This essay predominantly focuses on the governance issues in regards to the organisations involved in the Tia Sharp case. Tia Sharp of Pollards Hill, Mitcham, was murdered in August 2012 at the hands of her grandmother’s partner Stuart Hazell who was jailed for 38 years after pleading guilty in May of that year. The body of the Raynes Park High School student was found wrapped in bin liners in the loft of the home that Hazell shared with Tia’s grandmother in the Lindens, New Addington, on August 10th - a week after she went missing. (L May, 2013)
Following the failures in Tia’s lengthy disappearance, a case review was formed, this is due to abuse or neglect of the child being known to constabularies and the fact that the child had either —
…show more content…
He was released in August 2010 and gave the home of Tia’s maternal grandmother as the address at which he would be living. He was generally compliant with the probation service throughout his time “on licence”. Standard assessments completed by probation officers during that period consistently found that he posed a medium risk of harm to the public and members of staff, and a low risk to children. The licence period expired in February 2011. The history of contact with the probation service is unremarkable, though what’s sad about this personal history is that there is nothing to suggest a particular threat to children. Although the report identifies some weaknesses in recording, there is no indication that assessments and provision made by the probation service missed any relevant information or were unsatisfactory in any …show more content…
Many universal services also offer some elements of targeted EIP services – e.g. speech therapy in schools; primary health advice in children’s centres. High quality universal services form the foundation stone for the prevention of escalating needs in children.
Enhanced Level – Some children will have needs which cannot be fully met in universal services. Except in emergency situations where children are at risk of significant harm, enhanced level services should be considered. These enhanced level services form the core of Merton’s EIP offer specialist help.
Specialist Level – These services work with children who are the most vulnerable and have the most significant needs for example where there are safeguarding concerns; children looked after by the local authority; children with Special Educational Needs and disabilities and young offenders. (MASH, 2013)
The above reinforcements will ensure the safeguarding and safety of children and young people so that the system won’t fail this considerably
Justice can be achieved through various processes and principles if applied correctly, similarly justice can also be denied through these same processes and principles. This is exemplified through the Andrew Mallard case (M v The Queen 2005 HCA 68), and the missing persons case of Kieffen Raggett (2007) which shows how the incorrect application of processes like police investigations and coronial inquests can lead to justice being denied. Furthermore, legal principles such as; the rights of the accused and victims, are instrumental in achieving justice as shown through the application of these principles within these cases. These processes and principles can fail due to prejudged conclusions, police corruption, human error and cultural barriers
Radford, et al. 2011. Statistic on child neglect. [Online]. [Accessed 23 October 2013]. Available from: http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/resourcesforprofessionals/neglect/statistics_wda89685.html
The tragic story of Veronica Climbie is an unfortunate example that highlights the impact that not only unprofessional practice but what miscommunication amongst disciplines can have on the life of a client, in this case, a young and innocent little girl. The Veronica Climbie Inquiry (lord lamming, 2003) was established after the tragic and preventable death of a young abuse victim in the UK caused an understandable amount of outrage and consequent reassessment of the functioning and protocol of many multi-disciplinary domains related to her untimely death. In the report, Lamming makes numerous recommendations to improve the child protection sector and prevent unnecessary deaths like Veronicas from happening again, one of these such recommendations is the need to enhance communication between the many disciplines involved with the complex issue of child abuse and protection, and the need for agencies to take accountability of their workers, their decisions and their actions within this context. It is unfortunate that the death of an innocent child had to be the catalyst for positive change and development within multi-disciplinary practice, nonetheless , we can see that a push in policy to create a greater structure for accountability and communication in complex social issues that require interprofessional collaboration can help us
When working practitioners must not only protect the children they work with when in the school setting and off site, but also themselves. Whether in school or off-site the school safeguarding policy should be referred to, to give guidance and adhered to at all times.
C. Cobley & N. Lowe, ‘The stautory “threshold” under section 31 of the Children Act 1989 – time to take stock’ (2011) Law Quarterly Review 396
Children’s Social Care work with parents and other agencies to assess the stages of child protection procedures, record information and make decisions on taking further action. The police work closely with this agency to act on decisions made such as removing a child or the person responsible for the abuse while gathering evidence and carrying out investigations regarding the matter. Health professionals have a duty to report suspected non-accidental injuries to Children’s Social Care and examine children to give evidence of abuse. The Children Act 2004 requires every local area to have a Local Safeguarding Children Board to oversee the work of agencies involved in child protection, place policies and procedures for people who work with children and conduct serious case reviews when children die as a result of abuse. The NSPCC is the only charitable organisation that has the statutory power to take action when children are at risk of abuse. They provide services to support families and children and two helplines for children in danger and adults who are concerned for a child’s safety. They also raise awareness of abuse, share their expertise with other professionals and work to influence the law and social policy protect children more efficiently. There are also acts in place to protect children such as the Children Act 1989, the United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child 1989, the Education Act 2002 and the Children Act 2004. Legal framework from such acts are provided for Every Child Matters which requires early years practitioners to demonstrate that they provide activities that help children protect themselves. This may be through books and group talks known as “Stranger
2. Promote participation and ensure children from disadvantaged background are benefit from Early Childhood Education (ECE) services.
London Borough of Brent (1985) A Child in Trust: the report of the panel of inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Jasmine Beckford, London, Brent.
effectively to put the child in the centre and meet their needs and improve their lives. It involves
ii. A clear framework for local safeguarding boards for monitoring local services effectiveness. iii. Guidance aims to help professionals understand what they need to do and what they can expect of one another in order to safeguard/keep children
SLT practitioner observe the child in the setting, sharing feedback to one another about how the child is managing and looking at the support being given. SLT specialist makes periodic visits to look at outcomes and review the child’s progress. Teams share information and give advice to education staff and parents about how best to support the child and their needs while encouraging communication skills
The Web. 28 Feb 2014 Christopher, Liam. “Mother ‘vindicated’ after girl’s murder suspect held.” Daily Post. 18 Aug. 2006: 19:. Proquest Newsstand.
LSCB, (2013), SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND VULNERABLE ADULTS POLICY, (www.safechildren-cios.co.uk), [Assessed 1 November 2013].
November 13, 2013. “Increasing Options and Improving Provision for Children with Special Educational Needs. (SEN).” Gov. UK. Copyright 2018 Crown.
Since these articles were written, Sarah Payne has been found murdered close to where she lived. The kidnapper is still at large and the search for him has commenced. Tougher legislation on paedophiles has been discussed as riots broke out. However, nothing affective