Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) Guidance on Child Protection

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1.  Purpose of the Register

A principle purpose of the child protection register (CPR) is to provide a central point of speedy enquiry for LSCB agencies, to inform them of children who are at risk of harm. When a professional has a child/ren about whom they have welfare concerns- and who may be at risk of significant harm- they should call the CPR, input their concern and receive any previous logged concerns from other professionals, regarding the child/ren. When used properly by all agencies, the CPR is a highly effective mechanism for assisting professionals’ assessments and informing their decisions and planning to safeguard children. The CPR in Wiltshire (one of 150 such in the country) has a duty, as required by government, to maintain:

• A list of children for whom there have been child protection concerns, including not only those children currently and previously registered, but also a list of previous enquiries made to the CPR by any professional/agency of the LSCB.

2. Criteria for CPR enquiries

Enquiries to the Child Protection Register must be made for all Section 47 (Children Act 1989) investigations. Additionally, enquiries of the CPR should be made, based upon professional judgement, in other cases where staff of LSCB agencies have concerns about a child’s “safety and welfare “.Such situations include risk of harm and core assessments. Staff should use the CPR as one tool of many, to inform their response to child welfare concerns. (When police and social workers are jointly investigating child abuse, they should agree, and record, which person is responsible for checking the CPR for that specific event.)

3. Staff with direct access to the Child Protection Register, & Contact Information

The CPR is an LSCB register (phone 01225 713950) owned by all LSCB agencies in Wiltshire, and maintained on behalf of the LSCB, by the Register Custodian. Those staff with direct access to the CPR are;

• Registered medical practitioners; Ccmmunity nursing and senior nursing staff; dental surgeons;
• Head teachers and designated teachers (LEA & other educational establishments); Education Welfare Officers; clinical and educational psychologists;
• Social workers; NSPCC Children’s Services Practitioners; probation officers;
• Police officers and police civilian support staff involved in identifying child abuse.
• Other agencies via their safeguarding leads.

4. The need for CPR enquiries

This guidance is to assist all LSCB agencies in their understanding, and encourage their use of, CPR enquiries, based upon;  

(a)The legislative and research basis-‘Working Together’ paras 5.150 and 1.33-1.36 (see over for definitions of child abuse and neglect) HM Govt 2010, our Wiltshire Procedures- at South West Safeguarding and Child Protection Group , Lord Laming’s report on Victoria Climbie, child protection research on the need for agencies to work together, and Serious Case Review reports emphasise the need for;

• All LSCB agencies to make enquiries to the CPR when they have concerns that a child or children may be at risk of or suffering significant harm, and such enquiries to be appropriately recorded;
• Those making enquiries of the CPR to be informed of previous enquiries as well as current child protection registrations (children made subject to CP plans.)

(b)Recent under-use of the Wiltshire CP register for enquiries - this should at least equal the number of Strategy Discussions and S47 enquiries The use by agencies of the CP register for enquiries will be regularly monitored and reviewed by the LSCB.

Definitions of abuse/neglect- ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ HM Govt’10

Physical abuse

1.33 Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of/deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Harm may be caused to children both by the abuse itself and by the abuse taking place in a wider family or institutional context of conflict and aggression, including inappropriate or inexpert use of physical restraint. Physical abuse has been linked to aggressive behaviour in children, emotional and behavioural problems and educational difficulties. The physical abuse of children frequently coexists with domestic violence.

Emotional abuse

1.34 Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development.

It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate,or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyberbullying). There is increasing evidence of the adverse long-term consequences for children’s development where they have been subject to sustained emotional abuse, including the impact of serious bullying. It can be especially damaging in infancy. Domestic violence is abusive in itself. Adult mental health problems and parental substance misuse may be features in families where children are exposed to such abuse.

Sexual abuse

1.35 Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet). Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.

A number of features of sexual abuse have also been linked with severity of impact, including the relationship of the abuser to the child, the extent of premeditation, the degree of threat and coercion, sadism, and bizarre or unusual elements. The reactions of practitioners also have an impact on the child’s ability to cope, and on his or her feelings of self worth.

Neglect

1.36 Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:

• provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment);
• protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger;
• ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or
• ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs. Severe neglect of young children has adverse effects on children’s ability to form attachments and is associated with major impairment of growth and intellectual development. Persistent neglect can lead to serious impairment of health and development, and long-term difficulties with social functioning, relationships and educational progress.

SW/LSCB/CPR guidance/June03,  reviewed  & updated June06 and Oct 2010.

Last updated: 2 December 2010