Child Protection: Options for Local Authority and Course of Action

This report advises local authorities on options for safeguarding children, emphasizing the importance of child protection and defining safeguarding. It covers various forms of child abuse, including physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect, highlighting the need for immediate action when such harms occur. The report examines relevant legislation, such as the Children Act 1989 and the Children and Social Work Act 2017, and outlines procedures like emergency protection orders. The case study of Dipak, who is subjected to abuse, is used to illustrate the application of these measures and the responsibilities of different authorities, including the police, local authorities, and school personnel. The report stresses the importance of investigation, supervision, and accommodation to ensure the well-being of children, advocating for a comprehensive approach to child protection.

Social Circumstances

Table of Contents
Advise the local authority as to what options are available in order to safeguard the children, and
what course of action you would undertake and why. ...................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Safeguarding could be referred to as course of action which is undertaken for the purpose of
promoting welfare of children as well as protecting them from any kind of harm or injury. In this
relation, it has been identified that safeguarding includes the protection of children from
maltreatment as well as abuse, prevention of any kind of harm caused to the health or
development of children, assurance of provision of a suitable atmosphere to children for growing
up, assurance of provision of effective care and safe environment along with execution of course
of action intended to empower young individuals as well as children to be exposed to attainment
of best and favourable outcomes. Present report has been conducted the advise to local authority
in context with the options that are available to safeguard children.
MAIN BODY
Advise the local authority as to what options are available in order to
safeguard the children, and what course of action you would undertake
and why.
Protection of child is an important as well as crucial part of safeguarding process.
It is mainly focused upon protection of individual children determined as suffering or probable to
encounter significant harm (Sibert and Debelle, 2017). This majorly encompasses child
protection procedures which tends to provide the in-depth details of the manner in which
response to concerns about children required to be devised. In other words, it could be
comprehensively identified that process of child protection majorly includes the safeguarding of
children from any kind of abuse, violence, neglect and exploitation in long term. In this regard, it
has been analyzed that the Article 19 of the UN Convention on Rights of the Child tends to
provide a guideline to protect children within as well as outside the bounds of homes. One of
ways in this relation to perform out child protection is by way of provision of quality education.
Child protection system could be said to be a set of government run services which are designed
for protecting younger people inclusive of children who are underage, and for encouraging
stability of family.
Now, there are many types of harms that majorly lead to emergence of need for child
protection and safeguarding. This is mainly because children can be abused in so any ways that
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cannot even be imagined in any context. They may be abused in a family, an institution,
community or faith setting, or via social media/internet. It may be harmed by an adult or adults
or another child or children. There are also operations such as female genital mutilation (FGM),
forced or early marriage that cause significant harm to children.
Furthermore, below mentioned are some of the harms that come into the category of
being called for child protection and safeguarding: -
Physical abuse: This could be defined as potential or actual physical harm caused by any
other individual, be it an adult or another child (Lead, 2020). This may basically involve shaking,
hitting, burning, drowning, poisoning, and so on. This could also be caused in an instance
whereby a parent or any of the carers fabricate the symptom of consciously could induce a child
and expose them to illness. It also includes burning, hitting and abusing in such manner which
leads to death and unconscious situation.
Sexual abuse: It is mainly concerned with enticing or forcing children towards taking
participation in sexual activities that children that do not know about or have little choice in
showing their consent towards. It mainly not restricted to penetration, rape, oral sex, or non-
penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching (Dryden, 2017). Further,
this may also include participation of children forcefully in looking at sexual imagery, or
inducing the children to exhibit behaviour in sexually irrelevant and inappropriate manner. This
generally includes forcing children or giving them advice that if they are not doing anything they
could be beaten or any sexual abuse is done with them.
Child sexual exploitation: This is majorly referred to as a type of sexual abuse which
encompasses children being involved in any kind of sexual activity against money, food,
accommodation, status symbol, gift, or anything else that child or their family may be in need of.
It usually includes involvement of a child in being exposed to coercion and manipulation, which
could also include befriending of the child, attainment and gaining of their trust, and thereby
subjecting them to adverse things such as alcohol consumption or drugs intoxication. The
abusive relation lying between penetrator and victim includes a misbalance of power whereby
options available to a victim are restricted (Guilder, Feuerborn, and Merrell, 2020). It could be
mainly defined as a kind of abuse that could be miscomprehended by child or adults as being
consensual. In addition to this, it has been determined that it exists in a number of firms. This
could consists an older penetrator in exercising emotional, physical or financial control over any
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of the younger individuals. This may even include manipulation done by peers to force victim to
get involved within any sexual activity, at times even in gangs or gang-affected neighbourhood
(Governor, 2020). This may also include organised or opportunistic network of perpetrators that
tends to gain financial benefit from act of trafficking younger victims among distinct locations to
get engaged within sexual activity within several males.
Neglect and negligent treatment: It is an act that consists of giving permission for
resources, neglecting and context. It could be mainly said to be act whereby child’s basic
physical and psychological needs are not usually met that ultimately leads to serious impairment
of a child’s healthy spiritual, physical, moral and mental development. This mainly encompasses
the failure to carry out proper supervision and protection of child from any kind of harm and
providing them with shelter, safe living or working conditions and shelter at all the times
(Levine, Morton and O’Reilly, 2020). In addition to this, it may also state in maternal neglect in
event of her pregnancy as a direct consequence of alcohol or drug misuse and the ill treatment or
neglect of a disabled child.
Emotional abuse: It could be comprehensively referred to as constant emotional
maltreatment which a child is subjected to that ultimately results into placing an adverse impact
over the emotional development of a child. In this relation, it has been identified that emotionally
abusive acts mainly consists restriction of any kind of movement, degradation, humiliation,
bullying, discrimination, threatening, scaring, or any other kind of nonphysical of rejection or
hostile treatment (Allen and Bond, 2020).
Commercial exploitation: This act generally involves exploitation of a child at
workplace or in other kinds of activities for the purpose of deriving benefit for the other
individuals. This consists detriment of child’s physical or mental health, education, moral or
social-emotional development (Hartill and Lang, 2018). It could stately in not usually restricted
to child labour.
Now, when any of the above explained harms occurs, this results into emergence of need
for calling for child protection or safeguarding. It could take place in a number of ways,
however, the most apparent form of way in which it mainly takes place in gaining access to
legislation, policies, and so on that have been developed in context of this subject matter. It is
considered as a fundamental aspect of childcare and education. Some of components of
legislation or regulations that have mainly been laid down in this respect are enlisted as follows:
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 The Children Act 1989 (as amended)
 The Children and Social Work Act 2017
 Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019
 Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
 The Education Act 2002
 The United Nations convention on the Rights of the Child 1992
 The Equality Act 2010
 The Children and Families Act 2014
 The Human Rights Act 1998
In provided case study, it has been determined that Dipak is subjected to adverse living
conditions and physical abuse by his uncle and aunty, Randip and Manjeet. In this case, the signs
of abuse and other forms of harm that are presented by Dipak demonstrate that urgency with
need for children protection and safeguarding has emerged. With respect to this, it has been
acknowledged that there are various forms of actions that can be undertaken to safeguard Dipak
and his sister (Challis and et. al., 2018). As government is use various campaigns against abuse
of children. So it is a responsibility of people as follow all legislations which are made by
government to safeguard children. There must be involvement of relatives, neighbours, friends
and who are close to children in that situation when individual is abusing. By this campaigning
there is responsibility as tell individual for identifying signs of domestic violence that they have
seen. There must be proper investigation about situation so many legislations are made by
government to follow them:
Children Act 1989:
According to this act that is made by parliament of United Kingdom which defines duties
given to courts, local authorities, parents and other agencies for ensuring safeguard of children
and their welfare (Abma and et. al. 2017). The main idea behind this act is children must get
best care in their families, societies and overall environment. In this an application is made
which is known as emergency protection order that is considered as child is suffer various harm
if they are not taken to or remain at place of safety. The authorities are give name of child to
court on application if it is possible. By ordering local authority have responsibility for child by
promote this order to safeguard child. In this order there is direct medical examinations and
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contact conditions are done of child. This order is last up-to 8 days. In this period local authority
may apply for care order. In situation of Dipak, as individual was abused by his uncle so by
applying this order of protection of children. As by not come in notice to his uncle and aunty,
authority has to investigate in such manner as it may not go through up-to Monday. So this is a
responsibility of police or community home by not considering any information to them. Police
have power to ensure that child should be removed or remain or have safety in which he is
living. In addition, a local authority also has to investigate that they are informed to emergency
protection number for protection of child (Dröes and et. al., 2017). It is being evaluated that as
the safety of children is an emergency aspect so for this all the authorities must be ready to
analyse whole situation in an efficient way. As Deepak used to get abused so it was the duty of
executives that they properly investigate about each situation. They have to take reasonable steps
for safeguarding child. As school authority identify that Dipak is not coming school so it is a
responsibility of school authority to inspecting the issue which is related to child. Supervision
order must be given for supervision to inspecting any problems which is faced by children. In
addition, education system supervisor is granted if child is not being properly educated. Each
local authority has duty to promote and safeguard of child they have to be assessed in need.
There must be provision is given to welfare of children. A proper accommodation facility must
be provided to children in protection of police which can be supervise that they must be
accommodated in good manner. So proper safeguarding of children must be done in protection
of them in significant manner (Redmond, 2017). As per the case study there are many issues
which were very important to solve everything and it was the duty of authority that they take
care of all the children. There are different social work practices in which there are challenges
which are associated with this so it becomes necessary that child gets proper safety. While
analysing the situation Deepak must be saved from certain authorities through whom proper
inspection should be done. There is much legislation which needs to be implemented so that
proper safeguarding of children can be done. As per the above case study it was analysed that
children should be provided with different facilities like in context with accommodation facility
and so on.
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CONCLUSION
According to the above report it has been conclude that, safeguarding has to be primary
concern for people working with children. As somebody working with children, being aware of
workplace’s safeguarding policy and practice is essential. By having proper safeguarding could
leads to proper welfare and health care is provided to children. The key priority of safeguarding
at the moment is inter-agency working and as this approach is perfected, the likelihood of abuse
falling under the radar should decrease dramatically.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Allen, B. and Bond, C., 2020. The educational psychologist’s role in child protection and
safeguarding: an exploration of research over time. Educational Psychology in Practice,
pp.1-19.
Dryden, M., 2017. Radicalisation: The last taboo in safeguarding and child protection? Assessing
practitioner preparedness in preventing the radicalisation of looked-after
children. Journal for Deradicalization. (13). pp.101-136.
Firmin, C., 2017. Contextual Safeguarding.
Governor, S., 2020. Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy. Annual review: September, 2021,
p.1.
Hartill, M. and Lang, M., 2018. Reports of child protection and safeguarding concerns in sport
and leisure settings: An analysis of English local authority data between 2010 and
2015. Leisure Studies. 37(5). pp.479-499.
Lead, D.S., 2020. CHILD PROTECTION AND SAFEGUARDING. Policy.
Levine, D.T., Morton, J. and O’Reilly, M., 2020. Child safety, protection, and safeguarding in
the time of COVID-19 in Great Britain: proposing a conceptual framework. Child Abuse
& Neglect, p.104668.
Sibert, J. and Debelle, J., 2017. Child Protection and Safeguarding. In From an Association to a
Royal College (pp. 137-142). Springer, Cham.
Challis, D. and et. al., 2018. Care management in social and primary health care: the
Gateshead Community Care Scheme. Routledge.
Dröes, R.M. and et. al., 2017. Social health and dementia: a European consensus on the
operationalization of the concept and directions for research and practice. Aging &
Mental Health. 21(1). pp.4-17.
Abma, T.A. and et. al. 2017. Social impact of participatory health research: collaborative non-
linear processes of knowledge mobilization. Educational action research. 25(4).
pp.489-505.
Redmond, B., 2017. Reflection in action: Developing reflective practice in health and social
services. Routledge.
Gueldner, B.A., Feuerborn, L.L. and Merrell, K.W., 2020. Social and emotional learning in the
classroom: Promoting mental health and academic success. Guilford Publications.
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