to about any concerns. When children raise concerns, it is essential that the adults in whom they confide listen to them, take their concerns seriously and respond appropriately. Foster carers should liaise with their supervising social worker as appropriate.

Care and placement planning ensures that any risks associated with children offending, misusing drugs or alcohol, self-harming, going missing, being affiliated with gangs, being subject to sexual or criminal exploitation, extremism or radicalism are known and understood by the foster carers who look after them. This includes regular contact and planning with the child's allocated social worker and their family, if this is appropriate and in accordance with plans for their future. Care and placement planning must include the measures to be taken to safeguard any child in relation to contact with parent(s). Leaders and managers within the Agency regularly review and act on any known risks to children, taking advice and guidance from local partners and agencies as appropriate.

Children's safety and welfare is promoted in all fostering placements. Foster carers actively safeguard and promote the welfare of foster children. Foster carers make positive relationships with children, generate a culture of openness and trust and are aware of and alert to any signs or symptoms that might indicate a child is at risk of harm. The Agency helps prepare foster carers for the potential impact of abuse and neglect on the behaviour and needs of children, and for the developing needs of any children placed. See Recognising Abuse and Neglect Procedure and Self-harm and Suicidal Behaviour Procedure.

Foster carers are trained in appropriate safer-care practice, including skills to care for children who have been abused. For foster carers who offer placements to disabled children, this includes training specifically on issues affecting disabled children. See Providing Personalised Care Procedure and Safer Care Practice and Personal Care Procedure.

Children must be helped to understand how to keep themselves safe, including when outside of the household or when using the internet or social media (see Internet, Photographs and Mobile Phones Procedure and Radicalisation and Violent Extremism Procedure.

Proactive and creative safeguarding practice means that all children, including the most vulnerable, have a strong sense of safety and well-being and they are unlikely to be missing from care on a regular basis. Children who do go missing experience well-coordinated responses that reduce the harm or risk of harm to them, risks are well understood and minimised, there is a clear plan of urgent action in place to protect them and to reduce further harm or risk of harm. See Missing Children Procedure.

Foster carers are prepared and supported to manage situations and behaviour, and clear and consistent boundaries contribute to a feeling of well-being and security for children. Children are involved in creating ways to de-escalate situations and finding creative alternative strategies that are effective. See Positive Relationships and Behaviour Management Procedure.

Children must be supported to take age-appropriate risks, as a normal part of growing up, that are considered with foster carers, placing social workers (as appropriate) and the children themselves. The Agency implements a proportionate approach to risk assessments to ensure that these work in practice, are fit for purpose and provide enough information to all relevant people so that they can care for the children safely and appropriately. Individual up-to-date risk assessments must address any known vulnerabilities for each child effectively and set out what action should be taken to address and minimise the risks, and reduce harm or the risk of harm. (See Risk Assessment and Planning Procedure)

The Agency and foster carers work effectively in partnership with other agencies concerned with child protection, e.g. the responsible authority, schools, hospitals, general practitioners, etc., and do not work in isolation from them.

Allegations or suspicion of harm must be shared with the appropriate agencies and be handled fairly, quickly and in accordance with statutory guidance. Children must be supported and protected. Support must be given both to the person making the allegation and the person who is the subject of the allegation. The Agency makes sensitive and carefully assessed decisions if children need to be removed from carers if a carer is subject to an allegation. (See Managing Allegations Against Staff and Foster Carers Procedure.)

Staff have effective links with local authorities, designated officers and other safeguarding agencies. There is good communication about safeguarding issues, such as any injuries sustained during restraints or allegations against foster carers. Staff have good relationships with relevant local voluntary sector organisations that may be able to offer specialist support to children in keeping themselves safe.

Where Children's Social Care decides to undertake a Section 47 Enquiry as a result of the referral, the Agency will cooperate fully with the local authority, attend Strategy Meetings as required and share information from their case records in order to assist the local authority to take account fully of all the available background information.

The Agency will agree with Children's Social Care who will be responsible for notifying the Regulatory Authority, and keeping them updated.