1.1 Introduction

Contents

1. Context
2. Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children
3. Relationship of Policy, Procedures and Guidance
4. Guidance
5. Accessing and Updating Procedures
6. Terminology

1. Context

Walsall Safeguarding Children Board was established in February 2006. These procedures have  been adopted by the Board and have been updated so that they are in line with the government guidance: Working Together to Safeguard Children published in March 2010.

They should also be read in conjunction with the 'Framework for Assessment of Children in Need and their Families' (Department of Health, Department for Education and Employment and Home Office, 2000) and Walsall's Child Concern Model for Children in Need.

Further professional guidance is available from the guidance “What to do if you’re worried that a child is being abused”(reissued by the Department for Education and Skills in December 2006).

2. Safeguarding and Promoting the Welfare of Children

These procedures set out how all agencies in Walsall should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children living in Walsall and protect them from harm. 

It is addressed to all organisations, agencies and individuals who work with children and their families in Walsall.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined in Working Together 2010 as:

• Protecting children from maltreatment
• Preventing impairment of children’s health and development; and
• Ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care and undertaking that role so as to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully

Child protection, i.e. the protection of children who are suffering likely to suffer Significant Harm, is part of safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare.

Effective child protection is essential as part of a wider work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. 

3. Relationship of Policy, Procedures and Guidance

Policy

The policy context within which the Walsall Safeguarding Children Board operates is set out in the chapters contained in Part 1 of this Manual - Policy Framework, Principles and Values.

If necessary, agencies may develop supplementary ‘internal’ policies which represent higher standards or which reflect an agency-specific contribution to safeguarding children.

Any such supplementary policies should be consistent with those of the Safeguarding Children Board.

Procedures

Procedures indicate what must or may be done in specified circumstances and define the limits of professional discretion.

For staff in the Walsall Safeguarding Children Board’s member agencies, these procedures have the status of instructions and any inability or failure to comply with them should be accompanied by a brief explanation.

Any supplementary internal procedures developed by agencies should refer to and be consistent with these procedures.

These procedures will also support effective collaboration with the large number of non-statutory agencies, organisations and individual professionals whose contributions also assist in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in Walsall.

4. Guidance

Guidance provides contextual information or addresses the question of why specified actions may be required.

5. Accessing and Updating Procedures

Access to these procedures will be via the Walsall Safeguarding Children Board website.

Any amendment, following formal agreement by the Walsall Safeguarding Children Board, will be available from the website.

6. Terminology

A glossary of terms which have a technical significance or for which abbreviations may be used in the text, is provided in the Keywords Appendix.

Also see Quick Guide.

End