Identify the Current Lgislations, Guidelines, Policies and...

Identify the current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures for safeguarding the welfare of children and young people including e-safety Children Act 1989 This Act identifies the responsibilities of parents and professionals who must work to ensure the safety of the child. This Act includes two important sections which focus specifically on child protection. Section 47 states that the Local Authority has ‘a duty to investigate when there is a reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm’. Section 17 states that services must be put into place to ‘safeguard and promote the welfare of children within the area who are in need’. The Education Act 2002 This sets out the†¦show more content†¦If it is found that the child may be at risk of harm or abuse social workers will: carry out an initial assessment of children who are thought to be at risk to find out about: for example, the child’s needs, the ability of parents to meet the child’s needs, family and environmental factors meet and conduct interviews with the child and family members liaise with and gather relevant information about the child and their circumstances from other agencies take the lead during the Child Protection Conference take action when a child is thought to be in immediate danger. Police The police work closely with children’s social care to protect children from harm. The police have particular role to play. All forces have a Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU). Their role and responsibilities include: making a decision on whether a crime had been committed and if so, to begin a criminal investigation gathering evidence from children’s social care, other agencies and others thought to be involved taking emergency action if children are in immediate danger – this may involve removing the child or removing the perpetrator attending court to give evidence when a crime has been committed. Health professionals Health professionals, in particular GPs and doctors in emergency departments, may examine children with injuries which they suspect may be non-accidental. They have a duty to alert children’s social care when abuse is