2.2 Agency Roles and Responsibilities |
Contents
1. Introduction
An awareness and appreciation of the role of others is essential for effective collaboration between organisations and their practitioners.
This chapter outlines the main responsibilities in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children of all statutory organisations, voluntary agencies and professionals who work with children.
It should be read in conjunction with the details of the specific roles and responsibilities of agencies set out in Chapter 2 of Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2006.
2. Statutory Duties
All organisations that work with children share a commitment to safeguard and promote their welfare. For many organisations, this is underpinned by statutory duties.
The County Council through its Children, Young People and Families Directorate has a number of specific duties to organise and plan services for children.
As well as the County Council, District Councils, NHS bodies (including Primary Care Trusts, Hospital Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities), Police, Probation and Prison Services, Youth Offending Service, Secure Training Centres and Connexions all have duties under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 to ensure that their functions are discharged with regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Guidance for these organisations about their duty under section 11 is contained in “Making Arrangements to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children”, which was published by the DfES in August 2005.
The County Council also has duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in relation to its functions under section 175 of the Education Act 2002.
In addition, schools (both maintained and independent) and further education institutions, including 6th form colleges, have duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of their pupils who are under 18. Guidance about these education duties is contained in “Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education”, which came into force in January 2007
Boarding schools, residential special schools and FE Institutions that provide accommodation for pupils under 18 must also have regard to the relevant National Minimum Standards for their establishment.
All Children’s Homes, fostering agencies and adoption agencies, whether managed by the local authority or by voluntary/private agencies, providers of day care for children under 8 and childminders have to comply with the relevant Regulations and National Minimum Standards, and the requirements of the Regulatory Authority. All have an important role in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
CAFCASS also has a duty under section 12(1) of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children involved in family proceedings in which their welfare is, or may be, in question.
3. The Voluntary and Private Sectors
Voluntary organisations and private sector providers play an important role in delivering services for children and young people, including in early years and day care provision, family support services, youth work and children’s social care and health care. Many voluntary organisations are skilled in preventive work, and may be well placed to reach the most vulnerable children, young people and families.
The NSPCC is the only voluntary organisation authorised to initiate proceedings to protect children under the terms of the Children Act 1989 (although they do not operate in this way in Oxfordshire), but other voluntary organisations often play a key role in implementing Child Protection Plans.
Organisations in the voluntary and private sectors that work with children need to have the arrangements described in Section 5, Common Features in place in the same way as organisations in the public sector, and need to work effectively with the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board. Paid and volunteer staff members need to be aware of their responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and of how they should respond to child welfare concerns in line with the procedures in this Manual.
4. Faith Communities
Churches, other places of worship and faith-based organisations provide a wide range of activities for children and young people. They are some of the largest providers of services for children and young people, and have an important role in safeguarding children and supporting families. Religious leaders, staff and volunteers who provide services in places of worship and in faith-based organisations will have various degrees of contact with children.
Like other settings that work with children, churches, other places of worship and faith-based organisations need to have appropriate arrangements in place for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. In particular, these arrangements should include:
- Procedures for staff and others to report concerns that they may have about the children they meet in line with “What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused” and the procedures contained in this Manual.
- Procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse against members of staff and volunteers.
- Appropriate codes of practice for staff, particularly those working directly with children, such as those issued by the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) or their denomination of faith group
- Recruitment procedures in accordance with “Safe from Harm” (Home Office, 1993) principles and the Guide to Making Safe and Appropriate Appointments in Schools and Other Services for Children and Vulnerable Adults, alongside training and supervision of staff (paid or voluntary).
Churches and faith organisations can seek advice on child protection issues from the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS). CCPAS can help with policies and procedures; its “Guidance to Churches” Manual can assist churches, and its “Safeguarding Children and Young People” can assist other places of worship and faith-based groups.
CCPAS operates a national (24-hour) telephone help-line for churches, other places of worship and faith-based groups and individuals, providing advice and support on safeguarding issues.
5. Common Features
To fulfil their commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, all organisations that provide services for children need to have the following in place:
- Clear priorities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children explicitly stated in strategic policy documents;
- A clear commitment by senior management to the importance of safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare;
- A clear line of accountability within the organisation for work on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children;
- Recruitment and human resources management procedures that take account of the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, including arrangements for appropriate checks on new staff and volunteers (within the framework set out in the Guide to Making Safe and Appropriate Appointments in Schools and All Services for Children and Vulnerable Adults);
- Procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse against members of staff and volunteers (within the framework set out in the Allegations Against Staff, Carers and Volunteers Procedure);
- Arrangements to ensure that all staff undertake appropriate training to equip them to carry out their responsibilities effectively, and keep this up to date by refresher training at regular intervals; and that all staff, including temporary staff and volunteers who work with children, are made aware of the establishment’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and their responsibilities for that;
- Policies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (for example, pupils/students), including a child protection policy, and procedures that are in accordance with this Manual;
- Arrangements to work effectively with other organisations to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, including arrangements for sharing information in accordance with the Information Sharing Protocol;
- A culture of listening to and engaging in dialogue with children and seeking their views in ways appropriate to their age and understanding, and taking account of those both in individual decisions and the establishment or development of services; and,
- Appropriate whistle blowing procedures and a culture that enables issues about safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children to be addressed.
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