Effective practice, in line with legislation and guidance, is most likely to take place if there is consistency between the principles underpinning legislation, guidance and those promoted in the procedures.
Two key principles underpin safeguarding practice:
1: Safeguarding and protecting is everybody’s responsibility
Effective safeguarding requires:
More specifically, every person in contact with or working with children at risk of harm, abuse and neglect, their carers, and their families; or with adults who may pose a safeguarding risk; or are responsible for arranging services for children and/or adults, should:
- understand their role and responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children at risk of harm, abuse and neglect;
- be familiar with and follow their organisation’s procedures and protocols for safeguarding;
- know who to contact in their organisation to discuss concerns about a child at risk of abuse and neglect and their duty to report;
- be alert to indicators of abuse and neglect both within and outside the family;
- have access to and comply with the Wales Safeguarding Procedures;
- understand the principles and practice contained in Vol. 5 Handling Individual Cases;
- have received training to a level commensurate with their role and responsibilities;
- know when and how to report any concerns about abuse and neglect to social services or the police;
- know that an agency employee has a duty to report if an individual, family member of member of the public expresses concerns about a child’s or adult’s safety to them. they must never be asked to make a self-referral to social services or the police;
- be alert to and aware of the risks which individual abusers, or potential abusers, may pose to children at risk of abuse and neglect;
- recognise when a caregiver has compromised caring capacity, that is, problems which may affect their capacity to provide effective and appropriate care, or which may mean they pose a risk of harm;
- be aware of the impact and effects of abuse and neglect on children at risk;
- understand the safeguarding process;
- share and help to analyse information so that an informed assessment can be made of the child and family’s needs and circumstances;
- contribute as required to provide help or a specific service to the child at risk or a member of their family as part of an agreed plan and contribute to the reviewing progress against person-centred outcomes;
- contribute as necessary at all stages of the safeguarding process;
- contribute to regularly reviewing outcomes against specific shared objectives;
- work co-operatively with the child at risk, carers and families, unless this is inconsistent with the need to ensure the individual’s safety;
- be committed to fully co-operating with all other agencies in the interests of safeguarding adults at risk of abuse and neglect.
2: A child-centred approach
It is important that practitioners, in line with Part 2 6. (2) of the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 recognise:
- the rights of the child should be paramount to the approach;
- their best interests should always be paramount;
- as far as is reasonably practicable, ascertain and have regard to the child’s views, wishes and feelings;
- have regard to the importance of promoting and respecting the dignity of the individual;
- have regard to the characteristics, culture and beliefs of the child and their family (including, for example, language) whilst recognising the paramountcy of safeguarding the individual;
- have regard to the importance of providing appropriate support to enable the child to participate in decisions that affect him or her to the extent that is appropriate in the circumstances, particularly where the child’s ability to communicate is limited for any reason.
Pointers for Practice: Taking a Child-Centred Approach