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CHAPTER 1: Introduction

AMENDMENT

Section 2.1 was amended and Section 2.5 was added in March 2010.


Contents

  1. Scope
  2. Staff for Whom Relevant
  3. Relationship of Policy, Procedure, Protocol & Guidance


1. SCOPE

1.1

The contents of these procedures have been developed from, and are consistent with:

  • Relevant law, regulation and statutory and non statutory government guidance
  • Best practice as agreed by the steering group overseeing the procedures development
1.2 The procedures replace all previous child protection procedures and protocols dated 2006 or earlier currently in use across Berkshire.
1.3

The procedures include the following appendices:

  1. The statutory framework for child protection work (reproduced from Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010)
  2. National sources of information or advice
  3. Child protection referrals outside of normal office hours

Further professional guidance is available from "What to do if you're worried that a child is being abused" (which was last revised by the Department for Education and Skills in December 2006).


2.  STAFF FOR WHOM RELEVANT

2.1

Contents have been agreed by Berkshire LSCBs and are relevant for all agencies and individuals with responsibilities for children living or present in the Berkshire area.
2.2 Professionals are expected to follow these procedures in most circumstances though there may be occasions when professional judgement suggests an exceptional course of action. A departure from procedures should be acknowledged and reason/s clearly recorded.
2.3 When LSCB agencies commission services from private or voluntary organisations, they should (consistent with their s.11 Children Act 2004 obligations to 'safeguard and promote the welfare of children') seek to make compliance a contractual requirement.
2.4

Whilst compliance cannot be enforced, all reasonable efforts should be made to encourage the following individuals and non-local agencies to conduct operations in a manner consistent with these procedures:
2.5

The up-to-date Berkshire Child Protection Procedures are only available electronically.  All those working with children who lack access to a computer at home or work will need to be aware of public sites where they can gain access to the procedures (e.g. libraries). There will be few occasions when immediate access to the procedures is required. To address these occasions all activities / organisations that do not have on-site access to the procedures will need to have available on-site:


3.  RELATIONSHIP OF POLICY, PROCEDURE, PROTOCOL & GUIDANCE

3.1

Readers need to be clear about the differences between:

  • Policy
  • Procedure
  • Protocol
  • Guidance

POLICY
3.2

A policy sets out:

  • Shared beliefs
  • Organisational intentions and commitments
3.3 Agencies may develop supplementary 'internal' policies which represent higher standards of practice than required by this document, or which reflect an agency-specific contribution to child protection.
3.4 To maintain the advantage of a Berkshire-wide approach, any supplementary policies should be consistent with this manual.


PROCEDURE
3.5 A procedure indicates what must or may be done in specified circumstances. Though professional judgment must be applied to all situations, a procedure defines the limits of professional discretion.
3.6 Any supplementary internal procedures developed by agencies should also refer to, and be consistent with these procedures.


GUIDANCE
3.7 Guidance provides contextual information or addresses the question of 'why' specified actions may be required. This manual has included guidance only to the extent that it is required to understand a procedure and/or facilitate day-to-day practice.


PROTOCOLS
3.8 A protocol is a formal agreement between 2 or more agencies (which may retain their own agency-specific procedures) to commit staff to an agreed common response to specified issues, events or circumstances e.g. information sharing, MAPPA arrangements.
3.9 In an attempt to minimise the number of documents to which staff need refer, this manual has incorporated all protocols understood to be in use.
3.10 The inter-relationship of law, policy, procedures, guidance and protocols is represented diagrammatically below.


Flowchart: Law, Policy, Procedures, Guidance and Protocols


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