Safeguarding Children in Relation to the Every Child Matters Initiative - Assignment Example

Independent Safeguarding Authority in the UK Introduction The new coalition government in the United Kingdom is serious about safeguarding children in relation to the Every Child Matters (ECM) initiative. It has issued new rules and guidelines which are now statutory for childcare professionals. These new statutory rules had taken effect last October 1, 2010 and pertain to the gathering of sensitive information and also the handling of confidential correspondence and communications related to child protection and other serious child care incidents.#2 These are all part of social work reforms that are being implemented. However, it must be emphasized that safeguarding is a bit different from child protection in the sense that the former pertains to protecting children from mistreatment, the prevention of impairment in a child’s development and ensuring children grow up in the right environment consistent with their safe and effective care. Child protection is just a part of the overall safeguarding and undertaken to protect vulnerable children who might be suffering.#1 It requires special skill to deal with family situations in which professionals have no other choice but to intervene, or intrude into the family life of a young child. Discussion Parents today are very protective of their children and this is understandable. There are some instances, however, when the children have to be separated from their parents and other adults who might be causing them harm. This is why the English government has taken a right to take care of these vulnerable children as the protector of society. In other words, parents do still have rights but once they maltreat their children, the government takes over their care. In any society, priority protection must be extended to those who are most vulnerable – children. 1. Personal Reactions - early childhood education (ECE) professionals must be careful when dealing with their young pupils and also especially with their parents. It is important for them not to let their personal biases and prejudices intrude into their professional conduct. In this particular case, I might be influenced by pity for the young child Steve. Or conversely, I might feel a bit antagonistic towards the father of Steve or even to his mother. Although this reaction might be normal for any other person, it must not cloud my judgement on the proper actions to take, such as hesitating to report the matter immediately. For example, I would naturally feel pity for the young Steve and might get into the wrong conclusions about the conditions in the home of Steve and what his parents are doing to him. The appropriate professional response would be to observe Steve objectively, such as how he acts in the classroom or what his reactions are when his stepfather arrives to pick him up. My personal reactions can interfere with my own judgment about what needs to be done in this situation. I need to be quietly inquisitive into the circumstances of Steve’s family life without being obnoxiously intrusive. I have to protect the family’s privacy but not to the extent of possibly neglecting Steve or leaving him at the mercy of his parents. The idea is to correctly identify, understand and deal with possible child abuse. My personal reactions can lead to an over-reaction, such as reporting Steve’s parents to the authorities when in fact no child abuse has taken place. Steve might just be suffering from some physical ailment. 2. Immediate Concerns – there are some tell-tale signs that all is not well with Steve. The first is his reaction when told about his misbehaviour such as intentionally bumping into other people and his classmates. He was not upset when school staff had told him it is bad for him to keep knocking other people down and even seemed to relish the seemingly violent actions. He is quite aggressive and seems tired just coming into the school in the mornings. It is also noticeable that he is restless and seems always very hungry (which means he has not yet eaten at home before leaving for school). He also appears to be anti-social and is content to watch the other children play but not join them. The concern is that Steve is definitely not acting normal; his emotional socialisation has been negatively affected by their situation at home, whatever this might be and his educational development could be stunted. The immediate concerns at this point would be his physical health because he arrives at the school seemingly tired and sleeps long hours. Secondly, he appears famished by eating as much as he possibly can when given food. In his afternoon naps, he has nightmares and to be murmuring and moaning in his sleep. These are clear physical signs; there might be other physical (bruises, cuts, etc.) or emotional signs of abuse (incoherent speech, lethargy, etc.). The mum of Steve might be covering for her husband's abuses committed against Steve since the husband is the father of her younger child, Tabi. The main immediate causes for concern are Steve’s physical and emotional health which is definitely not normal for a kid his age. In light of what is observed about him, I may have to take definite action and report his parents to the proper authorities to have them investigate about the happenings at their home. Another concern would be to bring Steve to a child counsellor and try to ferret out the truth on what happens at their home. Young Steve is naturally afraid of his stepfather John and might expectedly be reluctant to discuss this matter with complete strangers. It is important for the child counsellor to gain his trust first before he will presumably divulge anything. The stepfather John could be inflicting physical punishment on Steve as a form of discipline when he does something or whatever to offend John. The ECE teacher should look for signs of the abuse since there could be marks on Steve, such as bruises on the arms or legs or buttocks. The claim of playing rough could just be a convenient alibi or cover-up by his mother. 3. Legal Framework and Procedures – there exists in England laws regarding child abuse which are the Children Act (both 1989 and 2004). These two laws now make it legally obligatory (statutory) for professionals (teachers especially) to report suspected child abuse. There are now local safeguarding children boards (LSCB) which can initiate any case review like that of Steve’s and if warranted, put him under the custody of the court (a ward of court). This was preceded by the Every Child Matters (ECM) initiative that aimed to link together all the organisations that work or provide services to children and achieve better outcomes. In the case of Steve, it is now mandatory for me to report his situation to the LSCB in my area about his suspected abuse. However, confidentiality should be observed in my reporting. This is but necessary as a safeguarding measure for Steve which includes prevention of his abuse. Conclusion The United Kingdom has established the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to prevent unsuitable persons (like those with criminal records) from working or volunteering to work with children or vulnerable adults. The government today has taken a pro-active stance with regards to child protection by preventing abuse before it happens. This is because the state regards the protection of children welfare to be its primary responsibility and no longer just of the parents alone. This is the official policy and contained in the proposals after review of the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) #3 to ensure all kids grow up to be the useful adult citizens. The protection and safeguarding of children is the duty of society and by extension, of the government, when parents fail in their parental duties. Safeguarding is part of the larger process of social reforms designed to attain justice for everybody, especially for children. The laws intend to protect vulnerable children by screening and barring those with questionable personal records from working or volunteering to work with kids. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity_requirements_guidance/charity_governance/managing_risk/protection.aspx http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/safeguardingandsocialcare/ http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/ Read More