Child Safeguarding Flashcards
GDC child safeguarding expectations
The General Dental Council expects all registrants to be aware of the procedures involved in raising concerns about the possible abuse or neglect of children and vulnerable adults.
All dental professionals have a responsibility to raise concerns about the possible abuse or neglect of children or vulnerable adults. It is your responsibility to know who to contact for further advice and how to refer to an appropriate authority (such as your local health trust or board)
child protection
Activity undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are at risk of suffering, significant harm.
‘children in need’
those who require additional support or services to achieve their full potential.
safeguarding children
Measures taken to minimise the risks of harm to children.
This includes:
- protecting children from maltreatment
- preventing impairment of children’s health or development
- ensuring that children are growing up in a safe and caring environment
Working Together to Safeguard Children DfES, 2006
what is abuse and neglect
Anything which those entrusted with the care of children do, or fail to do, which damages their prospects of safe and healthy development into adulthood.
3 elements for child abuse (all need to be present)
Significant harm to child
Carer has some responsibility for that harm
Significant connection between carer’s responsibility for child and harm to child
national child protection acts (SCOTLAND)
3 main
National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2014. Scottish Government
Children and Young Peoples Act 2014
Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC)
For further information go to: www.scotland.gov.uk
the children and young people’s act 2014
Royal Assent on 27th March 2014
13 parts - covers a wide range of children’s policy
4 major themes
- Children’s rights (parts 1 and 2)
- Getting it Right for Every Child1 (GIRFEC) (parts 3, 4, 5 and 13)
- Early Learning and Childcare (part 6)
- ‘Looked After’ children (parts 7 to 11)
Aim of the Act, “unquestionably legitimate and benign”.
- specific proposals about information-sharing “are not within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament”.
aim of
the children and young people’s act 2014
“unquestionably legitimate and benign”.
- specific proposals about information-sharing “are not within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament”.
4 major themes of
the children and young people’s act 2014
- Children’s rights (parts 1 and 2)
- Getting it Right for Every Child1 (GIRFEC) (parts 3, 4, 5 and 13)
- Early Learning and Childcare (part 6)
- ‘Looked After’ children (parts 7 to 11)
GIRFEC in the CYPA 2014
Named person for every child as a single point of contact to provide advice and support to families and to raise and deal with concerns about a child’s wellbeing. Now voluntary schemes only not mandatory
Lead professional where particularly complex needs or where different agencies need to work together. Not legislated for, and will remain a matter of policy and guidance only.
Single child’s plan - single planning process for individual children who have wellbeing needs. Legislated for in Part 5
National practice model
- creates a shared language and approach to identifying and meeting concerns.
- the ‘well-being wheel’ (known as SHANARRI)
- ‘my world triangle’
- ‘resilience matrix’
Shared approach to:
- organising and recording information about a child
- discussing ways of addressing concerns about wellbeing.
Recommend- used by all agencies, including when recording routine information.
GIRFEC - emphasis on the way that information is shared and recorded by different professions
The SHANARRI indicators and a concept of ‘wellbeing’
- Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included
SHANARRI
national practice model outlined in GIRFEC in CYPA 2014
shared language and approach to identifying and meeting concerns.
- the ‘well-being wheel’ (known as SHANARRI)
- ‘my world triangle’
- ‘resilience matrix’
The SHANARRI indicators and a concept of ‘wellbeing’
- Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included
The SHANARRI indicators and a concept of ‘wellbeing’
- Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included
GIRFEC emphasises
the way that information is shared and recorded by different professions
shared approach of GIRFEC
Shared approach to:
- organising and recording information about a child
- discussing ways of addressing concerns about wellbeing.
Recommend- used by all agencies, including when recording routine information.
who should use GIRFEC
Recommend- used by all agencies, including when recording routine information.
CYPA 2014 and information sharing
Information can be shared when safety is at risk, or where the benefits of sharing the information outweigh the public and individual’s interest in keeping info confidential.
- Good practice to get consent where possible and safe to do so
Share what you need to and keep a note of what and why you have shared the info.
international child safeguarding acts
Children and Young Peoples Charter
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child UNCRC. They are based on the NEEDS of children
- The right to respect
- The right to information about yourself
- The right to be protected from harm
- The right to have a say in your life
- The right to a good start in life
- The right to be and feel secure
NEEDS of the child in UN Convention on Rights of Child (6)
- The right to respect
- The right to information about yourself
- The right to be protected from harm
- The right to have a say in your life
- The right to a good start in life
- The right to be and feel secure
UNRC criticised UK on which 3 areas
Protection
- against physical abuse and violence (art 19). Continued use of ‘reasonable chastisement’ defence to corporal punishment in the home - smack
- teenagers in the penal system (arts, 37, 40). without access to health care, education or child protection
- lack of benefits and access to health care from asylum seeker children
Participation
- full participation for disabled children (art 23)
- access to information (art 17). Lack of recognition for the need to respect children’s rights in government documents.
Provision
- standard of living adequate for physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social development (art 27). Nearly one in three children living in poverty
aetiology and contributing factors for child abuse in adults
drugs, alcohol, poverty, unemployment, marital stress, mental illness, disabled, domestic violence, stepparents, isolation, abused as a child, unrealistic expectations
aetiology and contributing factors for child abuse in children
crying, soiling, disability, unwanted pregnancy (born at wrong time), failed expectations, wrong gender, product of forced, coercive or commercial sex
aetiology and contributing factors for child abuse in community/environment
Dwelling place and housing conditions, Neighbourhood
aetiology and contributing factors for child abuse through family (violence/dysfunctional)
Intergenerational cycle, Violence toward pets, Social isolation, Poverty
the big 3 concerns in parenting capacity
Domestic violence
Drug and alcohol misuse
Mental health problems
Cumulative problems increase the likelihood of a negative outcome
child abuse volume
2599 children on Child protection register in Scotland 2019
80% new registrations (never registered before)
20% previously registered
49% have been on register for less than 6 months, 34% 6 months to 1 year
Only 2% on register for 2 or more years
14015 children “looked after”
registration rate for child abuse in differing scottish local authorities
Glasgow city 4.1%
East Ren 0.8%
East Dun 2.9%
East Ayrshire 4.6%
North Lanarkshire 2.6%
Scotland overall 2.8% (lower than rest of U.K)
Scotland Vs UK child abuse level
Scotland overall 2.8% (lower than rest of U.K)
ratio of children facing severe maltreatment
Data suggests 1 in 5 children experience severe maltreatment
issue with data on child abuse
no data on child protection referrals collected since 2011
child abuse categories (5)
Physical
Emotional
Neglect
Sexual
(Non-organic Failure to thrive)
vulnerable children are (3 classes)
Under 5s
- Not at school yet – so predominately family care
Irregular attenders
- repeatedly DNA, return in pain, exposed to risks of GA
Medical problems and disabilities
- more at risk of experiencing abuse of all kinds
- serious impairment of health or development is more likely as a result of untreated dental disease
- ‘looked after’ children
how are under 5s vulnerable children
Not at school yet – so predominately family care
how are irregular attenders vulnerable children
- repeatedly DNA, return in pain, exposed to risks of GA
how are children with medical problems and disabilities vulnerable
- more at risk of experiencing abuse of all kinds
- serious impairment of health or development is more likely as a result of untreated dental disease
- ‘looked after’ children
child deaths
UK Vs USA Vs Scotland
In UK 1-2 children per week
In the USA 80 children per month
In Scotland each year, about ten children are killed by a parent or parent substitute.
dental team role in child protection
We too have a responsibility to contribute to the wider picture.
If opportunities are missed that may not arise again for some time, the consequences of this can be very damaging
neglect
significant and under-recognised problem which affects the wellbeing of many children; agencies and their staff need additional professional support in the assessment and intervention with such children and young people.
A centre for children’s wellbeing should include a focus on research and on developing a range of interventions that will be effective.
5 Child’s needs that can be used as markers of general neglect
nutrition
warmth, clothing, shelter
hygiene and health care
stimulation and education
affection
