1.2 Policy, Principles and Values

Contents

1. Principles Underpinning all Work to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children
2. Making Timely Decisions
3. Recording Values and Principles

I.  Principles Underpinning All Work to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children

Throughout this Manual, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

• protecting children from maltreatment
• preventing impairment of children’s health or development
• 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.

These aspects of Safeguarding and Promoting Welfare are cumulative and all contribute to the five Every Child Matters outcomes.

Child protection is part of Safeguarding and Promoting Welfare, focusing on the ‘Staying Safe’ outcome; it refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering or at risk of suffering Significant Harm.

In carrying out any work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board and all managers, employees, professionals, volunteers and carers must ensure that their practice reflects an approach which is: 

1. Child centred
   
   The focus of the practitioner should always be the child.  The child should be seen and the child’s voice should be heard and taken into account when making decisions.  The safety of the child must be paramount at all times and in all circumstances.
2. Rooted in child development
   
   Plans and actions should be based on a clear assessment of the child’s continuing developmental needs, their progress and any difficulties the child may be experiencing as well as their wishes.  Plans should be timely and appropriate for the child’s age and stage of development.
3. Focused on outcomes for children
   
   The purpose of all intervention should be to achieve the best possible outcomes for each child following an assessment having regard to his or her individual needs and wishes.  Plans should set out expected outcomes for the child; at all reviews, the recommendations , decisions and desired outcomes should be written down and kept as a record for the child’ future as well as a record for the accountability of the agencies involved in the decision making.
4. Holistic
   
   This means having an understanding of the child within the context of the child’s family and friends and of the educational setting, community and culture in which he or she is growing up.   At all stages, consideration must be given to issues of diversity so that the impact of cultural and religious expectations and obligations are taken into consideration.
5. Ensures equality of opportunity
   
   All children must have the opportunity to achieve the best possible development, regardless of their gender, ability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, circumstances or age.           
6. Involves children and families
   
   It is important to listen to and understand the child’s wishes and feelings.  It is also important to develop a cooperative working relationship with parents and carers so that they feel respected and informed, believe that members of staff are being open and honest with them and in turn they are confident about providing vital information about their child, themselves and their circumstances. 
   
   Sharing information about children and their parents should only occur with their Consent unless to do so would place the child at risk of Significant Harm.
   
   Decisions should be made with the agreement of children and their parents whenever possible, unless to do so would place the child at risk of significant harm, and should be in their best interest. 
7. Builds on strengths as well as identifies difficulties
   
   Identifying both strengths and difficulties within the family and for the child is important.  Too often working with families focuses on problematic and negative aspects and crucial areas of strength and success are ignored.
8. Reflects Multi/Inter-agency working
   
   A variety of agencies are involved with a child throughout his or her life and these agencies should work together in partnership to safeguard and promote a child’s welfare. As soon as there are any concerns about the child’s welfare the agencies must communicate with one another, not just when there are questions about possible harm. See Information Sharing Protocol
9. Continually Assesses
   
   Assessment should continue throughout a period of intervention, and services to the child and family can start at the beginning of any intervention and assessment.
10. Provides and reviews services
    
    All services should be provided according to the identified needs of the child.  The needs may be immediate and practical as well as longer term and more complex. The impact of all service provision on the child’s development and circumstances should be reviewed regularly and services should remain responsive to meeting the child’s assessed needs
11. Informed by evidence
    
    Effective practice with children and their families requires sound professional judgement based on research evidence and the practitioner’s knowledge and experience.

II.   Making Timely Decisions

Any timescales referred to in the procedures are the Minimum Standards required by the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board.

Where the welfare of the child requires it, shorter time-scales must be achieved.

Extensions to the time-scales must be authorised by the relevant manager following consultation with relevant managers from the other agencies involved and can only be authorised where the following exceptional circumstances apply:

• The need to engage interpreters and/or translators
• Pre-birth assessments
• Complex cases, for example those involving organised abuse or fabricated or induced illness
• Where there are allegations against professional, carers or volunteers
• Where the case requires coordination with other local authorities
• In any other exceptional circumstances in order to ensure that the welfare of the child is safeguarded

Any decision to extend the timescale must be full recorded, with reasons, and interim arrangements to protect the child must be put into place.

III. Recording Values and Principles

The following is intended to ensure the security of children’s case records and the integrity of the information that they contain. 

Good quality case recording is essential in ensuring:

• continuity of service to children and families when staff are unavailable or change, or when a service resumes after a period of time
• effective risk management practices to safeguard the well-being of children, especially in emergency situations;
• effective partnerships between staff, children, their families, their carers, other agencies and service providers;
• clarity of information for everyone involved in the planning and delivery of services, and in the event of investigations, inquiries, or audits;
• adequate information for staff and managers to ensure the best possible utilisation of available resources.

i.	Records Must Be Kept On All Individual Children and Family members Referred
	Records may be in the form of paper files and/or electronic records; audio or video recordings may also be kept. Separate case / file recordings must be made for each child.
	All case records must be organised in order to safeguard the contents, protect the confidentiality of the individuals concerned, and make them as easy as possible to use.
	Information held in electronic records must accurately reflect the corresponding information recorded within paper files.
	Records held on paper may extend to more than one volume. Where more than one volume exists, the dates covered by each volume must be clearly recorded on the front cover.
	Where information is held on a paper file, the electronic record must be used to identify the source and location of the paper record.
	All records must be signed (legibly) and dated
ii.	Forms must be completed in accordance with instructions
	Forms must be completed in all fields as indicated by the agency’s instructions and signed and dated
iii.	Individuals must be informed about their records
	Individuals have a right to be informed about their records, the reasons why they are kept, their rights to confidentiality and how to access to their records.
	Information must be provided in a form that individuals will understand - in their preferred language or method of communication.  An interpreter should be provided if needed.
iv.	The practitioner primarily involved should complete the record
	The practitioner primarily involved, that is the person who directly observes or witnesses the event that is being recorded or who has participated in the meeting/conversation, must complete the record. Where this is not possible and records are completed or updated by other people, it must be clear from the record which person provided the information being recorded. Preferably the person with first hand knowledge should read and sign the record.  There must be clear differentiation between opinion and fact.
	Records of decisions must show who has made the decision, the basis for it and the date.
v.	All relevant information must be recorded
	Every case file or electronic record must be completed with information about the individual’s full name, address, date of birth, ethnicity, religion, any reference or identification number, any risk assessment, a transfer/closing summary (where appropriate) and, in the case of paper files, volume number.
vi.	Children and families should be involved in the recording process
	Children (depending on their age and understanding) and their families must be routinely involved in the process of gathering and recording information about them. They should feel they are part of the recording process
	They should be asked to provide information, express their own views and wishes, and contribute to assessments, reports and to the formulation of plans in respect of services they may receive.
	Generally, they must also be asked to give their agreement to the sharing of their information with others.
	Where there is uncertainty about the sharing of such information, staff should consult with supervisors / managers.
vii.	Information about individuals should normally be shared with them
	Information obtained about individuals should usually be shared with them unless:
	Sharing the information would be likely to result in serious harm to the individual, a child or another person, or The information was given in the expectation that it would not be disclosed, or The information relates to a third party who expressly indicated the information should not be disclosed.
	Where information is obtained and recorded which should not be shared with the individual concerned for one of the above reasons, it should be placed in the confidential section of the record and a note of the reasons, should be recorded.
viii.	Records must be legible, signed and dated
	Those completing electronic records must show their name and the time and date when the recording was completed.  The sequence of the recording must also be noted.
	Paper records should be typed or handwritten in black ink and all records must be signed and dated.
	Any handwritten records must be produced so that readers not familiar with the handwriting of the writer can read the records quickly and easily.
	It must be possible to distinguish the name and post title or status of the person completing the record.  If there is any doubt of the identity of the writer from a signature, the name should be printed.
ix.	Time scales for recording
	Records should be completed contemporaneously or as soon as practicable after the event occurs and should be updated as information becomes available or as decisions or actions are taken
	Where records are made or updated late or after the event, the fact must be stated in the record, and the date and time of the entry should be included.
	All agencies must adhere to their recording policy and procedures.
x.	Records must be written in plain English and prejudice must be avoided
	Records must be written concisely, in plain English, avoiding statements that are judgmental or speculative, and focusing instead on facts about the needs, strengths, and objectives of individuals.
	Entries to case records should be written in a culturally competent manner, taking account of difference of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds and lifestyles.
	Use of technical or professional terms and abbreviations must be kept to a minimum; and if there is likely to be any doubt of their meaning, they must be defined or explained.
xi.	Records must be accurate and adequate
	Care must be taken to ensure that information contained in records is relevant and accurate and clearly distinguishes between facts, opinions, assessments, judgments and decisions. It must be sufficient to meet legislative responsibilities and the requirements of these procedures.
	Records must also distinguish between first hand information and information obtained from third parties.
xii.	Managers must oversee and monitor all records
	The overall responsibility for ensuring all records are maintained appropriately rests with managers with day-to-day responsibility, delegated to other staff as appropriate.
	The manager should routinely check samples of records to ensure they are up to date and maintained as required and, if not, that deficiencies are rectified as soon as practicable.
	All management recommendations, decisions and actions must also be recorded and regularly reviewed.
xiii.	Records should be kept securely
	All records must be kept securely.
	Paper records will be kept in folders in chronological order with all documents firmly affixed to prevent their loss.
	Files in paper form should be stored in a locked cabinet, or a similar manner, usually in an office which only staff/carers have access to.  Records should not be left unattended when not in their normal location.
xiv.	Removal of records must be an exceptional occurrence
	Paper records should not be taken from the location where they are normally kept.
	If it is necessary to remove a record from its normal location, a manager should approve this and should stipulate or agree how long it is necessary to remove the record. The manager must also be satisfied that adequate measures are in place to ensure the security of the record(s) whilst they are removed. For example, records must never be left in unattended vehicles.
	The authorisation for a record to be removed must be recorded and those who may have need to see the records should be informed of their removal.  The manager must then ensure the record is returned as required/agreed.
xv.	Record retention after closure
	Files should be retained for the period set out in each agency’s own record retention policy.
	In all agencies the relevant policies apply and any member of staff responsible for a child’s records when services end and the case is closed, is responsible for ensuring that the records to be retained are in good order and that unnecessary items have been removed, for example, compliment slips, duplicate copies etc.

End