Library
Child abuse inquiries
The protection of children in England: a progress report (Lord Laming, March 2009)
This document was commissioned to provide an urgent report on the progress being made across the country to implement effective arrangements for safeguarding children.
The Bichard Inquiry report (2004)
Sir Michael Bichard’s enquiry into child protection procedures in Humberside Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary in the light of the trial and conviction of Ian Huntley for the murder of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells.
The Victoria Climbie Inquiry report (2003)
The full report of Lord Laming's inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Victoria Climbie.
Joint Chief Inspectors Report on the key findings from the self audits of NHS organisations, social services departments and police forces.
Legislation
An introduction to child protection legislation in the UK (NSPCC)
A brief introduction to some of the key legislation that protects children and young people in the UK.
The Children Act 1989 sets out in detail what local authorities and the courts should do to protect the welfare of children. It charged local authorities with the “duty to investigate … if they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found, in their area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm” (section 47). Local authorities were also charged with a duty to provide “services for children in need, their families and others”
(section 17).
The Children Act 1989 Report 2004 and 2005 (DfES, 2006)
This report describes a period of intense activity as Government and partners worked hard to make a reality of the vision for children's services set out in Every child matters: change for children (December 2004) and the children act.
Adoption and Children Act 2002
On 30 December 2005 the Adoption and Children Act 2002 was fully implemented. It represents the most radical overhaul of adoption law for 26 years, replacing the outdated Adoption Act 1976 and modernising the entire legal framework for domestic and intercountry adoption. Local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies must comply with the new provisions.
The Education Act 2002 included a provision (section 175) requiring school governing bodies, local education authorities and further education institutions to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
The Sexual Offences Act 200323 was introduced to update the legislation relating to offences against children. It includes the offences of grooming, abuse of position of trust, trafficking, and covers offences committed by British citizens whilst abroad. It also updated the Sex Offenders Act 1997 to strengthen the monitoring of offenders on the sex offenders’ register.
The Government’s response to the 2002 Victoria Climbié Inquiry report was the Every Child Matters programme, which in turn led to the Children Act 2004.
Children Act 2004 summary (DfES, 2004)
For a detailed legal account of what the Act does, copies of the Explanatory Notes and the Act itself are available from the Stationery Office. A full text of both is available at www.hmso.gov.uk/acts.htm. This is a brief account of the key parts of the Act that specifically relate to the Change for Children programme in England.
Adoption and Children Act 2006
Includes several provisions relating to intercountry adoption and adds to the safeguards for intercountry adoption already provided by the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
This Act legislates for the establishment of a new centralised vetting and barring scheme for people working with children.
Government guidance
What to do if you're worried a child is being abused (DCSF, 2006)
What to do if you're worried a child is being abused - summary (DCSF, 2006)
This practice guidance has been developed to assist practitioners to work together to promote children’s welfare and safeguard them from harm. It is for anyone whose work brings them into contact with children and families, but particularly those who work in social care, health, education and criminal justice services.
Every Child Matters (DfES, 2004)
This Green paper was part of the Government's response to the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié. It outlines plans to improve the services supporting children from all backgrounds, looking at how such a framework will be able to help those most at risk.
NSF - executive summary (DoH, 2004)
This is an executive summary of the national service framework for children, young people and maternity services. It is a 10-year programme intended to stimulate long-term and sustained improvement in children’s health.
CAF Practitioners Guide (DfES, 2006)
This guide is for any practitioner who wants to know about the Common Assessment Framework for children and young people (CAF), and when to use it.
Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfES, 2006)
This document sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It is addressed to practitioners and front-line managers who have particular responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and to senior and operational managers in organisations that provide services for children.
Safeguarding children and safer recruitment in education (DfES, 2006)
This document sets out the responsibilities of all local authorities, schools and Further Education (FE) colleges in England to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. It sets out recruitment best practice, some underpinned by legislation, for the school, local authority, and FE education sectors. This guidance is also relevant for supply agencies which supply staff to the education sector, contractors who work in education establishments responsible for under 18s, as well as other providers of education and training for those under 18 funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The document also details the process for dealing with allegations of abuse against staff.
Safeguarding children in whom illness is fabricated or induced (DH, 2002)
A national framework within which agencies and professionals at a local level can agree their own more detailed ways of working together where illness may be being fabricated or induced in a child by a carer who has parenting responsibilities.
Reports and statistics
State of London's Children Report (GLA, 2007)
State of London's Children Report (GLA, 2004)
In October 2007, the Mayor published the third State of London's Children Report. This allows us to see where London’s children’s lives are getting better, and what has deteriorated or stayed the same, compared to the rest of the country and since the last report in 2004.
This Statistical First Release (SFR) provides the latest figures on referrals, assessments and young people who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan (CPP) or are on child protection registers (CPRs) in England, for the year ending 31 March 2007. Figures for earlier years are provided for comparison.
Improving safeguarding practice: study of serious case reviews 2001-2003
The Government announced in 1999 that it would be commission overview reports of serious case reviews on a biennial basis to draw out key findings from the local reviews and identify their implications for policy and practice (Department of Health et al 1999). The overall aim of this second biennial study was to prepare an overview of findings from a selection of case reviews undertaken during 2001-2003.
At least every two years, an overview analysis of serious case reviews in England is commissioned to draw out themes and trends, so that lessons learnt from these cases as a whole can inform both policy and practice. This is the third such overview analysis. The 161 reviews studied were notified during the period April 2003 – March 2005.
