Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures Manual

This guidance has been reviewed throughout to reflect current processes for accessing Early Help Services in Derby and Derbyshire.

Additional amendments have been made to reflect introduction of the Derby Children's Social Care Online Referral System. The online referral system should be used to submit follow up information within 48 hours of making a telephone referral. It can also be used to make a referral in non-urgent situations or situations where there is no current assessment which could be submitted to the weekly Vulnerable Children's Meeting (VCM). Urgent / child protection referrals should continue to be made by telephone.

This procedure (formerly known as Children Abused Through Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)) has been fully reviewed, broadened and updated to incorporate the different forms of exploitation to which children may be subject. The procedure identifies the similarities between the different forms of exploitation and the overlap between sexual (CSE) and criminal exploitation (CEE). It incorporates the numerous models in which exploitation may be identified including CSE, CEE including exploitation by criminal gangs also known as 'countylines', modern slavery, extremism and radicalisation, internet based exploitation and children who go missing.

A new DSCBs Child at Risk of Exploitation (CRE) Risk Assessment Toolkit has also been published to identify and plan to protect children at risk of being exploited at the earliest opportunity. This replaces the DSCBs Child at Risk of Sexual Exploitation Toolkit.

Additional amendments have been made when the Derby Children's Social Care Online Referral System was introduced. The online referral system should be used for non urgent referrals and to submit follow up information after a telephone referral.

This guidance has been updated to reflect the introduction of the Independent Child Trafficking Service and provision of Independent Child Trafficking Advocates across the East Midlands. Now, once safeguarding processes have been initiated, the Police or Children's Social Care must firstly refer the child to the National Counter Trafficking Service, Independent Child Trafficking Service (ICTS) for Independent Child Trafficking Advocacy. See Section 4, National Referral Mechanism and Duty to Notify for full details.

Section 2, Child Centred Approach to Safeguardinghas been updated to reinforce the importance of keeping the child in focus when making decisions about their life. Additional information has also been added on the types of neglect, abuse or exploitation which young people can experience –both from within their family and from individuals they come across in their day-to-day lives.

Section 1, Contacting Children's Social Care has been updated to include details of the Derbyshire Starting Point Consultation and Advice Service for Professionals and the Derby Children's Services Professional Consultation Line. Information on the process to be followed when making a referral on a recently closed case was also updated.

Links have also been added to the following recently published guidance documents:

• Derbyshire and Derby City Practice Guidance on Bruising in Babies; and
• Children and Guidance on Managing Babies with Suspected Birth Marks, including Mongolian Blue Spots.

The Derby City and Southern Derbyshire; Local Guidance on Medical Examinations in Cases of Suspected Child Abuse and Guidance on Arranging a Child Protection Medical at Chesterfield Royal Hospital – which are linked from Section 9, Paediatric Assessments – have been reviewed and updated locally. The documents sets out the procedure to be followed when requesting a child protection medical for cases of suspected physical abuse or neglect.

In addition the following information was added into Section 9, Paediatric Assessments to reflect current practice in Derby and Derbyshire:

• All medical examinations for children who may have been sexually abused now all take place at the East Midlands Children and Young People's Sexual Assault Service (EMCYPSAS) based at Queens Medical Centre Nottingham;
• If a child has been seen by a Paediatrician with the relevant competencies, and an appropriate assessment undertaken, the child does not necessarily require a formal child protection medical in the presence of a Social Worker. In circumstances where this may happen it is of utmost importance that a referral to Childrens Social Care is made without delay and information is shared between agencies at the earliest opportunity, this would usually be via a strategy discussion/meeting. A report of appropriate standard must be produced by the Paediatrician.

This guidance has been reviewed throughout and extensively updated to emphasise the importance of intervening early whenever there are concerns that a child or young person is being radicalised, and ensuring that they are offered support via safeguarding services, rather than being criminalised. Links to useful resources for practitioners (including e learning) and relevant Government guidance has also been added.

Local contact information has been reviewed and updated as required.

This section links to a new online resource which is designed to help practitioners understand when a Deprivation of Liberty may be occurring, and how this can be authorised.

This guidance has been reviewed locally and the following points of clarification added:

• In Derby, The LADO will record who will complete the actions, the timescale for completion and date the outcome of all actions will be fed back to the LADO. It is the LADO's responsibility to follow up any outstanding actions and record clearly in the case record (See Section 2.1 Initial Considerations);
• It is important for the employer to write clearly in the personnel file  the rationale for any decisions taken in respect of the employee (See Section 2.1 Initial Considerations);
• If the employee changes job whilst the LADO investigation is ongoing, the employer must make the employee aware that it is their responsibility to inform the prospective new employer of the unresolved LADO complaint. Failure to do this may result in an offer of employment being withdrawn (See Section 4, Supporting Those Involved);
• In Section 12, Action on Conclusion of a Case, unfounded has been added as an additional definition which can be used in cases where there is no evidence or proper basis to support the allegation made.

This procedure has been reviewed and extensively updated throughout.

This guidance has been reviewed and updated following publication of revised national MAPPA guidance.

Local contact information has been reviewed and updated as required.

This new procedure contains information to help practitioners understand, recognise and respond to Honour Based Violence and Abuse.

• Children and Families Living in Temporary Accommodation.

Local contact information has been reviewed and updated as required.

This guidance has been reviewed throughout to ensure it continues to reflect best practice in working with children who present a risk of harm to others.

This guidance has been reviewed and updated throughout. The accompanying flowchart (which provides a visual summary of best practice for working with sexually active young people) has also been updated.

This chapter has been reviewed and updated throughout. A flowchart which illustrates the principles which should be followed when managing cases of suspected FII has been added in the Appendix. The revised chapter should be read in full.

This guidance has been reviewed and updated throughout. Additional detail was added into Section 4, Adults at Risk (as a reminder that parents with a learning disability may be vulnerable to abuse or exploitation, which can be heightened by their perception of scrutiny by services in relation to their child/ren. Children's Services involvement may at times make it feel harder for parents to speak out about abuse for fear of how this might be interpreted by practitioners working with them.

Contact information for key local organisations has been reviewed and updated as required.

This procedure has been revised to reinforce the following practice points:

• When a child is being returned to carers in whose care the significant harm originally occurred, a Child Protection Plan should be considered appropriate for a minimum of 6 months. If the child is placed out of county notification should also be sent to the host authority;
• When a child, who is the subject of a Child Protection Plan and is also Looked After by the Local Authority, is being returned to the circumstances where there were previous concerns around their care, an early review of the Child Protection Plan may be appropriate and should be discussed with relevant managers. In these circumstances, a Child Protection Plan should be considered appropriate for a minimum of 6 months.

This procedure has been updated to reinforce the following practice point:

• When a child is being returned to carers in whose care the significant harm originally occurred, a Child Protection Plan should be considered appropriate for a minimum of 6 months

This guidance has been reviewed and updated throughout to reflect learning from a local Serious Case Review. Section 3, Investigation is new and emphasises the importance of thorough planning, good inter-agency working, and attention to the welfare needs of the children victims or adult survivors involved when investigation complex and organised abuse cases. Additional detail has been added into Section 6 The Bronze Group (Frontline Staff and Managers) and Section 9, End of Enquiry/ Investigation Meeting and Report is also new.

Section 8, Escalating Concerns and Differences in Professional Opinion, has been updated to include a new subsection on Professional Meetings.

The new subsection explains how professional meetings can be useful including to share information and to help determine the direction of a case or the plan for a child/young person. They can also be a useful way of resolving uncertainty and can be helpful when working with complex family concerns and/or extensive professionals/networks.

Guidance is also provided in relation to informing families about the professional meeting and the decisions and recommendations that were made. In line with other multi-agency meetings, professional meetings should be chaired by an appropriate person, have minutes taken along with clear actions/recommendations and review timescales.

The Family Safety Advice Guidance which has been written to support practitioners when completing the "Your family's safety advice" section of the Early Help Assessment has also been rewritten.

The Derby City and Southern Derbyshire; Local Guidance on Medical Examinations in Cases of Suspected Child Abuse (see Document Library) - which is linked from Section 9, Paediatric Assessments - has been reviewed and updated locally. The document sets out the procedure to be followed after a strategy discussion to include social care, police and health.

Section 14, Administrative Arrangements for Child Protection Conferences and Parents Recording Conferences has been updated to include a new subsection on Audio Recordings. This new subsection provides guidance for the Conference Chair when responding to requests from parents or carers to make an audio recording, and outlines some of the practical difficulties inherent in making audio recordings of meetings which concern sensitive and confidential information.

Information on how to make a referral contained in Section 2, Recognition and Assessment of the Child's Needs has been updated to reflect current local processes in Derby City and Derbyshire.

This guidance has been reviewed and updated as required.

This procedure has been reviewed throughout and extensively updated to reflect processes for responding to concerns in relation to CSE in Derby City and Derbyshire. The Child Sexual Exploitation Toolkit (found in the Documents Library) has been reissued and now covers both Derby City and Derbyshire. The toolkit contains information on indicators of CSE and vulnerabilities and other CSE resources, including the CSE Risk Assessment Matrix.

This procedure has been reviewed throughout and updated as required. In particular Section 3, Assessment of the Child's Needs has been updated to reinforce that when practitioners identify that a child or children are living in a household where there is domestic abuse, parental/carer mental ill health and parental/carer substance misuse (drugs and/or alcohol), the interaction between these complex issues, also known as the 'toxic trio', must be fully considered. The 'toxic trio' are indicators of increased risk to children and the likelihood of poor outcomes into adulthood, therefore effective assessment to clearly identify risk, strengths and resilience is required. Practitioners must ensure that all cases where the 'toxic trio' are present are discussed with their line manager and/or designated safeguarding lead to ensure that appropriate support and interventions are identified.

This procedure has been reviewed throughout and updated as required. Additional information has been added into Section 2, Identifying Female Children and Women at Risk to help identify women and female children who are at imminent risk of FGM. The Appendices (found in the Documents Library) have also been updated.

This guidance has been reviewed throughout and updated as required. In particular Section 2, Assessment of the Child's Needs has been updated to reinforce that when practitioners identify that a child or children are living in a household where there is domestic abuse, parental/carer mental ill health and parental/carer substance misuse (drugs and/or alcohol), the interaction between these complex issues, also known as the 'toxic trio', must be fully considered. The 'toxic trio' are indicators of increased risk to children and the likelihood of poor outcomes into adulthood, therefore effective assessment to clearly identify risk, strengths and resilience is required. Practitioners must ensure that all cases where the 'toxic trio' are present are discussed with their line manager and/or designated safeguarding lead to ensure that appropriate support and interventions are identified

This guidance has been reviewed throughout and updated as required. Section 2, Assessment of the Child's Needs has been updated to include guidance on how to assess the likely impact of a parent/carer's mental problem and its treatment on their parenting ability and the child's development. A reminder has also been added that whenever practitioners identify that a child or children are living in a household where there is domestic abuse, parental/carer mental ill health and parental/carer substance misuse (drugs and/or alcohol), the interaction between these complex issues, also known as the 'toxic trio', must be fully considered.

Section 11, Use of Volunteers and Section 12, Use of Agency Staff have been added and summarise the checks and induction processes which must be carried out in relation to volunteers and agency staff before they commence working with children and families. Guidance in relation to support and supervision of agency staff and volunteers is also provided.

Section 12, Early Years and Childcare has been updated to reflect the safeguarding requirements placed on Early Years and Childcare Providers in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the Ofsted Inspection Framework for Early Years.

The Multi Agency Guidance which outlines key safeguarding issues that practitioners may need to consider when carrying out home visits has been updated as required in April 2017.

Key local contacts have been reviewed and updated as required.

• Children Whose Behaviour Indicates a Lack of Parental Control.

Section 11, Child Does Not Require a Child Protection Plan has been amended in response to early learning from a local Serious Case Review. Specifically the subsection on discontinuing a current child protection plan has been updated to include clear guidance on the circumstances in which a child protection plan can be discontinued at the first review conference. Information on the continuing support which should be provided for children and families whenever a child protection plan is discontinued has also been added.

Local Contact information has been reviewed and updated.

Information on the Derby City Children's Services Professional Consultation line has been added into Section 5, Obtaining Advice and Using the Early Help Assessment. The Children's Services Professional Consultation line is available to practitioners in Derby who require advice, wish to explore ways of engaging children and families in Early Help or want to discuss whether the threshold for a referral to Local Authority MAT or Children's Social Care has been met.

Looked After Children and Child Protection has been reviewed and updated as required.

This chapter which outlines key points in relation to the abuse of children through digital media, including bullying and so called sexting has been reviewed and extensively updated.

Minor amendments have been made to Section 2, Action to be Taken by Professionals Receiving the Disclosure.

This chapter has been updated to reflect the most recent government guidance on referring suspected trafficking cases to the National Referral Mechanism and on notifying the Home Office of potential victims of Modern Slavery. See Section 4, National Referral Mechanism and Duty to Notify for further information.

This chapter has been updated to include a link to the LADO Referral Form which must be completed by employers and sent via email to the relevant LADO as soon as they become aware of an allegation against a member of staff / volunteer in their organisation. See Section 2.1, Initial Considerations for further information.

A note has also been added into Section 14, Disciplinary or Suitability Process requiring employers to provide written confirmation to the LADO of when the referral was reported to the Disclosure and Barring Service, Ofsted and any other regulatory body. In addition the LADO should also be informed of the outcomes of any disciplinary hearings and appeals.

A link to Serious Case Review Quality Markers published by NSPCC / SCIE has been added to this chapter. The Quality Markers have been developed to help support commissioners and reviewers to commission and conduct high quality Serious Case Reviews (SCRs). They provide a consistent and robust approach to SCRs by covering the whole process from setting up to running the review, to looking at outputs and outcomes from the review - see Section 17, Further Information.

Local contact information has been reviewed and updated as required.

This chapter has been updated.

This procedure has been reviewed throughout and amended as follows:

• Section 7, Referrals to the Police – contact email addresses for the police referral units in Derby City and Derbyshire have been updated;
• Section 9, Paediatric Assessments has been reviewed and updated throughout and should be re-read. In particular information for use when requesting child protection medicals in North Derbyshire and Derby and Southern Derbyshire has been updated and replaced. Sections on who can consent to a Paediatric Assessment, the qualifications and experience required of Paediatricians who carry out Paediatric Assessments in cases of suspected abuse and neglect and guidelines governing the timing of Paediatric Assessments in different situations have all been updated.

Information on the new offence of coercive and controlling behaviour in an intimate relationship which was introduced by the Serious Crime Act has been added to this procedure. See Section 1, Introduction for full details.

Links to the following documents have been added:

• New Multi Agency Statutory Guidance on Female Genital Mutilation (2016); and
• Factsheets for local communities explaining the mandatory reporting duty. These factsheets have been published by the Home Office and include translated versions.

This procedure which outlines the key points and processes involved in responding to unexpected child deaths, and reviewing all child deaths has been comprehensively revised and updated throughout. It should be read in full.

Contact information for local agencies has been reviewed and updated as required.

This procedure has been reviewed throughout and amended as follows:

• Section 7, Referrals to the Police – contact email addresses for the police referral units in Derby City and Derbyshire have been updated;

• Section 9, Paediatric Assessments has been reviewed and updated throughout and should be re-read. In particular information for use when requesting child protection medicals in North Derbyshire and Derby and Southern Derbyshire has been updated and replaced. Sections on who can consent to a Paediatric Assessment, the qualifications and experience required of Paediatricians who carry out Paediatric Assessments in cases of suspected abuse and neglect and guidelines governing the timing of Paediatric Assessments in different situations have all been updated.

Information on the new offence of coercive and controlling behaviour in an intimate relationship which was introduced by the Serious Crime Act has been added to this procedure. See Section 1, Introduction for full details.

Links to the following documents have been added:

• New Multi-Agency Statutory Guidance on Female Genital Mutilation (2016); and

• Factsheets for local communities explaining the mandatory reporting duty. These factsheets have been published by the Home Office and include translated versions.

This procedure which outlines the key points and processes involved in responding to unexpected child deaths, and reviewing all child deaths has been comprehensively revised and updated throughout. It should be read in full.

Contact information for local agencies has been reviewed and updated as required.

Information on Sexting has been added into a new Section 3, Sexting - Taking and Sending Naked or Sexually Provocative Images of Self or Others, Practitioners should familiarise themselves with the new content which explains what is meant by 'sexting' and also summarises Police guidance on how to respond to children and young people who share sexual or indecent images of themselves or others online / via instant or text messaging services.

This chapter has been reviewed and updated throughout.

Section 5, Children in Custody has been updated to include information on the responsibilities of the Local Authority to visit and develop a Detention Placement Plan when a child / young person becomes Looked After as a result of being remanded to Youth Detention Accommodation. Section 10, Unaccompanied Children from Abroad has been completely rewritten and explains the actions which are required when there are concerns that child / young person is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm as a result of suspected trafficking.

Links to the following recently published guidance documents / reports have been added:

• Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation – The Rotherham Response (HM Government, 2015);

• Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation: A Resource Pack for Councils (Local Government Association, 2014);

• Responding to Child Sexual Exploitation (College of Policing).

This chapter has been reviewed and updated throughout. Documents in the appendices have all been updated as required, and information on the Mandatory Reporting Duty under which regulated professionals must report known cases of FGM in girls under 18 to the police has been added into Section 3, Responding to Concerns About FGM.

A link to guidance on how to apply for a Forced Marriage Protection order has been added to this chapter.

This chapter has been reviewed and updated throughout.

Guidelines for Gathering Information about the Needs of Children whose Parents have Drug / Alcohol Problems have been updated. The guidelines should be used by practitioners when assessing the impact of parental drug and/or alcohol use on children.

This chapter has been updated throughout to reflect publication of the Government's Modern Slavery Strategy.

The procedure for responding to allegations against staff, carers and volunteers has been reviewed and updated following publication of the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children.

Information on the Care Act 2014 has been added into a new Section 9, The Care Act 2014.

This chapter has been reviewed following publication of Working Together to Safeguard Children. Additional information on issues which should be covered in the DSCB Annual Report has been added into Section 2, DSCB Governance and Chairing Arrangements.

This chapter has been reviewed and updated as required to reflect Working Together to Safeguard Children.

This chapter has been reviewed and updated throughout to reflect Working Together to Safeguard Children and locally agreed processes for conducting Serious Case Reviews.

The updated thresholds document has been developed and published by Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Boards in response to the requirements of Working Together to Safeguarding Children. The document:

• Explains thresholds for early help services and LA children's social care;

• Contains guidance for practitioners who have a concern about a child or young person and want to know how they can get help; and

• Describes how thresholds should be applied to referrals to promote greater consistency between agencies.

The escalation policy, which sets out clear routes to escalate professional concerns where there are fears that differences of opinion may be getting in the way of keeping a child safe, has been reviewed by the Derby and Derbyshire SCBs and updated as required. It describes a 5 stage process which should be followed when professionals have a difference of opinion. The aim must always be to resolve the disagreement at the earliest possible stage.

This document, which has been developed as a reference guide for all agencies and practitioners who come into contact with children, young people and their families has been updated locally. It is intended as a guide to supporting children/ young people who have thoughts, who are about to or have self-harmed.

The guidance will support practitioners to keep children safe by outlining:

• What self-harm is;

• The triggers for self-harm; and

• Guidance about what to do when working with young people and children who self-harm.

This chapter has been reviewed and updated following publication of Working Together to Safeguard Children.

This document, which was originally published in November 2014, has been reviewed locally and updated as required to reflect Working Together to Safeguard Children.

The document contains guidance for practitioners so they can share information appropriately and confidently as part of their day to day practice and to do so confidently.

Contact information has been reviewed and updated as required.

This new chapter contains information on Government strategies to prevent terrorism and violent extremism. It also covers the indicators which can make children and young people vulnerable to radicalisation and violent extremism and explains the different responses available when practitioners have concerns about specific children, young people and families.

Local guidance on Self Harm has been developed as a reference tool for all agencies and practitioners who come into contact with children, young people and their families. The guidance is intended to help workers supporting children/ young people who have thoughts about or who have self-harmed.

The guidance covers the following:

• What self-harm is;

• Common triggers for self-harm; and

What to do when working with young people and children who self-harm.

This chapter has been updated to include information on Starting Point, which is the new contact and referral process in Derbyshire. Contact details for the Starting Point Consultation and Advice Service have been added into Section 3, How do I know whether there are Low Level or Emerging Needs? The Consultation and Advice service will operate Monday to Friday from 08:00 – 18:00, and can be contact by telephone on service by calling 01629 535353. The service will be staffed by Senior Practitioners and qualified Social Workers. Advice such as how to engage with children and families, dealing with difficult and challenging issues, how to achieve elusive outcomes, etc. will be available.

This chapter has been updated to include information on the new contact and referral system being introduced in Derbyshire. See Section 1, Contacting Children's Social Care for further details.

A link to a new online form developed for use when making a referral to Starting Point has been added.

A link to recently published Department for Education guidance on Information Sharing - Advice for Practitioners Providing Safeguarding Services to Children, Young People, Parents and Carers (2015) has been added into Section 6, Engaging with Families and Sharing Information.

A link has been added to Department for Education Guidance on Working with Foreign Authorities in Child Protection Cases.

This chapter has been updated to include information on the new offence of Sexual Communication with a child which was introduced by the Serious Crime Act 2015.

This chapter has been updated to include a link to the Home Office FGM Resource Pack which contains comprehensive information for practitioners, including free e-learning on how to recognise and prevent FGM, case studies, examples of good practice from around the country and suggested questions for local areas when developing responses to FGM.

Information on Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and Sexual Risk Orders (which were introduced in the Anti Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014) has been added into Section 12, Other Processes and Mechanisms.

A link has been added to guidance for the police on Investigating Child Deaths.

Contact information for the Lead Consultant Paediatrician for SUDI has been updated (see Appendix 4, Local Contacts).

This protocol, which has been developed by the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Boards to support agencies and practitioners in their decision making and assessment processes when working with a pregnant woman, her partner and family, has been reviewed locally and updated throughout.

It has been developed for use by all adult and children's services practitioners working with pregnant women and their families in Derby and Derbyshire.

The protocol aims to ensure that all unborn babies with additional needs are identified as early as possible and ensure that appropriate and timely services are delivered in an integrated manner.

The updated protocol can be assessed from relevant chapters throughout the manual.

Local contact information has been reviewed and updated as necessary.

This section of the manual links to newly published Department for Education advice which has been written to help practitioners identify the signs of child abuse and neglect and understand what action to take.

This chapter has been reviewed throughout and revised substantially. In Section 2, Recognition and Assessment of the Child's Needs, additional information has been added outlining the process making and responding to referrals in Derby and Derbyshire. Section 3, Responding to Abuse of Disabled Children has been rewritten and clarifies the arrangements for undertaking assessments where abuse is suspected and there are both disabled and non disabled children in the family. The chapter should be read in full.

This chapter has been reviewed locally, and revised throughout. It should be read in full.

This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated throughout. It should be read in full.

This chapter has been reviewed and updated as necessary. It should be read in full.

Updated local procedures for practitioners in Derby City and Derbyshire have been added.

This chapter has been reviewed and updated throughout as required. Section 2, Assessment of the Child's Needs and Section 3, Legal Powers to Address Behavioural are new and should be read.

This chapter has been rewritten and should be read in full.

This chapter has been rewritten and should be read in full.

This chapter has been rewritten and should be read in full.

This chapter has been reviewed and updated throughout. It should be read in full.

This chapter has been revised throughout. It should be read in full.

This chapter has been reviewed and updated as required. It should be read in full.

This chapter has been reviewed locally and updated as required. Section 10, DBS Checks and Regulated Activity is new.

This chapter has been substantially revised, it should be read in full.

Local contact information has been reviewed and updated as necessary.

This chapter outlines the key points in relation to concerns that a child or young person under 18 has been trafficked.

This new guidance has been written for practitioners with the aim of reducing deaths of babies and infants as a result of unsafe sleeping practices. The guidance provides information for practitioners to support discussions with parents about safe sleeping.

This guidance contains information for practitioners on a Multi-Agency project running across Derbyshire which aims to reduce the incidence of shaken baby syndrome by raising parents and carer's awareness of the risks of shaking a baby and by giving strategies for managing stressful situations through a Parental Education Programme. The guidance contains specific information for practitioners involved in delivering the parental education programme, as well as messages for use by all practitioners about reinforcing the importance of keeping babies heads safe when working with families.