Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures Manual

A new Section 1.1, What is Early Help? has been added.

Section 4.1, Use of the term 'Risk to Children' has been updated to include details of how Probation services will use form RtCN1 to notify Children's Social Care of a person who poses a risk to children in general, but not specific children at this time.

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

• Section 1, Introduction has been updated to note that once they have received the referral form, the duty LADO will review the referral information and contact the referrer to discuss whether the allegations threshold has been met and then provide further advice and support;
• Section 2.1, Initial Considerations has been updated to reinforce that when an employer has a concern about an employee's behaviour it is imperative that they ensure that the necessary safeguarding procedures are followed, and children concerns are escalated. The referrer should complete the written LADO referral form and email to the responsible local authority. The LADO on duty will then contact them 1 working day to discuss their referral;
• Section 9, Recording Keeping has been updated to note the requirement for organisations to retain documents relating to allegations while the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) is ongoing. A link to guidance on record retention issued by the Inquiry has been added.

Amendments have been made to reflect the changes made within the Derby City and Derbyshire Threshold Document; Level of Need and Help, and the revised front door arrangements for Derby City.

Changes to Reception Services (Derby City)

To manage the increase in demand within Children's Services, changes have taken place in the Reception Service:

• The Reception Service is located at the Council House;
• The Front Door or First Contact Team is now named the Initial Response and is incorporated within the MASH, (multi agency safeguarding hub;
• The MASH Manager role is now named Multi Agency Strategy Meeting Manager;
• Additionally a Domestic Abuse Manager has responsibility for overseeing the response agreed for all new domestic abuse referrals into the organisation on cases not currently open.

The Children's Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub has three social care Team Managers each with rotational responsibility for:

• All contacts and referrals into Children's Social Care – Initial Response Team Manager;
• All cases where there are allegations that a child is suffering significant harm and a multi-agency response is required - Multi Agency Strategy Meeting Manager;
• All Domestic Abuse notifications within the city where there are children living in the family environment - Domestic Abuse Manager.

Section 11, Children and Families Living in Temporary Accommodation has been added.

The Related Information Section has been updated to include links to a range of useful documents / online resources including overarching guidance for practitioners on the subject, specific advice on reporting harmful content, as well as sources of advice and information for practitioners to use when supporting children / young people and their families and perpetrators.

This guidance has been reviewed and updated throughout. Section 1, Introduction has been updated to include the revised definition of domestic abuse contained in the proposed Domestic Abuse Bill and to fully reference the offence of controlling or coercive behaviour in intimate or familial relationships and the types of behaviours which this involves.  

The introduction has also been strengthened to make clear that domestic abuse is complex, it does not only occur between couples. It can also involve wider family members, including parental abuse by an adolescent or grown child. It can exist between older siblings, or the wider extended family in elder or honour-based abuse.

The Related Guidance section has been updated to include links to the following:

• Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner
• The Slavery and Trafficking Survivor Care Standards
• Modern Slavery Training: Resource Page
• Royal College of Nursing Modern Slavery – Professional resources.

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.

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 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.

• Children and Families Living in Temporary Accommodation.

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

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.

• Children Whose Behaviour Indicates a Lack of Parental Control.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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).

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.

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

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

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.