Welcome to Joint Learning Safeguarding Website.
We want to make sure children and vulnerable adults feel safe and cared for and believe this is everybody's responsibility.
We want this site to be accessible to children and adults, families and communities as well as professionals working with children.
Procedures and Guidance
Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adult Policy and Procedures Guidance
All professionals in contact with children and adults must be aware of abuse and of the need to maintain vigilance at all times.
To access Emergency Contact Numbers:
The Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy and Procedures are to be used at all times when there is concern that a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of harm. The policy and procedures have been written by Joint Learning's Operation Manager and Welfare Support Manager with support from the HR Director.
The policy and procedures indicate what must or may be done in specified circumstances and define the limits of professional discretion.
The policy and procedures must be followed to ensure prompt and effective help to children and vulnerable adults.
The Safeguarding Procedures are based on statutory guidance in the government publication Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006 which sets out in detail how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard children.
To report an incident, complete the Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Reporting Form (SVAC1).
To access Joint Learning's Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy:
Other useful websites to help keep you up to date about the Government's plan for children's services can be found below:
Every Child Matters - events, publications, resources, consultations.
Department for Children, Schools and Families - DFES - news, resources, statistics, and guidance on all aspects of early years services, education, children and young people's health, and youth justice.
How to Stay Safe Online
Many children enjoy chatting on the internet. Sometimes you may not know who you are chatting to. You need to be able to chat safely. To have fun on a website that shows you how to do that you can go to:
New Information
You may be aware of the changes being made regarding checking and monitoring new and existing staff (including volunteers) working with children and/or vulnerable adults. This will be implemented on 12th October 2009 and will bring about significant change to improve safeguarding those vulnerable groups. These changes are supported by Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and further information can be found at Independent Safeguarding Authority
Publications
Lord Laming stated that every service has to play its part in the support and protection of children. Section 11 (4) of the Children Act 2004 places a duty on key persons and bodies to make arrangements to ensure that in discharging their functions, they have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This guidance sets out the expectations on each involved agency on both operational and strategic levels in fulfilling their statutory duty in this area.
Common Assessment Framework
Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
The common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a key element of Every Child Matters providing a common method of assessment across all children's services and will;
Help in the early identification of needs
Lead to co-ordinated provision of services
Promote information sharing to avoid the duplication of assessments
Reduce the need for children and their families to re-tell their story to different practitioners
The five outcomes of Every Child Matters gives all agencies a simple and coherent view of what it is they are doing and gives responsibility to everyone for a child's well being.
The outcomes we want to achieve for all children and young people in Kirklees are:
Be healthy - enjoying good physical health and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle.
Staying safe - being protected from harm and neglect and growing up able to look after themselves
Enjoying and achieving - getting the most out of life and developing broad skills for adulthood
Making a positive contribution - to the community, society and not engaging in anti social or offending behaviour
Economic wellbeing - overcoming social-economic disadvantages, to achieve their full potential in life.
All workers involved with children and vulnerable adults have a duty to act in the best interest of the child or adult. It is the worker's responsibility to identify and respond to concerns about a child's or adult's welfare and to know how to effectively challenge decisions which in their professional opinion do not promote positive outcomes.
Dignity
Joint Learning will not tolerate any form of harassment, discrimination or bullying by any members of its community. Nobody is expected to tolerate what they genuinely and reasonably believe to be harassment, discrimination or bullying.
There are two key ways in which we ensure that the environment we wish to create becomes a reality. The first is by charging managers and tutors with the responsibility for ensuring that staff and learners are neither harassed nor discriminated against. The second is to foster an environment in which there is no tolerance of discriminatory, bullying or harassing behaviour from any member of staff or any learner.
Joint Learning has teamed up with Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) in the North West. Founded in 2002 by NSPCC and National Children's Bureau, the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) brings together over 60 organisations into one network. ABA looks to develop a consensus around how to stop and prevent bullying. ABA aim to influence policy. And work to develop and disseminate best practice.
ABA members come from the voluntary, statutory and private sectors and bring with them a wealth of expertise and experience. Together, we're working to end fear, working to bring hope to thousands of children and young people affected by bullying every year.
http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/
What to do about bullying
If you are being bullied either physically, verbally or via the internet or mobile phone, the following sites will give you the advice you may need.
What is harassment, discrimination and bullying?
Harassment
is unwanted conduct which has the effect (intentionally or unintentionally) of violating a person's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment which interferes with an individual's learning, working or social environment or induces stress, anxiety or sickness on the part of the harassed person.
Discrimination
takes place when an individual or a group of people are treated less favourably than other because of their race, gender, gender reassignment, marital status, status as a civil partner, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation or other factors unrelated to their ability or potential.
Bullying
can be defined as repeated or persistent actions, criticism or personal abuse, either in public or private which (intentionally or unintentionally) humiliates, denigrates, undermines, intimidates or injures the recipient.
Recognising signs of abuse
What is Child Abuse?
Child abuse can incorporate some or all of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. Someone may abuse a child by inflicting harm or by failing to prevent harm. Children can be abused within their family, within an institution, in the community and mostly by people that they know and sometimes by strangers.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is deliberately causing physical harm to a child. This might involve punching, kicking, biting, burning, shaking, throwing or beating with objects. Using belts, whips, sticks or other similar objects as a form of administering discipline is also considered physical abuse. It may also include poisoning, giving a child alcohol or illegal drugs, drowning or suffocation. Allowing other children to physically harm a child can also be physical abuse.
Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is where repeated verbal threats, criticism, ridicule, shouting, or lack of love, affection and warmth emotionally harms a child. It includes conveying to children that they are worthless, unloved, and inadequate or valued only if they meet the needs of another person. Emotional abuse can also include constantly belittling or threatening a child. It may involve causing children to feel frightened or in danger. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill treatment of children.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse involves any contact or interaction where a child or adolescent is used for the sexual stimulation of an older, stronger or more influential person. This may involve direct or indirect sexual exploitation or corruption of children by involving them in inappropriate sexual activities. It includes any touching, stimulating, rubbing, or patting that is meant to arouse sexual pleasure in the offender. Sexual abuse can also involve sexual contact between a significantly older child and a younger child. In addition, it includes exposing children to pornography and unsuitable videos.
Neglect
Neglect means failing to provide basic essential care of children. Neglect happens when a parent or carer fails to provide adequate food, housing, clothes, medical care, or necessary supervision to protect children from physical harm or danger. It also includes failure to ensure access to education or to look after a child because the carer is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
What are the possible signs of abuse?
The following signs may or may not be indicators that abuse has taken place, but the possibility should be considered.
Signs of possible Physical Abuse
Any injuries not consistent with the explanation given for them
Injuries which occur to the body in places which are not normally exposed to falls, rough games and so on
Injuries which have not received medical attention
Reluctance to change for, or participate in, games or swimming
Bruises, bites, burns and fractures, for example, which do not have an accidental explanation
The child gives inconsistent accounts for the cause of injuries
Frozen watchfulness
Signs of possible sexual abuse
Any allegations made by a child concerning sexual abuse
The child has an excessive preoccupation with sexual matters and inappropriate knowledge of adult sexual behaviour for their age, or regularly engages in sexual play inappropriate for their age
Sexual activity through words, play or drawing
Repeated urinary infections or unexplained stomach pains
The child is sexually provocative or seductive with adults
Inappropriate bed-sharing arrangements at home
Severe sleep disturbances with fears, phobias, vivid dreams or nightmares which sometimes have overt or veiled sexual connotations
Eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.
Signs of emotional abuse
Depression, aggression, extreme anxiety, changes or regression in mood or behaviour, particularly where a child withdraws or becomes clingy
Obsessions or phobias
Sudden underachievement or lack of concentration
Seeking adult attention and not mixing well with other children
Sleep or speech disorders
Negative statements about self
Highly aggressive or cruel to others
Extreme shyness or passivity
Running away, stealing and lying
Signs of possible neglect
Dirty skin, body smells, unwashed, uncombed hair and untreated lice
Clothing that is dirty, too big or small, or inappropriate for the weather condition
Frequently left unsupervised or alone
Frequent diarrhoea
Frequent tiredness
Untreated illnesses, infected cuts or physical complaints which the carer does not respond to
Frequently hungry
Overeating junk food
Possible effects of Abuse
The sustained physical, emotional, sexual abuse or neglect of children can have major long-term effects on all aspects of their health, development and wellbeing. They can grow up to feel worthless, unlovable, betrayed, powerless, confused, frightened and mistrustful of others. They might feel, wrongly, that the abuse is their fault.
Children have a right to be safe
Children are not to blame for being abused
Children should not feel they have to deal with abuse on their own
Children should tell someone they trust if they are being abused in any way
Possible effects of Physical Abuse
Physical abuse can lead directly to neurological damage, physical injuries, disability and in extreme cases death. Physical abuse has been linked to aggressive behaviour in children, emotional and behavioural problems and education difficulties.
Possible effects of Emotional Abuse
If a child suffers sustained emotional abuse there is increasing evidence of adverse long-term effects on their development. Emotional abuse has a significant impact on a developing child's mental health, behaviour and self-esteem. It can be especially damaging in infancy and can be as important as the other more visible forms of abuse, in terms of its impact on the child. Domestic violence, adult mental health problems and parental substance misuse may be features in families where children are exposed to such abuse.
Possible effects of Sexual Abuse
Disturbed behaviour including self-harm, inappropriate sexual behaviour, sadness, depression and loss of self-esteem have all been linked to sexual abuse. Its adverse effects may last long into adult life. The severity of the impact on the child is believed to increase the longer the abuse continues, the more serious the abuse, the younger the child at the start, and the closeness of the relationship to the abuser. The child's ability to cope with the experience of sexual abuse, once recognised, is strengthened by the support of the non-abusive adult carer who believes the child, helps the child understand the abuse, and is able to offer help and protection. Some adults who sexually abuse children have themselves been sexually abused as children. As children they may also have been exposed to domestic violence and lack of adequate care. However, it would be quite wrong to suggest that most children who are abused will inevitably go on to become abusers themselves.
Possible effects of Neglect
Severe neglect of young children can seriously impair growth and intellectual development. Persistent neglect can seriously impair health and development and cause long-term difficulties with social functioning, relationships and educational progress. Extreme cases of neglect can cause death.
For further guidance go to What to do if you're Worried a Child is being Abused.
An Awareness of Child Abuse and Neglect -
E Learning Course supplied by Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board (KSCB)
About the Course
This course is for anyone, including members of the public, who would like to know more about the signs and symptoms
of child abuse and what to do if you suspect a child is being abused or harmed. The course is free. Please click here to read the Safeguarding Children Board Copyright statement regarding use of information on our website.
The course should take approximately 40 minutes to complete including a knowledge check at the end. Upon successful completion of the course you will be able to print a certificate of achievement.
You do not have to complete the course all in one go, you can exit from any lesson and re-enter the course at a later time. You will however need to complete the course within three months, after that time your username and password will expire and you will need to re-apply.
Learning Objectives
The aims of the course are to help you to:
Understand the various types of abuse and neglect
Identify signs of abuse and know what to look for
Know how to ask questions if you suspect a child is being abused
Know what to do if you suspect a child is being abused
Understand the importance of keeping records
Understand the importance of reporting your concerns
Know what happens when concerns are passed to Children's Social Care.
How to Apply
To apply please complete the online booking form. Once you have submitted the booking form you will receive an automated email asking you to verify your username and password. The email will contain a link to take you straight to the course.
Use of Personal Information
Information submitted on your application form will be used to communicate with you and give you access to the E Learning course. It will also be used to enable the provision of anonymised summary reports to the Safeguarding Children Board on numbers of people who have completed the course and from which places of work they are from. The Board wishes to encourage widespread use of the E Learning package and the reports will help to show where there are gaps. See our Privacy Statement for full information about use of personal information.
Updating your Learning
This E-Learning course will be updated as necessary to take account of local and national policy changes. It is recommended that you repeat An Awareness of Child Abuse and Neglect every three years. This course is presented in a classroom based environment for those who are not able to complete it on line. Details of all our taught courses are on the training pages of our website.
Feedback
We would welcome your comments on how useful you found this E Learning training package. Please write to us at the address below or email KSCB.Admin@kirklees.gov.uk
