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Children's Act 1989, Legislation, Policy and Procedures, Safeguarding
The child act 2004 legislation policies and procedures
The Children Act 1989, 2004 legislation and guidelines
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The children Act 1989 is a legislation which is set out to protect children and safeguard them. According to the Department of Education ‘this guidance sets out the functions and responsibilities of local authorities and partner agencies under Part 3 of the Children Act 1989 (‘the 1989 Act’), which concerns the provision of local authority support for children and families.’ This act is to protect children and to make sure they are safeguarded. A child is best safeguarded under the supervision of their parents/carers. This legislation has brought out the importance of safeguarding children. The reasons a legislation may change may be because they need to add certain areas within an act therefore amendments are made for the better of the policy. …show more content…
According to Claridge (2016) ‘From April 2006, education and social care services for children in each local authority have been brought together under a director of children's services.’ This states that several changes were made to important services. The Children Act 2004 also works closely with other professionals for the benefit of a child whom a professional may feel is not being treated with the right care/support. Claridge (2016) ‘in the throes of reform are the levels of Inter-Agency co-operation when it comes to matters relating to the wellbeing of children.’
Children social care is currently structured in different areas. For the education system there are various different types of schools which are free schools, private schools and state schools.
Free schools are not under the local authorities however they are run by the government. The government pays for free schools, by ensuring that the children are eating well within the school the government scheme has put forward free school meals for children from the age of 4-7 years of age. By doing this the government is ensuring that a child is eating well. Free schools are schools that work with different organisations. Gov (2015) ‘Free schools are funded by the government but aren’t run by the local council. They have more control over how they do
Parton, N., Thorpe, D. and Wattam, C. (1997) Child Protection Risk and Moral Order, London: Macmillan
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 was established because an American boy was abducted form a Florida shopping mall and was later found murdered. The act was signed into law by George W. Bush on July 27, 2006. This act is established to protect children from sexual exploitation and violent crime to prevent child abuse and child pornography to promote internet safety. This act is also known as the sex offender registration and notification act. It was established with the intention to strengthen laws related to child sexual predators. This law was instructed for each state and/or territory to apply criteria’s for posting offenders data on the internet.
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
Schools are split into four categories/types known as maintained schools. These schools receive funding at least partially from the government. The main differences in mainstream schools come down to the way in which the schools are managed and run. For example a foundation school has its own governing board that decides its admissions policy in agreement with the local education authority. Support services are budgeted for and bought in
The environment has to be safe and secure and equal attention according to the needs of the child is necessary. The Act puts emphasis on the welfare and rights of the child, teachers and support staff must effectively communicate with children and young people respecting their views, wishes and feelings. Again, procedures for reporting concerns and information sharing have to be followed. Professionals such as social workers under the Act are permitted to make investigations and where significant harm is apparent; the police are permitted to take the child.
C. Cobley & N. Lowe, ‘The stautory “threshold” under section 31 of the Children Act 1989 – time to take stock’ (2011) Law Quarterly Review 396
LSCB, (2013), SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND VULNERABLE ADULTS POLICY, (www.safechildren-cios.co.uk), [Assessed 1 November 2013].
Department of Children and Youth Affairs. (1999). Children First-National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children. Available:http://www.dcya.gov.ie/documents/publications/Children_First_A4.pdf. Last accessed 23/01/14.
Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 local authorities have a duty to assess the needs of a child in their area who may be deemed to be a Child in Need. Guidance stipulated by section 17 of the Children Act 1989. Particularly part 1 (a) and (b) of the Act states that local authorities have a duty to: “safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need” (Children Act 1989).
The information sharing government policy March 2015 states that “if a practitioner has concerns about a child’s welfare, or believes they are at risk of harm, they should share the information with the local authority children’s social care, NCPCC and/or the police, in line with local procedures” This is important because if a child’s safety is being compromised appropriate action can be taken straight away for an example, if a child is being physically abused a social worker will have to investigate and follow a process if it if found that the abuse is survive the child will be removed from the home. If the child is being abused it can be sorted out. It is important that all staff in an early years setting are aware of the safeguarding procedures so apocopate action can be taken and the incident can be dealt with in the best way that has the best outcome for the
It is important to keep in touch of all the variations in childcare practices by analysing the applicable publications, for example, Nursery World and Early Years Educator by being prepared to attend preparation course when available. There are better opportunities that ever before for practitioners to improve their trainings up to and past degree level. Having skilled practitioners in the nursery setting will help to change and keep high standards of care and education for the benefit of the children and families while also creating a positive culture of continuous improvements. The Care Council wants to make sure that everyone working as a social care or nursery practitioner and childcare worker is acting carefully and in a way that makes the most of the knowledge and skills they have made up over a period. The Care Council also trusts that the stuff should feel proud of the influence that they make to respected services and be motivated to take responsibility for their professional development from the start of their career throughout their working
As child care practitioners safeguarding ensures that children are cared for in an environment that will enable them to grow and develop in a safe and happy environment with effective and protective care at the heart of the childcare service being provided. The government has put safeguarding legislation and guidance into place to support those working with and caring for children.
Commission for Social Care Inspection (2005) Making Every Child Matter, Commission for Social Care Inspection
Studies show that many children in the community face various forms of abuse and neglect (Fortson, Klevens, Merrick, Gilbert & Alexander, 2016). Consequently, these abuse and neglect incidents profoundly affects the growth and development of the child. Therefore, it is imperative to address them to prevent future consequences in the lives of the children. In this case, the child protection policy needs to address the following issues affecting the children today. First, the policy serves to protect the child against physical abuse. Physical abuse includes those activities or actions that an adult does to cause physical injuries on the child such as beating, kicking or slapping. These measures inflict pain and injury to the child and are morally
It is the Department for Education that is responsible for child protection in England, and it sets out statutory guidance, legislation, and policy on how the child protection system should work.