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SESSION 2002/2003 Committee for Health, Social Inquiry into Child Protection
Services in Ordered by the Committee for
Health, Social Services and Public Safety to be printed 9th October 2002 Written Submissions Part II WRITTEN SUBMISSION BY: 14 August 2002 SUMMARY The Ulster Community & Hospitals Trust, through the Family &
Childcare Programme, delivers Child Protection Services. These services are
part of a continuum of provision aimed at working in partnership with children
and their families in order to ensure the children reach their maximum
potential. However, the needs of the child must be paramount and on occasion
the interests of the child must supersede those of the parent. Every child whose name is placed on the Child Protection Register is
subject to a Child Protection Plan which is co-ordinated by a Social Worker.
The Social Worker, as part of that responsibility, has regular contact with
the child and family and must ensure that the Child Protection Plan is adhered
to. Social Workers use a variety of interventions with families, including
accessing more specialist services when required, and UCHT works in
partnership with voluntary providers to offer a choice of provision to
families, where possible. Working with children who may have been abused cannot happen in isolation
and the critical aspect of protecting children is through multi-disciplinary
working. This principal is emphasised throughout the Eastern Health &
Social Services Board’s Child Protection Policies and Procedures which also
state that Child Protection is everyone’s business. UCHT makes every effort
to ensure good communication between the different professionals who come
into contact with children. This is achieved through offering Multi-disciplinary
Child Protection Training, through regular liaison meetings with other
agencies and by taking the lead role in the Local Child Protection Panel and
the Domestic Violence Forum as well as having representation at Board level
within the Area Child Protection Committee and Joint Strategic Planning
groups as part of the Children Services Planning process. Evidence submitted from UCHT concentrates on the operational aspects of
delivering Child Protection Services. It details the structure within which
services are delivered and gives attention to local initiatives which respond
to assessed need. The submission highlights particular issues such as staff
recruitment and retention and the waiting lists for more specialist services
which have repercussions for Child Protection work. The submission also makes reference to various enquiries into the deaths
of children which have occurred over the past two decades pointing out that
communication difficulties were a factor in most if not all of the eventual
tragedies. Within this submission a number of key issues are emphasised under
‘general comments’ and reference is made to local research and
recommendations arising from it. 1. Introduction: 1.1 The Ulster Community & Hospitals Trust, (UCHT) is a combined acute
and Community Trust. Community services are provided to a population of
approximately 140,000 residents in the North Down Council and Ards Council
areas. The Trust also manages Lakewood Regional Child Care Centre which
provides secure and non-secure specialist child care services to the
population of Northern Ireland aged under 18. 1.2 The Health & Personal Social Services (NI) Order (1994) enabled
Health & Social Services Trusts to carry out or discharge certain key
statutory functions with the approval and on behalf of Health & Social
Services Boards. The Order retrospectively amended virtually all the relevant
legislation to make this possible. 2. Legislative Background: 2.1 Within the UCHT the Family & Childcare Programme, is responsible
for the delivery of Child Protection Services, which are underpinned by the
following legislation.
2.2 The main legislation – The Children (NI) Order 1995 has accompanying
Regulations & Guidance, which include permissions and restrictions as to
what may or may not be done and also requirements on what must be done.
Volume 6 of the Regulations & Guidance "Co-operating to Protect
Children" covers Child Protection issues and the EHSSB Child Protection
Policies & Procedures provide the framework within which agencies and
professionals who work with children should operate. They have been written
to reflect the requirements of –
2.3 The introduction to the Policy and Procedures states that: "children are vulnerable to various forms of abuse because of
their dependency and immaturity. Primary responsibility rests with parents
for the protection of children. However, when parents do not or cannot fulfil
this responsibility Trusts have a statutory responsibility and are empowered
to take legal action, if necessary, to ensure that children are protected
from abuse, neglect and exploitation. However, Child Protection is everyone’s
business…. individual agencies may have their own procedures to take account of
their management and internal liaison requirements but the EHSSB Policy &
Procedures are multi-disciplinary and must be followed by all the agencies
and individual professionals involved with children". 2.4 It should be noted that the function of Policy & Procedures is to
improve and refine systems for identifying child abuse and there is evidence
to show that this have been effective in reducing the number of children
killed non-accidentally by their parents (Prichard, C 1997, two decades of
progress.. an international review of Child Protection services). 3. Structure: 3.1 UCHT included Child Protection Services in the restructuring of the
Family & Childcare Programme in October 1999. This process arose from the
need to ensure that services reflected the changes in legislation, arising
particularly from the implementation of the Children (NI) Order 1995, which
took effect in late 1996. The structure continues to be reviewed on a
quarterly basis by Managers to confirm it remains fit for purpose and the
structure keeps evolving in response to developments in childcare practice
following Inspection Reports, Priorities for Action and locally identified
need. The most recent structural change in April 2002, was a realignment to
establish a Permanency Team. Its remit is to make certain that children who
cannot return home (in many instances due to irresolvable risks) do not
remain in the public care system. This is achieved through placement with
extended family, through the application by foster parents for Resident
Orders or through Adoption. 3.2 Trusts have written protocols regarding the arrangements for the
delegation of statutory functions which includes, among others, providing
personal social services for children in need and their families (Article 18)
and a duty to investigate "where there is reasonable cause to suspect
that the child is suffering or is likely to suffer, significant harm" [Article
66(b)]. There is a line management structure which reflects the statutory
function from the Director of Social Services, through a Programme Manager
for Family & Childcare, Assistant Principal Social Workers, Team Leaders
and Social Workers and also additionally there is a Principal Social Worker
with lead responsibility for Quality Assurance, Audit and Reviewing Officer
Duties. There are a number of teams operationally responsible for providing
various services from Early Years to Adolescent work, Looked After Children,
Fostering and Adoption, Children in Need or who are on EHSSB Child Protection
Register and subject to a Child Protection Plan. 3.3 Each Trust and/or Board is required to keep a register of every child
in its area who is considered to be suffering from or likely to suffer
significant harm and for whom there is a Child Protection Plan. The
significant harm may be due to physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse or
sexual abuse and each type of abuse can be categorised as potential, suspected
or confirmed. "Potential" or "suspected" equates with
"likely" and "confirmed" equates with "actual"
significant harm. 3.4 Within UCHT there are two Initial Response Teams, with each team
having four Social Workers and a Team Leader. The teams provide a dedicated
service through the receipt and initial assessment of referrals which are
received by the Team Leader from a number of sources. These include referrals
regarding Child Protection, however often the reason for referral is general,
and can relate to concerns about possible risks or to factors which could
lead to risk, which leaves the decision making as to the status of the
referral the responsibility of the Team Leader. Reports by the Audit
Commission (1994) and messages from research undertaken by the Dartington
Social Research Unit (1995) emphasised the failure of the system of Child
Protection and its negative impact on the children and families involved.
They stressed the need for greater concentration on children in need and the
support of their families. The introduction of the Children (NI) Order 1995
posed a significant challenge to Social Work practitioners in establishing a
new balance between protecting children and offering support to children and
families. Research studies have demonstrated the difficulties experienced
across the UK in implementing the family support provisions contained within
the legislation (Aldgate and Tunstill (1995), Colton et al (1995), SSI report
(1997), Higgins and Pinkerton (2000). There appeared to be a continued trend
for Social Work agencies to respond to increasing numbers of reported
concerns in relation to children by implementing child protection procedures
(Lindsey 1994). In tandem with this situation is the evidence to suggest that
an observable pattern existed whereby increasing numbers of referrals were
being defined as requiring a child protection response at the point of entry
to the system which, in most cases were filtered out again after the
investigation was complete (Freeman 1996) and (Jones 1996). 3.5 Consideration of these issues has spawned "the refocusing
debate" with provider agencies attempting to review policies, procedures
and risk assessment thresholds for decision making in order to better match
the service response to assessed need. Local research conducted by Spratt
(2000) demonstrated the lack of consensus among Social Work managers and
indeed the Social Services inspectorate as to what would constitute a child
protection referral. While acknowledging the potential to define more initial
referrals as ‘enquiries’ rather than ‘child protection investigations’ he
noted that the preoccupation with management of risk could incur a situation
wherein child care problems received a quasi child protection response. In
1999, John Devaney, an APSW with UCHT conducted "an evaluation of the
criteria used in decision making in Child Protection referrals" which
showed a need for greater consistency in both the categorisation of referrals
as well as the collation of statistics across Northern Ireland. 3.6 The counter argument however is that there is a growing concern that
assessing a referral as a "child in need", leading to services
based on this criteria, can lead to Child Protection being seen in isolation
from Family Support. One of the concerns noted in phase 1 of the inquiry into
the death of Victoria Climbíe in England, was that she was classified as a
Child in Need, requiring family support services, rather than a Child
Protection case. Then, a lack of review of case files – along with many other
errors – meant there was little hope of crossing the boundary between the two
once a classification was made (Community Care 21st – 27th August 2002, phase
1 of the inquiry). It appeared that when subsequent concerns were raised in
regard to Victoria which queried possible abuse, the professionals went back
to the fact that this was a Family Support case. Child Protection needs to be
seen as part of the Child Care system as a whole with continuous reassessment
of cases taking account of subsequent referrals and additional information
rather than labelling a case as "Child Protection" or "Family
Support". There is a need to see children in need of protection as part
of the wider group of Children in Need. 3.7 The philosophy underpinning the UCHT Initial Response Teams is that
the earliest possible intervention, appropriately targeted and resourced will
prevent the need for long-term social work involvement. The Team provides
information and advice and assesses the needs of children and their parents
in order to decide whether a family may benefit from ongoing Social Work
support. The Team offers support and/or services to families in the short
term to address specific issues or problems and also carries out Initial
Child Protection Investigations under the joint protocol alongside the Police
Service of Northern Ireland. The protocol requires that Social Workers are
specially trained with the Police, in joint interviewing and there is
additional separate training on video evidence. 3.8 Where it is felt there are Child Protection concerns, Child Protection
Policies and Procedures are followed and this may include a
Multi-disciplinary Case Discussion or a Multi-disciplinary Case Conference
with the latter deciding the degree of risk to a child and whether or not the
child’s name is entered on the Child Protection Register, in which case the
child will be subject to a Child Protection Plan. The Initial Response Team
normally transfers the responsibility for the Child Protection Plan to the
Trust’s longer-term Children & Families Teams. The draft Co-operating to
Safeguard Children document states that - "The use of Child Protection Procedures and the placing of a
child’s name on the Child Protection Register is likely to impose
considerable stress on the family involved. This stress may prove counter
productive to safeguarding the child. It is therefore important that
registration should only occur when the actual or likely abuse is
sufficiently serious to constitute ‘significant harm’. Given the lack of
precise criteria of what constitutes significant harm, the general rule in
deciding whether registration is justified should be whether the abuse is
sufficiently serious to justify consideration of the need for Care
Proceedings if the Child Protection Plan should prove ineffective". 3.9 There are three Children and Families Teams within UCHT. They have
five/six Social Workers and a Team Leader. It is the responsibility of these
Teams to ensure that Child Protection Plans are adhered to through
co-ordination of the various assessments and ensuring planned services are
offered and regularly reviewed. All children whose names are placed on the
Child Protection Register are reviewed at least on a six-monthly basis at a
Review Case Conference to which all of the professionals involved are
invited, as they are to the Initial Case Conferences. The average length of
registration varies from case to case although some children remain on the
Register for a number of years. John Devaney, an APSW from the Trust has been
seconded to complete his PhD. and his research is concentrating on a group of
children who have remained on the Register for lengthy periods and it is
hoped that the research will inform practice, use of resources and identify
possible factors which contribute to children remaining in what are deemed to
be situations where they are at risk. In the majority of circumstances, where
registration occurs and the Child Protection Plan cannot be implemented, the
child can become "Looked After" by the Trust. Subsequently, if the
home situation improves sufficiently so that the child is no longer
considered at risk from Significant Harm he or she can return home, in other
situations a child can remain "Looked After" for longer periods of
time and become subject to Permanency Planning. 4. Case Work: 4.1 The Trust operates an open access policy and where possible, service
users are asked to countersign records of discussions and decisions. The
records are a combination of ongoing recording of face-to-face contact,
assessments and re-assessment forms as well as Transfer and Closure forms.
The Trust is in the process of piloting the Common Assessment Framework which
has been adapted from the DHSS "Framework for the Assessment of Children
in Need and their Families". Case Conferences and Case Discussions
require reports submitted from the Social Worker who is the Case Co-ordinator
as well as reports from other relevant professionals who have knowledge of
the family. 4.2 In the analysis of information and making decisions as to future case
involvement, Social Workers rely on their knowledge of theory relating to eg;
child development, behaviourism, knowledge of parenting capacity and
motivational theory as well as theories around family dysfunction and
attachment. There is a body of research in regard to Child Abuse from various
perspectives alongside Practice Guidelines which have emerged over the years
as a result of inquiries into the deaths of children. Social Workers would be
very aware of situations where they require more expert involvement and
whenever cases do not appear to be progressing for whatever reason,
consultations are arranged with relevant specialisms. An example of this
might be where a child has been sexually abused, whilst the Social Worker
remains the Case Co-ordinator the aspect of individual therapeutic
intervention may be referred to the Child Care Centre in Belfast. Social
Workers would also be expected to keep abreast of what is considered best
practice emerging from Inspection reports and recommendations. 4.3 An aspect of professional judgement is from previous experience in
working in Child Protection and it is through this process that Social
Workers form a knowledge of what works with families and they require time
and ongoing staff development in order to relate their practice experience to
the theory and research within the field of Child Abuse. It should also be
noted that in regard to analysis of information and implementing Child
Protection Plans, the success or otherwise of the intervention relies on the
openness of the family to that intervention. The Social Worker, as the Case
Co-ordinator, must also constantly reassess the family’s situation as, whilst
general risks can be identified, the degree of risk is more difficult to
measure accurately and therefore the communication element of the Policy
& Procedures is of crucial importance. One of the major problems
identified in child abuse inquiries has been the failure of professionals to
share knowledge. Complex social problems like child abuse are often
associated with imprecise knowledge relying more on experience-based
practice; this runs counter to the evidence-based practice prevalent in
health care. Ruth Sinclair, Director of Research, National Children’s Bureau,
has argued that the changing discourse away from the medical diagnosis, from
child abuse to child protection, has shifted the balance of power within
networks away from health professionals to Social Workers and lawyers 5. Communication: 5.1 The recent Health & Social Services Board Child Protection Policy
& Procedures states that at times all those involved in children’s work
need access to specialist advice. No one agency or discipline can undertake
the complex task of protecting children on their own. The Procedures are also
clear in regard to attendance at a Case Conference and list the various
professionals who should always be invited to the Initial Case Conference and
as appropriate to the Review Case Conference. Case Conferences are required
to identify a Case Co-ordinator, usually the Social Worker, and a core group
should also be identified who are the key professionals in contact with the
family, with the expectation that they will co-operate in implementing the
plan and keep each other informed of any concerns or changes in the family
situation. The Procedures are equally clear in regard to confidentiality and
that giving information to others either for the health of the patient or the
protection of others is not a breach of confidentiality. Whilst some research
suggests that inter-agency collaboration in Child Protection can reduce
anxiety, professional fatigue and inter-agency conflict (Bennett et al.,
1982), other research (White 1989) states that without a fundamental change
in attitude and perceptions that various professionals have of each others
roles, co-operation and co-ordination between agencies cannot be achieved. 5.2 A significant number of Child Abuse Inquiries have documented that
communication difficulties were a significant factor in the eventual
tragedies. The DHSS (1982) document Child Abuse – A Study of Inquiry Reports
1973 – 1981, showed that in every report problems occurred in some aspect of
communication between individuals and agencies. The Cleveland Report
(Butler-Sloss 1988) criticised the multi-disciplinary system stating that
disagreements and failure of communication of adults should not be allowed to
obscure the needs of children. A more recent study drawing together evidence
from 40 reviews undertaken in England 1998-2001 shows that health professionals
were the key players in many of these cases and highlighted the necessity for
health professionals to work with others in protecting children (Lupton,
North & Khan 2001 Pulling Apart. The National Health Service & Child
Protection Networks). 5.3 The Policy & Procedures are adhered to in regard to communication
by ensuring that all relevant professionals are invited to Case Conferences
and Case Discussions. There is an expectation that if the professionals
cannot attend that they make contact with the Social Worker or if possible
provide a written report. It is crucial that there are representatives from
other agencies at Case Conferences both to share information but also to take
part in the decision making on Registration. Involvement in the decision making
can ensure that the professionals are agreeing to the risk to a particular
child and are signed up to the Child Protection Plan. Outside of Family &
Childcare staff, there are often difficulties with attendance at Case
Conferences by professionals, who have competing demands. The Trust employs a
Senior Nurse Advisor in Child Protection to ensure that a priority is given
within Health Visiting caseloads to children who are at risk. The Senior
Nurse Advisor attends as many Case Conferences as practicable and ensures
that in her absence a Health Visitor or School Nurse attends. The SNA
provides clinical supervision to Health Visitors in respect of all Child
Protection cases. In 2001, the Area Child Protection Committee undertook an
audit of GP input into the Child Protection Process which resulted in a
proposed proforma for information to aid Child Protection Investigations. The
key agencies which require representation at Case Conferences would be:
Health Visitors, School Nurses, School or Playgroup representatives, GP’s,
Police and Education Welfare Officers. Dependant on the individual case other
professionals with knowledge of the family will be invited. A Minute of the
Case Conference or Case Discussion is circulated to the relevant
professionals and this includes the decisions of the Case Conference and the
Child Protection Plan as well as when the Plan will be reviewed. Parents also
attend Case Conferences, and full participation at both Initial and Review
Case Conferences is actively promoted and encouraged. 5.4 Where Joint Protocol procedures are being followed, and the decision
has been made that the investigation should be undertaken by Police and
Social Services, a Strategy Discussion takes place within 24 hours from
referral unless good practice dictates otherwise. There are a number of
specific forms which require completion in regard to the various stages of
the Joint Protocol. There are liaison arrangements between Family &
Childcare Senior Managers and more senior staff within the police. Referrals
which are received from education are normally made verbally but are followed
up in writing on a referral proforma and teachers are well placed to identify
childcare concerns including possible abuse. UCHT employs a co-ordinator
specifically to oversee the day to day working of a Pastoral Care Project,
retaining contact between the School Nurse, Education Welfare Officer, Social
Worker and the school. The project ensures that problems are identified at an
early stage and agreement is reached on a way forward. UCHT worked in
partnership with the NSPCC in establishing a school counselling service in a
number of schools, covering primary, secondary and more specialist education
establishments. This initiative commenced in August 2000, following
recommendations from a steering group which involved UCHT. An audit of the
scheme highlighted the number of children living in homes where Domestic
Violence was present which resulted in a Women’s Aid worker being resourced
as part of the Ards Peninsula Surestart Project. 5.5 Some issues in regard to communication can be raised by other agencies
in the light of Human Rights Legislation and Data Protection. This can be a
particular problem around situations where there have been allegations of
sexual abuse but the alleged perpetrator has not been adjudicated through the
court system. It can sometimes lead to difficulties between various Trusts
within Northern Ireland in regard to tracking non-adjudicated offenders who
may move between different families. The draft "Co-operating to
Safeguard Children" document cites case-law (RV Devon County Council)
where it was concluded that the interests of the adult may have to be placed
second to the needs of the child, however different practices occur and each
case is open to legal challenge. Within the EHSSB a review of protocols for
transferring cases between Trusts and Boards is underway with specific focus
on the information sharing in respect of all Child Protection cases at point
of transfer. There are less difficulties when the perpetrator is an offender
under Schedule I Children & Young Persons Act 1968 particularly where he
or she is subject to the Register of Sex Offenders. In such situations Risk
Assessment Meetings involving Social Services, Probation, Police and other relevant
professionals are an expectation, using the MASRAM model (Multi-agency
Procedure re Assessment Management of Sex Offenders). 6. Linkages: 6.1 The UCHT is committed to working in partnership with children and
families and local communities. In regard to Child Protection the Trust has
spearheaded Family Group Conferencing which empowers children and families to
make decisions in their lives rather than decisions being imposed by
professionals. This method of working originates in New Zealand and involves
private family time where families can discuss their difficulties without
professionals present. They produce a family plan to resolve the current
problem identified and in partnership, usually with Social Services, agree
how to make the plan work. This has been used in Child Protection cases with
positive results with each Family Group Conference being co-ordinated by one
of a group of people trained by the Trust but who are not its employees, and
who are from a variety of backgrounds. Family Group Conferencing has been a
service provided by UCHT over the past four years. 6.2 Child Protection Case Conferences and Case Discussions called under
the Policy & Procedures are attended by parents and by young people when
they are in a position to make a contribution. The Trust would have
approximately 80% parental attendance at Case Conferences and parents are
only excluded in extreme circumstances. Leaflets have been used in the past
to explain the various systems and services within Child Protection and these
are presently being updated to more adequately reflect the present Policy
& Procedures for example a parent’s right of appeal to the decisions
regarding their child’s name being placed on the Register. The Trust also
complies with the Children Order Complaints Procedure and parents and
children are made aware of their rights under this. There are linkages with
the local communities through the Local Childcare Partnership as well as
within the Surestart Project in the Ards Peninsula. 6.3 An important aspect of linking with local communities is to raise the
profile of Child Protection and that it is everyone’s business. In the past
Community Child Protection Training has taken place and the Trust would
aspire to continuing with this training, the evaluation of previous input
would suggest that the training is best delivered in a partnership
arrangement between Trust staff and a voluntary organisation. The Trust also
has linkages with Ards Development Bureau and Network, North Down Community
Network and the East Down Rural Community Network with representatives from
the Trust on the management committees. 6.4 The terms of reference for linkages highlights linkages with children,
parents/carers and local communities and their access to information. Another
important linkage is through inter-agency collaboration in respect of the
Area Child Protection Committee which promotes within the EHSSB’s area the
welfare of children and specifically, protection from abuse and neglect,
through multi-disciplinary and interagency co-operation. There is a Trust
(UCHT) Child Protection Committee to implement locally the multi-disciplinary
Child Protection Policy and Procedures ensuring a high standard of
professional practice. The members of the ACPC are accountable to their parent
organisations. The EHSSB Children’s Services Planning Process also includes a
number of joint strategic planning groups, including a group concentrating on
Child Protection issues. 7. Workforce Issues: 7.1 The reform of Social Work training is ongoing and the British
Association of Social Workers suggests it is demanding considerable work in a
very short timescale to achieve a well developed academic and practice
curriculum for Social Work. The expectation is that Social Work training will
be at degree level with a year of protected practice. At present Social
Workers who qualify with a Diploma in Social Work can be in a position where
they have relatively little experience in Family & Childcare. This is a
particular problem in providing Child Protection Services as the majority of
Social Workers in that area are newly qualified. Child Protection work is
demanding, complex and stressful and this front line service is being
delivered by the least experienced sector of the workforce. More experienced
staff tend to move on from Child Protection Work to more specialist areas or
Social Work within adult services. The recruitment and retention of staff to
the Initial Response Teams and Children and Families Teams who deliver Child
Protection Services, has been an ongoing problem for at least the past two
years. One Children and Families Team lost four out of six Social Workers in
the past year, being replaced with inexperienced staff. A recent recruitment
drive, targeted for the end of a Social Work course, managed to elicit seven
applicants for ten vacancies. Managers have made enquiries as to the low
uptake for job advertisements and a number of reasons and explanations have
been cited as to the disinterest in Child Protection work. These range from
the level of stress through to better Terms and Conditions offered in eg;
Probation and Education Welfare. There are vacancies within teams on a
consistent basis, with existing staff having to take on responsibility for
the consequent additional workloads. Apart from inexperienced staff dealing
with high Child Protection caseloads there are issues for the continuity of
the Child Protection Plans. This has also had an impact on court related work
where staff have had less involvement over a period of time with the case than
the court appointed independent Social Worker for the child, who is there to
report to the court on the plans being made by the Trust. To summarise, there
are considerable problems emanating from staff shortages as a result of sick
leave, resignations and inability to fill vacant posts. 7.2 The Trust has long recognised the problem in regard to staffing within
Family & Childcare and has been working on a Recruitment and Retention
Strategy however there are only so many incentives that can be offered to
staff within the limited resources available. The Trust makes every effort to
ensure that staff working in Child Protection services receive appropriate
training including access to post-qualifying training. The difficulty is that
time out is required in order to undertake training as well as reasonable
caseloads which are conducive to applying the knowledge and skills. The Trust
ensures that newly qualified staff have Supervision additional to the normal
monthly Supervision and a proportion of the ongoing assessment and planning
as well as report writing falls to the Team Leader in an effort to ensure
that there is safe practice. Consultation with other Trusts, as part of
developing a recruitment and retention strategy, showed similar problems in
their Family & Childcare services. Evidence would indicate that other
Programmes of Care do not experience recruitment and retention difficulties
to the same extent. 7.3 As stated earlier, Social Workers who are seeking employment are less
inclined to choose Child Protection Work. Alongside the stresses involved in
dealing with a vulnerable section of the population there are issues in
regard to the level of violence and aggression from service users. The Trust
has been looking at a zero tolerance policy however as front-line workers
dealing with children at risk, their only safeguard is the involvement of the
Social Worker and it is almost impossible to withdraw the Social Work service
unless the threshold of significant harm can be proved to the court’s
satisfaction, in which case there is little alternative to the child becoming
"Looked After". Every effort is made within the limitations imposed
to ensure that intimidatory behaviour, verbal threats and physical violence
is kept to a minimum, the Police are informed of any situation where there is
an identified risk to Social Workers and where necessary staff can visit
homes accompanied by a colleague or a Team Leader. A Confidential Counselling
Service is also available and all situations where there is a potential for
violence are subject to a risk assessment. 7.4 The Trust has a Supervision Policy which states that all staff at
whatever level in the organisation receive Supervision at least monthly. As previously
referred to, less experienced staff would have additional Supervision
sessions. The Trust is also committed to ensuring that there are standards in
place and has invested heavily in Standard Setting and providing training
through NISW (National Institute of Social Workers) for Team Leaders in
implementing and monitoring standards. Ten days training was provided over
the past year in this area and where possible audits are carried out in
regard to implementation of standards with exceptional reporting through to
the Programme Manager in situations where standards are not being met due to
shortage of staff. Through the work of the Principal Social Worker for audit,
a number of standards were locally developed particularly with regard to
Looked After Children and Child Protection work. It is hoped by benchmarking
these key areas that outcome measures can be developed. 8. Resources: 8.1 As referred to under the workforce issues a particular concern is in
recruitment and retention of Social Workers in Child Protection work. As a
response the Trust has attempted to introduce skill mix to the Programme. Any
tasks which do not require a dedicated Social Work service are carried out by
Team Assistants who assist the Social Workers with more routine tasks. This
includes transporting children to and from parental contact, supervising
contacts where required, organising child care for families in order to
facilitate parental attendance at meetings and where possible to help with
the increased administrative duties. Waiting lists for more specialist
services have long been a concern especially for Psychology Services which
cover the need for adult psychological assessments on parental motivation to
change, child psychology services in respect of offering more specialist
therapeutic services to children and providing expert witness services for
court related work. There are waiting lists to access Child & Family
Consultation Services as well as Adolescent Mental Health Services. UCHT is
presently involved in reviewing Mental Health, Disability and Family &
Childcare services in an effort to develop a child centred approach across
these Programmes. The lack of secure accommodation also has an impact on
Child Protection as at times the young person may have been on the Child
Protection Register which has led to the increased likelihood of the young
person being at risk within the Community at large. The Trust also accesses
regionally provided services such as the Child Care Centre or the Young
Peoples Therapeutic Project in Belfast and again there can be waiting lists
for these services which has an impact on the time period within which
resolution can be provided. The particular difficulty within Child Protection
work is that as the lead role agency with the statutory responsibility staff
have to respond to assessed risk regardless of staffing levels. This has an
impact on the time available to deliver services to Children in Need and can
also delay the outcome of Child Protection Plans with Social Worker’s time
increasingly being used in crisis intervention. 8.2 The availability of substitute care provision both in residential
services and fostering is a well documented problem. In the longer term it is
to be hoped that permanency policies will ensure that the need for substitute
care can be targeted at respite provision and differentiated residential care
which meets the individual needs of the young person. The difficulties in
recruiting foster parents is being addressed by a Regional Project Team who
are conducting a needs assessment in regard to children who are Looked After
and the possibility of enhanced payments for additional fostering skills and
increases in allowances to foster carers for difficult to place young people.
It is also an aspiration that the resources currently provided to Surestart
Projects which offers a range of services to children under four and their
families will have an impact on the number of children requiring Child
Protection services. It is to be hoped that providing earlier more intensive
intervention will strengthen families and communities, reduce the number of
children referred onto the Family & Childcare Programme and consequently
lead to a reduction of the number of children on the Child Protection
Register. 8.3 Trusts are presently progressing a number of priorities for action
which impact indirectly on Child Protection Services, that is residential
care, permanency, fostering and Surestart, however none of them relate to
providing intensive family support services aimed at families where Child
Protection concerns are ongoing. The Trust has had to target its services
from the more preventive type provision to protection services. Barnardo’s
Simpson Family Resource Centre which is a contracted service provider to UCHT
realigned its services approximately two years ago, in order to take on
intensive case work involvement with families where the children are subject
to Child Protection Plans. By fast-tracking this Child Protection work it was
hoped that the length of time that an individual child’s name was on the
Child Protection Register would be shortened. To some degree this has
happened by ensuring that if the children could not remain safely at home
that there was sufficient assessments and evidence of intensive intervention
to advise the court of a need for Care Proceedings. 8.4 The Trust also submitted to the Board a proposal for a residential
facility in order again, to fast-track families where there are Child
Protection concerns, to ensure that these issues are dealt with as quickly as
possible in a situation where there is adequate monitoring provided for the
children whilst assessments are progressed. Such a residential facility would
require both Social Work, Health Visiting and Psychology input, although the
day to day assessment could be carried out by Social Care and Social Work
staff groups. 9. Lessons Learnt: 9.1 The Multi-disciplinary Training on Child Protection includes
referencing recent inquiry findings and Team Leaders in particular are in a
situation where they require a working knowledge of messages from research
and studies on Child Protection, which can be used through the Supervision
process with Social Workers, to facilitate individual assessments. Lessons
learnt from the Cleveland Inquiry (1988 Butler Sloss) led to the protocol for
joint investigation and staff are encouraged to access post-qualification
training in the area of Child Protection including the Child Care Award at
Queens University, Belfast. The difficulty remains, however, in having staff
in post long enough to complete post qualification and having replacement
staff to cover their study leave. 9.2 Social Workers and their Line Managers would ensure that lessons are
learnt on an ongoing basis eg; changes in case law and changes in practice
are cascaded to relevant staff and Team Meetings occur on a regular basis
which provide opportunities for sharing information and updating knowledge.
Family & Childcare provide a number of practice placements for students
on Social Work courses which encourages a learning culture and there is an
annual appraisal system which links to a regular audit of training
requirements providing the basis for annual bids to the EHSSB under Children
Services Training. There are practical examples where research into local need
improves service provision. The most recent example of this is in regard to
Domestic Violence. 9.3 Within UCHT, over 30% of the children on the Child Protection Register
have experienced Domestic Violence and it is a feature of registration or the
primary concern which led to registration. In a significant number of these
cases parental alcohol abuse is also a factor. In 1992, The DHSS commissioned
a research project aimed at finding more effective ways of dealing with
Domestic Violence in Northern Ireland. It identified four priorities to be
addressed in tackling Domestic Violence that is to raise public awareness, to
challenge seriously the attitudes and behaviour of perpetrators, to improve
support and treatment services for survivors and to build a clear picture of
the extent of Domestic Violence. The Regional Forum on Domestic Violence was
established to co-ordinate efforts towards achieving these aims. 9.4 Patricia Nicholl, Programme Manager for Family & Childcare in
UCHT, undertook research looking at Domestic Violence referrals across the
Trusts in the EHSSB. One difficulty she encountered was in relation to
Management Information Systems used in Trusts and she recommended they should
be reviewed in order to ensure that accurate referral information is collated
consistently across Trusts. It was also evident at the point of data
collection that many Social Work Departments were suffering serious staffing
difficulties which may have contributed to some referrals remaining
untraceable. It was further recommended that a review of the systems of
intaking, storing and retrieving referral information and Social Work records
may be required in order to eliminate this potentially very serious matter. 9.5 The study was also reflective of National and International statistics
in regard to the preponderance of male offenders and female victims. There
was a high correlation of alcohol consumption in referred instances of
Domestic Violence and it would be important to ensure that any strategy for
the management of Domestic Violence referrals involves appropriate staff from
Alcohol and Community Addictions Services who can take a child-centred
approach alongside offering therapeutic services to the adult. The range of
situations which constitute Domestic Violence appeared to be broad with a
need to look at the most appropriate way of differentiating and recording
referrals. It was clear that many assessments did not result in services and
those which did were under a Child Protection banner. There was evidence of strong
links between experiences of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse although this
is not a linear relationship. A number of recommendations were made as a
result of this research in early 2001 including the development of a
specialised Risk Assessment Framework for Domestic Violence in parallel with
the new Common Assessment Framework for Children which the Trust is piloting.
9.6 UCHT in partnership with Barnardo’s also held a workshop on the
London, Ontario Risk Assessment Framework in September 2001 and Barnardo’s
Simpson Family Resource Centre have undertaken multi-disciplinary training
within UCHT on working with Domestic Violence. 9.7 The Local Domestic Violence Forum in the UCHT also commissioned two
smaller pieces of research. The first of these was within the Ulster Hospital
setting and was conducted by Catherine Reilly, APSW, in the Social Work
Department at UCHT. She took a random sample of women attending A&E over
the year 2001, as a result of trauma. She looked at the recording made by the
medical staff which detailed clinical injuries and causes which included for
example, falling downstairs, hit with a baseball bat, attempted
strangulation. At no point were women asked if Domestic Violence was a factor
or if they had children. This information was cross-referenced with Family
& Childcare services in UCHT and South & East Belfast and with the
Domestic Violence Liaison Police Officers in those areas. A number of the
women were known either to Family & Childcare or to Domestic Violence
Police Officers and some of their children were on the Child Protection
Register. As a result of this research, recommendations have been made for
future protocols. Alongside this a bid was made to the Regional
Multi-Professional Audit Group which has provided funding to look at future
interventions and data collection. A second piece of research was undertaken
by Emma Pybus, Psychology Student on secondment to the Trust. this research
elicited the views of a small sample of female service users as to the
quality of service experienced. In December 2001-January 2002 NDA Domestic
Violence Forum tested a screening tool for Domestic Violence occurrence. The
key agencies – Women’s Aid, Police and the Initial Response Teams within the
Trust, surveyed a sample group of victims of Domestic Violence asking a
number of questions geared towards establishing trends relating to children
exposed to Domestic Violence. The aim of the project was to test a screening
tool in order to establish a database to be used to develop future services.
One of the key issues arising from this was the vulnerability of the under 8
year old group in particular who cannot develop safety strategies for
themselves. The monitoring tool is now being piloted by the Initial Response
Teams, it gives "prompt" questions to guide workers in the initial
assessment of Domestic Violence. A significant amount of work has been
undertaken to look at a safety orientated approach for women and children
living in Domestic Violence. 9.8 The Local Domestic Violence Forum also interfaces with the Trust’s
Local Child Protection Panel and both the Forum and Panel are chaired by the
Programme Manager for Family & Childcare. This interface is a key
strategic process arising from recommendations by John Devaney, APSW, from his
research on the categorisation of referrals. His research had included
looking at how Domestic Violence referrals are initially investigated. 10. General Comments: 10.1 The DHSSHPS Programme for Government has key departmental initiatives
which should benefit elements of Child Protection Services. (a) "Best Practice Best Care" includes proposals for
disseminating best practice through the Health & Social Services. It
should be noted that at present it is easier to access inquiry outcomes from
England than within Northern Ireland, although it is hoped that the DHSSPS
will distribute recommendations and lessons to be learnt from recent
inquiries in Northern Ireland, including the baby Jasmine case. (b) An information and communications technology strategy is being
developed for the Health & Social Services and Child Protection systems
require investment. This would facilitate access to information in tracking
individual children at risk as high mobility is a predisposing factor in
families where children are more likely to be abused. Information is also
required to develop future services and one of the recommendations of the
UCHT Domestic Violence Research was better Information Management Systems to
ensure referrals are tracked. 10.2 Priorities for Action refers to the need to provide the trained
workforce necessary to deliver planned improvement in residential care
provision. A similar priority is required for Child Protection Services. This
cannot be progressed without recognising and addressing the need for additional
incentives to recruit staff to this field of work in sufficient numbers.
There is also the need to retain the staff long enough to train them. UCHT
have identified and addressed the training requirements of inexperienced
staff, however on occasion all of the necessary training has been provided
only for staff to resign and join another agency. 10.3 One interview panel convened in December 2001 in UCHT resulted in no
one attending for interview. The few applicants emanating from the overall
low response rates has inevitably resulted in an enforced lowering of the
eligibility for employment criteria. This is a matter of particular concern,
as it will impact on the overall quality of the workforce available. This is
moving in a contradictory direction to the more specialist and expert nature
of the skills required in delivering an efficient and competent service. One
suggestion by the UCHT Recruitment and Retention Working Group was for the
Trust to look at regrading within teams to appoint one/two Senior
Practitioners. This would acknowledge the complexity of the work and provide
incentive to remain in this area. The Trust is aware that in some Trusts
Senior Practitioners have been appointed in the Joint Protocol and
investigative aspects of Child Protection however the ongoing nature of Child
Protection work which includes delivering to the Child Protection Plan,
co-ordinating the multi-disciplinary input, monitoring the ongoing risk and
the involvement in court work where the significant harm threshold is
reached, requires highly qualified and motivated staff. Giving evidence under
cross examination and coping with the adversarial nature of court proceedings
can be stressful and time consuming. Working within a multi-disciplinary
framework also requires skills in assertiveness and the need to be viewed by
other disciplines as a professional with equal status and knowledge-base. 10.4 Inter-agency and multi-disciplinary communication, despite numerous
inquiry recommendations, training opportunities and liaison meetings remains
a dilemma. Key factors in successful multi-disciplinary working have been
reported to be commitment and willingness, good working relationships,
leadership or drive and establishing common aims. The main constraints in
collaborative approaches include finding time and resources and the need to
clarify issues and definitions. (David Berridge, Research Matters 2002). 10.5 In families where there are child abuse concerns, there is often a
difficulty in engaging with the parents who can be unmotivated and at times
this requires legal proceedings to ensure that the child is adequately
protected. There are concerns in regard to the length of time taken for cases
to be processed through the courts. The NI Guardian Ad Litem Agency’s Annual
Report, 2000-2001 highlights the fact that during the year April 2000 – March
2001 there was an increase in the duration of some proceedings. It showed a
further increase of 47 days per case on average in comparison with the
previous year which brought the average duration of Care Proceedings to 246
days. The report pointed out that this should be a cause for concern for all
involved in public law proceedings. 10.6 Services which address issues of Domestic Violence and Alcohol
Addiction are required if any inroad is to be made to the numbers on the
Child Protection Register. There is a need for all agencies involved in child
care to have an understanding of Domestic Violence and this would extend to
personnel involved in court proceedings including the judiciary who may
benefit in some instances from awareness raising in Domestic Violence.
Alcohol Addiction Services would need to evolve to incorporate a child
centred approach alongside the present emphasis on offering support/advice
and therapeutic intervention to the adults. One suggested way forward could
be to appoint suitably qualified staff within Family & Childcare
services. 10.7 It is hoped that a Commissioner for Children may ensure that all
service provision gives recognition to possible effects on children and in
particular that there is appropriate redress when Multi-disciplinary Child
Protection working is not accommodated. 10.8 Appropriately resourced specialist services are required to
complement the statutory functions. At present Mental Health Services,
including Child Psychiatry and Psychology are difficult to access. This is
partially due to such services offering a more universalist provision which
results in waiting lists which are not conducive to assessing and
implementing programmes in cases where there are Child Protection concerns
requiring immediate involvement. In some instances where there are family
support concerns which could lead to Child Protection issues, the waiting
list results in an early referral to the service becoming more crisis driven
before the service is secured. 10.9 The DHSSPS should consider the introduction of mandatory procedures
in respect of case management and review of Children in Need cases under the
Common Assessment Framework for Children in Need. 10.10 UCHT has introduced an audit system in Child Protection Services, in
order to promote consistency of placement and decision making. The DHSSPS
could consider regional research and benchmarking of Child Protection
services which should encourage consistency. MISS MARY QUINN (A)PSW written submission by: 16 August 2002 1. The Volunteer Development Agency is the lead Agency for the promotion
and development of volunteering within N.Ireland. The Agency offers support,
information and training to organisations which involve volunteers. The
agency also has an active policy role and aims to monitor and influence
policy that affects volunteers and volunteering. 2. Our Duty to Care is a project within the Agency, with a remit to
provide support, advice, information and training to the voluntary and
community sector, on good practice for the protection of children. The
project is supported by the Department of Health, Social Services &
Public Safety. 3. The aim of the work of the Our Duty to Care project is to raise
awareness of child protection issues within the community, specifically with
organisations and individuals who volunteer to provide activities for
children and young people within the community. Most volunteers are members
of their local community and therefore awareness of the issues of protection
and safeguarding of children which are learnt in an organisational setting,
directly benefit the local community and lead to a safer, more child-friendly
environment. 4. This project does not directly provide child protection services and
this submission will not comment on statutory provision. However we do wish
to make informed comment on the issues of communication, linkages and
resources. 5. While communication and linkages appear to have improved between
professionals, through Area Child Protection Committees and Child Protection
Panels, there is still an enormous gap in communication with the local
community. In spite of current legislation focusing on supporting families,
there remains a suspicion and hostility within the community towards
statutory authorities. Our experience is that this is largely based on lack
of communication, contact and mutual understanding of roles and
responsibilities, especially in relation to social services. Opportunities to
share good practice and work together have contributed to changes in attitude
which enhance a partnership approach in protecting children, as demonstrated
in a quote from a community volunteer involved in Keeping Safe Child
Protection Awareness Raising Training – "It made me aware of what child
protection teams actually do. It makes you aware that social workers are not
just these bad people that you’re brought up to think they are." 6. In the long term, children will only be well protected if the families
and communities in which they live are safe and child-friendly. This can only
be achieved by close co-operation and understanding between communities and
those statutory authorities tasked with the responsibility of child
protection. However, there is little provision for the enhancement and
development of this partnership within the statutory structures. The
membership of Area Child Protection Committees and Child Protection Panels
includes the main statutory agencies and a number of large voluntary
agencies, but does not include representation from grassroots community
groups( See Co-operating to Safeguard Children). Some Health & Social
Services Trusts have recognised this need and do include local community
representation on Child Protection Panels, such as the North & West
Belfast Trust. This good practice should be an integral part of policy and
procedures. 7. The main focus of the work of child protection services is on
intervention when children are in need of protection. While this is entirely
necessary, a shift of focus to public education, awareness raising and
prevention strategies would ultimately reduce the need for the same levels of
intervention. An understanding of child protection issues and everyone’s role
and responsibility in safeguarding children in the community would lead to a
better working partnership between all the agencies, groups and individuals
who impact on the life of children. 8. As a result of the above, resources are also focused on intervention
work and the vital work of prevention of abuse and community development is
under-resourced. We would recommend that a higher priority should be given to
public education and to programmes which will have a long-term impact on the
quality of life for children, such as parenting programmes. 9. In summary the Volunteer Development Agency would hope that the enquiry
will give serious consideration to ways in which the wider community can be
more actively included in the provision of child protection services and to
the promotion and support of prevention programmes and the enhancement of
child-friendly communities. DEE KELLY written submission by: 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Western Education and Library Board welcomes the opportunity to
make a submission to the Committee for Health, Social Services and Public
Safety of the Northern Ireland Assembly in relation to Child Protection
Services in Northern Ireland. 1.2 The Child Protection Support Service of WELB works in close
partnership with all of the statutory agencies in pursuance of the Board’s
duty to promote and safeguard the welfare of all children within its area.
The priority objectives of the Service are:
2. CHILD PROTECTION WITHIN THE EDUCATION SECTOR 2.1 The Board’s Designated Officer for Child Protection is a member of
DOCPEG(Designated Officers for Child Protection in Education Group) which was
established to promote consistency of strategy, policy, procedures and
practice throughout the education sector. This group is inclusive of the
Department of Education, the 5 Education and Library Boards and the Council
for Catholic Maintained Schools. 2.2 DOCPEG is currently undertaking a review of the guidance contained in
Circular 1999/10 (Pastoral Care in Schools - Child Protection). The revised
guidance will take account of impending changes in education law aimed at
strengthening the current child protection arrangements within education. 3. WELB RESPONSE TO KEY ISSUES 3.1 CASEWORK 3.1.1 There is concern that schools are increasingly being asked to assess
the relative significance of presenting concerns in terms of the need for
Social Services to undertake a child protection investigation. This is
contrary to the guidance contained in Co-operating to Protect Children Volume
6 (Children (NI) Order 1995) and where categorical advice to schools has been
not to investigate. Consequently, there is need for agreement between all
partners on the range and scope of discreet preliminary enquiries and on what
constitutes investigation. 3.1.2 In many instances, schools have concerns that a family’s
circumstances are adversely affecting a pupil’s behaviour or performance in
school, or the pupils welfare in general. The school is unable to secure
support for the family from Social Services unless a child protection
referral is processed. Consequently, there is a need for proactive prevention
strategies to be undertaken as casework which if significantly resourced
could lead to a reduction in terms of reactive, investigatory work. 3.1.3 There is evident distress/concern on the part of educational
professionals who are in daily contact with children in need whose
development and welfare are perceived as being progressively undermined. They
are witnesses to the damaging effects on children of moving towards and
across the threshold for significant harm before help is available. 3.1.4 Additionally where child protection referrals are accepted, the
school’s perception in some instances is that the child’s welfare is not
noticeably enhanced. 3.1.5 The perception of professionals in education is that refocusing is
towards child protection rather than family support which runs counter to the
principles and philosophy of the Children Order. 3.1.6 There are concerns about consistency even within a single trust with
respect both to the timeliness and nature of the response by Social Services
to a presenting concern. 3.1.7 ELB services such as Education Welfare are increasingly addressing
gaps in family support services through a range of projects including:
3.2 COMMUNICATION 3.2.1 Because of their daily contact, schools play a vital role in
supporting and monitoring vulnerable children. They are often inhibited in
their supportive role by a lack of information/feedback post-referral or at
times of family crises. A protocol for the sharing of information or feedback
loop would ensure that the pastoral needs of the child are being
appropriately addressed within the school. 3.2.2 Designated Teachers/Deputy Designated Teachers are the key
professionals at school level, and continue to be supported by the Child
Protection Support Service in their evolving role and challenge. Recent
research within WELB has confirmed their increasing confidence and
professionalism and their willingness to be pro-active both in case
conferences and core-group working. The centrality of their role as active
partners in the child protection process needs to be acknowledged. The
formalisation of an information sharing protocol which is inclusive of
designated teachers would be most welcome. LINKAGES 3.3.1 Partnerships between the Board, schools, parents and the local
community are actively promoted and are considered to be an area of strength. 3.3.2 Communication with parents about the school’s child protection policy
and procedures is a DENI requirement (Pastoral Care in Schools: Child
Protection DENI 99/10). 3.3.3 Within school, there is encouragement for children to seek
support/make a complaint and this is actively promoted through the provision
of a preventative curriculum. Parents are informed that their children are
availing of such programmes. 3.3.4 Linkages with Social Services departments would be significantly
enhanced by the provision of a designated social worker to a school or group
of schools. At present, linkages are promoted by the involvement of relevant
local social work staff in designated teacher training. 3.3.5 There is strong representation from the education sector on Child
Protection Panels and on a diverse range of Children Services Planning
Groups. 3.3.6 Within WELB, good partnerships have been established with NSPCC and
Sperrin Lakeland Trust in the context of the Schools Counselling Service
Project. Early evaluations of the project have been positive and indicate a
potential for developing the Service to include a wider group of schools. 3.3.7 As an employing authority, the Board has concern about the lengthy
nature of PSNI/DPP procedures in respect of educational professionals who
have been suspended on full pay pending the outcome of child abuse
investigations. There is concern about the lack of feedback regarding
progress in such investigations and the inordinate delay, particularly at DPP
level, in expediting/making directions in such cases. This has very
significant implications for Board resources which could more appropriately
be channelled into preventative services. 3.4 WORKFORCE ISSUES 3.4.1 WELB employs a full-time, permanent advisory/support officer who
devises and delivers a wide range of training programmes for designated/
deputy designated teachers, school principals, Boards of Governors, parent
groups and the full spectrum of education sector staff whose work involves
contact with children. The support officer also represents the Board on a
range of interagency forums. 3.4.2 Within Social Services, there are significant workforce issues.
There appears to be a very high turnover of staff within the child care
discipline with the consequent problem of relatively inexperienced social
workers addressing very complex cases and carrying unacceptably heavy
caseloads. These pressures inevitably lead to stress and illness among social
work staff. A local trust has recently been involved in a work to rule in
order to highlight these issues. These workforce issues are so pressing that
the trust has recently found it necessary to devise interim priority
categories for caseload allocation. 3.5 RESOURCES 3.5.1 There is general recognition that resources across all sectors are
inadequate. 3.5.2 Resources within Social Services departments would appear to be
critically lacking. The current level of resourcing means that only the most
urgent cases are being prioritised for intervention. This has implications
for the morale of Social Services staff and perpetuates recruitment and
retention problems which can lead to a demoralising spiral. 3.5.3 The balance of resource allocation at present is disproportionately
towards Child Protection rather than preventative services. This runs counter
to Children Order principles and philosophy. 3.6 LESSONS LEARNT 3.6.1 Public inquiries/case management reviews have frequently identified
deficiencies in information sharing within and across professional boundaries
as critical failures in individual cases. The Board would highlight the need
for schools to be recognised as active partners in the child protection
process, and for schools to have confidence that their concerns about
individual children can be acknowledged and responded to at the earliest
possible stage. 3.6.2 The Board would highlight the urgent need for more effective support
for all professionals working in the area of Child Protection. By its very
nature, the work is emotionally stressful and demanding. These stresses are
further compounded by the resource issues already identified. 3.6.3 The balance between preventative and reactive services needs to be
urgently redressed. The principles and philosophy of the Children Order
relating to early intervention and family support services have not and cannot
be realised within existing resources. 4 GENERAL COMMENTS 4.1 The Board would wish to acknowledge the progress that has been made
post Children Order in developing the knowledge and skills of designated
teachers and other education sector staff in promoting and safeguarding the
welfare of children. 4.2 The Board also wishes to acknowledge the partnerships that have
developed with Social Services and PSNI personnel. through
uni-/multidisciplinary training initiatives, and children services planning
groups. 4.3 There is a need to develop specialist child protection
strategies/services for children with disabilities who are known to be highly
vulnerable to abuse and whose needs are very significantly under-represented
within current child protection services. 4.4 Child Protection Services also need to address specific issues
relating to culture and ethnicity. written submission by: 15 August 2002 CONTENTS Summary Section 1.0 Introduction Section 2.0 The Context Child Population Section 3.0 Structural Arrangements Organisational Structure Section 4.0 The General Legislative Framework The Legal Framework to Protect Children from Section 5.0 Child Protection Services Achieving the Balance Section 6.0 Case Work Support Services Section 7.0 Communication Working Together - Information Sharing Section 8.0 Linkages Communicating with Children and Families Section 9.0 Workforce Issues Human Resources Section 10.0 Resources Funding of Family & Child Care Services Section 11.0 Case Management Reviews Number of Case Management Reviews in Section 12.0 General Comments Concluding Remarks Appendices Appendix 1 Northern Ireland Measures of Deprivation Appendix 2 Top 50 Electoral Wards within the WHSSB Appendix 3 Organisational Structures (a) WHSSB (b) Foyle Health & Social Services Trust (c) Sperrin Lakeland Health & Social Care Trust INQUIRY INTO CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES IN NORTHERN IRELAND 1. Introduction 1.1 This document describes the Structural, Legislative and Service issues
in relation to the delivery of Child Protection Services in the Western
Health and Social Services Board area. It is a composite response on behalf
of the Board and Foyle and Sperrin Lakeland Trusts to Mr Hughes’ letter of 20
June 2002. 2. The Context 2.1 It is important to consider the context within which Child Protection
Services are currently being delivered in the Western area before addressing
the specific points raised by the Inquiry. Child Population 2.2 An examination of the four Health and Social Services Boards reveals
that the Western Board has the highest proportion of children within its
population. The 1999 mid year Estimates show that 30.5% of the Board’s
population is under 18 years of age compared to the Northern Ireland figure
of 27.4%. The Board administers an area of almost 5000 square kilometers from
Limavady in the North to Enniskillen in the South. Notwithstanding the low
population density and corresponding remoteness in many areas, the Board and
the Trusts have been instrumental in implementing many excellent schemes in
promoting inclusivity. In this context the Board and the Trusts work in
partnership with the various voluntary organisations in developing services
in the community. 2.3 Five District Councils operate within the Board’s area: Derry,
Limavady, Strabane, Omagh & Fermanagh. The population of the Western Area in the age range 0 – 17 years is 84,910
and the various age groups across the District Council areas are reflected in
Table 1. Table 1: Nos and Ages of Children and Young People in each Western
District Council Area
(Source: NISRA Mid-Year Estimate) Deprivation in the WHSSB 2.4 The Programme for Government highlights that in Northern Ireland there
is one of the youngest populations in the European Union and that
unacceptable proportions of children live in conditions of poverty with over
a quarter of children coming from households dependent on Job Seekers
Allowance or Income Support. It acknowledges the close relationship between
family poverty and higher infant mortality, poor levels of general health and
increased risk of social problems. Deprivation in Northern Ireland is now
measured by the Noble Index which sets out a series of different measures (or
"domains") of deprivation. Included at Appendix 1 is a number of
the deprivation measures with their regional markings according to District
Council areas. In the league of deprivation as reflected in the Noble Index,
the most deprived area in Northern Ireland is the Strabane District, Derry
ranks third, Omagh seventh, Limavady eighth and Fermanagh eleventh. 2.5 The Child Poverty measure which is a sub-section of the Income Domain
within the Index, ranks wards according to the percentage of children under
16 in families that claim the following means tested benefits of Income
Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Family Credit and Disability Working
Allowance. The measure identifies Shantallow East in Derry as the most
deprived ward in Northern Ireland in relation to child poverty followed by
Brandywell and Creggan South ranking second and third most deprived. Appendix
2 identifies the top 50 electoral wards within the WHSSB together with their
ranking.1 Targeting Social Need, Equality and Human Rights 2.6 The Social Policy Agenda has been based on the objective of promoting
social inclusion, with emphasis on early intervention. The Equality
Legislation and the Human Rights Act 1998 have provided a statutory basis for
promoting the rights and needs of children and young people. All children
have an equal right to protection from harm and a right to the same standards
of service. Cultural factors neither explain nor condone abuse or neglect and
it is acknowledged that children from all backgrounds can be abused or
neglected. Model for Assessing Need and Supply 2.7 The current best estimate of the number of children and young people
who are in need or who are vulnerable, i.e., at risk of social exclusion were
services not to be provided is conveyed through the following diagrams
extracted from the Children’s Services Plan 2002-2005.2 Figure 1: Children & Young People who are in need, or are
vulnerable in the Western Board Children and Young People in the WHSSB Area
2.8 The approach to analysing need adopted by the Western Area Children
and Young People’s Committee over the past three years has built on
frameworks developed by Hardiker3. Level 1 represents services provided to the whole population
for example health and education. Level 2 represents support for children who are vulnerable
through an assessment of need. Services are targeted to individual children,
with parental support, and are provided in statutory and voluntary settings
for example home visiting services and community based Family Centres. Level 3 represents support to families, including children
and young people, where there are chronic or serious problems, for example
parenting difficulties, domestic violence, child protection issues. Level 4 represents support to families or individual
children and young people where there is a high degree of risk and intensive
help or long term support is required. The child’s name may be on the Child
Protection Register or the child may be Looked After by the Trust. 2.9 The aim of the higher levels of support (Levels 3&4) is to affect
the situation in the family, positively, so that the family can be supported
through Level 1 services alongside the mainstream population. Figure 2: Hardiker Grid – Continuum of Services
2.10 Social Services within each Trust provide a continuum of services, frequently
in conjunction with other agencies as reflected in the above grid. 2.11 An advantage of the Hardiker model is that it enables planners to
consider each of the levels separately, but also clearly demonstrates the
inter-dependence between the levels. An effective range of preventative
services at level 2, for example, will impact on the number of families
entering level 3. Children at level 4, requiring rehabilitation home, will be
very dependent on access to good services at levels 3,2 & 1. The Western
Area Children’s Services Plan 2002 - 2005, therefore, has approached Family
Support through the promotion of services at each level, in a co-ordinated
way. Referrals made to the Family & Child Care Programme 2.12 During the year ended 31 March 2002 the Family & Child Care
Programme in Foyle Trust dealt with 2628 referrals, i.e. 1962 Child Care and
666 Child Protection. In Sperrin Lakeland there were 79 Child Protection
referrals and 1973 Child Care referrals giving a total of 2052. It is interesting
to note that in Foyle Trust the number of Child protection referrals
accounted for 25.3% of the total referrals whereas in Sperrin Lakeland Trust
the Child Protection Referrals represented 4% of the total referrals. 2.13 The statistical data in Table 2 was supplied by Foyle and Sperrin
Lakeland Child Protection Panels for their respective areas and included in
the Western Area Child Protection Committee’s Annual Report for year ended 31
March 20024. The information has been derived from Soscare but it
is recognised that the system has many limitations. It is, however, envisaged
that the current Soscare programme will be replaced by a Person-Centred
client Information System (PCIS). Table 2 : Child Protection Data
* 666 Referrals in respect of 544 Children; some children were referred on
more than one occasion. 3. Structural Arrangements Organisational Structure 3.1 The organisational structure delivering Child Protection Services
within the WHSSB area is shown at Appendix 3a. 3.2 The Board
3.3 Provision of services for children in need of protection need to be
tested against standards contained within Co-operating to Protect Children
and the Western Area Child Protection Committee’s Child Protection Policy
& Procedures. It is, of course, important that the standards are
understood by the children and their parents as well as those responsible for
providing the services. The Board has mechanisms in place for monitoring such
provision for example an audit of child care practice was undertaken in one
locality in Foyle Trust in 1999, an audit of foster care during the year 2000
and a Board wide child protection monitoring exercise was undertaken in 2001.
3.4 The Trusts provide:
3.5 Trust structures are included at Appendices 3b and 3c. 3.6 The infrastructure for the delivery of Family & Child Care Services
at Social Work Team level within the Trusts is as follows: Foyle Trust: Two Child Care Teams in Riverview locality (The decision to appoint a second Senior Social Worker in three
localities in Foyle related to the span of control) Sperrin Lakeland Trust: A Child Protection Team and an Adolescent Team in
Fermanagh Sector Child Protection Policy & Procedures 3.7 The procedures under which the social work teams in the Family &
Child Care Programme operate are laid out in a detailed Child Protection
Policy and Procedures Handbook produced by the Western Area Child Protection
Committee5. The Western Area Child Protection Committee (WACPC) is
a multi-disciplinary body chaired by the WHSSB’s Service Planner for Family
& Child Care Services. Its role is to develop a strategic approach to child
protection within the overall Children’s Services Planning process. The
Committee meets on five occasions during the year to address its functions,
which include co-ordinating, developing, monitoring and reviewing child
protection activity. The Statutory Agencies in the Western area and NSPCC
have representatives on the Committee. Foyle and Sperrin Lakeland Trust each
have a Child Protection Panel to facilitate practice at local level. The
Child Protection Panel is accountable to the Trust which constituted it and
is chaired by the Programme Manager/Community Services Manager who has
responsibility for child protection in the Trust. The Chair of the Child
Protection Panel is a member of the WACPC and reports to it on Child
Protection work within the Trust. The Northern Ireland Manual of Multi-Agency Procedures for the
Assessment and Management 3.8 The above manual outlines clear procedures for the assessment and
management of sex offenders. A central key objective of the Multi-Agency
Procedures is to minimise as far as possible the risk of harm to children and
adults, by focusing on the opportunity presented by those convicted of such
offences. 3.9 In the Western Area, the Area Sex Offender Risk Management Committee
(ASORMC) has been operational for one year. The Committee, which is chaired
by PBNI’s representative on WACPC, meets at least once per month. It is
responsible for ensuring that offender risk assessments are completed and
that risk management plans are revised on a regular basis. The experience,
thus far, suggests that the process has provided a great level of sharing of
information and co-ordination of work, which has resulted in more effective
risk management planning. Risk assessments and risk management plans in respect
of sex offenders form part of the overall assessment of a family situation
with a view to informing future Child Protection plans and actions, which are
required to protect local communities. Regulation of Area Child Protection Committees 3.10 The role of the WACPC is recognised as an important part of the Child
Protection System and particularly in relation to co-ordinating Child
Protection Policy and Procedures. 3.11 Recently, NSPCC has been working with Ms Patricia Lewsley MLA, with
regard to a Private Member’s Bill on the regulation of ACPCs. The need to
place the functions of ACPCs on a statutory basis has been recognised in
England were the Victoria Climbie Inquiry, in particular, has highlighted the
weaknesses of ACPC powers and functions. 3.12 In Northern Ireland a recent case involving a child has been subject
of an Inquiry. It is expected that one of the recommendations of the Inquiry
will be an enhanced role for ACPCs in ensuring collaboration between agencies
and professionals with responsibility for Child Protection work. 3.13 In broad terms the Bill is intended to build upon the functions and
remit of ACPCs as set out in the draft "Co-Operating to Safeguard
Children"6. NSPCC has summarised the key areas as follows:
3.14 The WHSSB responded positively to the Consultation Document on 4 July
2002. It is expected that the Proposed Bill, when introduced, will go some
considerable way to strengthening the role and functions of ACPCs. 3.15 It is also felt that the regulation of Child Protection Panels should
be considered in the future in view of the linkages between ACPCs and Child
Protection Panels. Services for Children & Families 3.16 The Family & Child Care Programme in each Trust provides services
for children under 18 years and their families. The main services provided by
the Programme are:-
This paper will, of course, focus on Child Protection Services 4.0 The General Legislative Framework 4.1 Prior to the establishment of Foyle and Sperrin Lakeland Trusts in
1996, the WHSSB had a duty and responsibility for meeting all social services
statutory requirements. The Health and Personal Social Services (NI) Order
1994 made provision for these duties and responsibilities to be delegated to
Health and Social Services Community Trusts. Consequently, Schemes of
Delegation of Statutory Functions were drawn up and following approval by the
DHSS, the WHSSB authorised both Foyle and Sperrin Lakeland Trusts to exercise
these statutory functions with effect from 1 April 1996. The Scheme of
Delegation includes statutory child care functions under the Children (NI)
Order 1995. The Board, of course, retains a strategic residual responsibility
for the functions involved. The Legal Framework to Protect Children from Harm 4.2 The Legal Framework to Protect Children from harm is primarily
provided by The Children (NI) Order 1995, which became law on 4 November
1996. The Children Order and its associated Regulations and Guidance,
particularly Volume 6 "Co-Operating to Protect Children" soon to be
replaced by "Co-Operating to Safeguard Children" emphasises the
importance of assessment and support at home for the vast majority of
children. 4.3 All practitioners engaged in Child Protection work are required to be
familiar with the legal provisions and ensure that actions taken comply with
current legislation. Staff are encouraged to seek legal advice in cases of
complexity or whenever Court action is a possibility. General Principles 4.4 The following important principles are contained in the Children Order
and must be kept in mind by agencies engaged in protecting children:
Duty to Investigate Child Abuse 4.5 Article 66 of The Children (NI) Order 1995 sets out the Health and
Social Services Trust’s duty to make inquiries regarding children who live or
are found in their area, who are subject to Emergency Protection Orders, in
Police Protection or where the Health and Social Services Trust has
reasonable cause to suspect that a child has suffered or is likely to suffer
significant harm. Where the Trust has already been granted an Emergency
Protection Order in respect of the child, the Trust shall make inquiries to
decide what action should be taken to safeguard or promote the child’s
welfare. 4.6 The inquiries should be directed towards establishing whether the
Trust should make a Court application or exercise any other powers available
under The Children (NI) Order 1995 with respect to the child. In cases where
the child is already the subject of an Emergency Protection Order but not
accommodated by the Trust, consideration must be given to accommodating the
child if this is in his best interests. 4.7 Whilst primary responsibility for protecting children rests with
Social Services, actions taken are in collaboration with the other Agencies
involved. Close co-operation and co-ordination of Police and Social Services
actions are essential in all Child Protection Investigations. 5.0 Child Protection Services Achieving the Balance 5.1 Child Protection is one area of work in which daily dilemmas over the
nature and extent of protection are faced. There are many indicators which
may raise concern about risk of harm from child abuse and neglect. Risk of
harm refers to the likelihood that a child or young person may suffer
physical, sexual or emotional harm in relation to what has been done
(physical, sexual or emotional abuse) or what has not been done (neglect) by
another person, often an adult responsible for their care. Environmental
factors (such as poor accommodation and low income) may also contribute to
the risk of harm. 5.2 Many Case Management Reviews undertaken following the deaths of children,
for example Rikki Neave in Cambridgeshire, have highlighted the difficult
balance to be struck between the protection of children, the rights of
parents and the wish of social work staff to assist families through the
Family Support Policy and Procedures. 5.3 Evidence from research and enquiries consistently state that Family
Support and Child Protection processes need to operate in parallel if better
outcomes are to be achieved for both children and their families. During the
mid-late 1990s social work practitioners and their managers in both Trusts
indicated that children and families were driven into the Child Protection
Service by rigid application of the then Child Protection Policy and
Procedures with little consideration given to the Family Support route. 5.4 The WACPC has endeavoured to raise the threshold for Child Protection
Registration and to promote Family Support Services which are preventive
rather than reactive. Trusts report that services are increasingly demanded
for children and families with high levels of need, but who have not crossed
the threshold for Child Protection Registration. While such cases do not
warrant the same level of procedure as cases on the Child Protection Register
the time needed for direct input with clients and for case planning is
considerable. 5.5 The three year Child Care Plan for 2002-2005 under the auspices of the
Western Area Child Care Partnership outlines a range of Family Support
Services which will meet the needs of all families and children in the Western
Board area. Funding has been provided for six Sure Start Projects located in
Irvinestown, Strabane, Ballymagroarty/Hazelbank, Shantallow, Dungiven and
Lisnanelly/Strathroy in Omagh. These are inter-agency projects which provide
a wide range of services to help meet the identified social, health,
educational and emotional needs of children from birth to three years and
their families. 5.6 The linking of Family Support and Child Protection processes is
illustrated in diagrammatic form in Figure 3 . Figure 3 – Linking Family Support and Child Protection Processes
5.7 The five thresholds are Referrals, Strategy Meetings and Article 66
Investigations, Child Protection Case Conference, Registration and Looked
After Arrangements. Review of the Discharge of Statutory Child Care Functions 5.8 During 2000/2001 a Review of the Discharge of Statutory Child Care
Functions by FHSST7 was undertaken. In their study of case files,
the Reviewers identified 4 cases which, in their view, should have been dealt
with under the Child Protection Procedures but were not or efforts made to
work outside the Procedures continued for longer than was reasonable given
the levels of risk indicated. The Reviewers also saw two cases where the
procedures were instigated but key protection issues did not appear to have
been considered. In light of these findings they suggested that the
Refocusing Approach should be revisited with a view to ensuring that children
at risk of significant harm are not being left unprotected. It should be
noted that the Reviewers also suggested that there may be a need for
clarification and improvement of the WACPC Child Protection Policy and
Procedures. The Procedures will in fact be revised, on a Regional basis,
following publication of "Co-operating to Safeguard Children". 6.0 Casework Support Services 6.1 Schedule 2 of the Children Order identifies the types of support that Trusts
can provide. These range from "advice, guidance and counselling",
"assistance in kind or cash", "accommodation for any child in
need" and "provision of accommodation for another person in order
to protect a child", to specific provisions such as home help, laundry
facilities or attendance at a Family Centre. Families whose children’s names
are on the Child Protection Register tend to receive a high level of service
with the exception of those who decline offers of support. 6.2 Although some families are resistant to social work involvement, the
Trusts still have a responsibility to assess the needs of children and to
offer services to help them. The traditional social work skills of listening,
empathy and attention to the different levels of communication that people
use are essential in developing relationships with clients that can lead to a
shared understanding of needs and a commitment to a plan to help the child
and family. The importance of the professional relationship in difficult
areas of work is widely recognised and was emphasised in "Messages from
Research"8. Social work staff, in consultation with other
members of the multi-disciplinary caring team, encourage and facilitate
family members in caring for their children in difficult circumstances, for
example physical safety issues, domestic violence, persistent neglect and
developmental delay. Recording 6.3 A new file structure was introduced in April 1990 in order to
facilitate access to records. The H&PSS Access to Manual Personal Records
Policy and Procedure and the Review of Structure of Social Work Case Files
were revised with effect November 1996 with a view to improving recording and
enabling social work staff to share as much information as possible with
clients. 6.4 Whilst social work staff endeavour to prioritise recording in respect
of Child Protection Work the Report of the Review of the Discharge of
Statutory Functions by Foyle HSST (June 2001) noted that standards of
recording in case files were very variable. The Report also indicated that
the reasons for decisions taken in respect of children at risk of significant
harm were not always evident. Social Workers often feel so pressurised by
their statutory duties that they are unable to pay proper attention to the
files and consequently recording does not always reflect the quality of work
undertaken. Almost all case records in Foyle Trust are handwritten. It is, of
course, recognised that good case recording is an essential component of safe
and effective social work practice and it must be accorded a high priority.
At this juncture Foyle Trust has implemented special measures to deal with
recording deficits. 6.5 Sperrin Lakeland Trust is also experiencing difficulties in
maintaining case records and files. 6.6 Both Trusts believe there is inadequate administrative support
available to Teams to maintain files in an orderly and up to date manner.
With few exceptions the majority of Case Conference minutes are not
distributed within 14 days, which is the standard set in the WACPC Child
Protection Policy & Procedures. Frequently minutes are not produced for
3-4 months and this is most unsatisfactory. In order to address this
difficulty the Board in 2000–2001 invested £135,000 and continue to keep this
situation under review. Professional Judgement 6.7 There is no doubt that the effective protection of children depends
crucially on professionals exercising their professional judgement. The Board
and the Trusts strongly believe that professional judgement must be rooted in
evidence based practice. There are two important aspects that need to be
considered. Firstly; assessments, judgements and decisions in individual
cases must be based on clear and demonstrable evidence about the particular
situation. The "Assessing Needs and Risks in Work with Children and
Families" Multi-Disciplinary Framework Document9 launched in
the Western Board area in May 2000, was designed to allow such evidence to be
systematically gathered and recorded. Secondly; evidence based practice means
applying findings from research to a particular case for example the impact
of particular caring practices on children or the particular types of
intervention. Social work staff and other members of the multi-disciplinary
team, whilst anxious to keep abreast of current research and best practice,
find it difficult to do so because of workload demands. Assessment and Analysis of Information 6.8 The Multi-Disciplinary Assessment Framework referred to in Section 6.7
was developed in the Western Board area in order to have a systematic
approach to gathering and analysing information about individual children and
their families taking into consideration different types and levels of need.
It is acknowledged that the Western Board’s Assessment Framework is not as
detailed as the Department of Health Framework for the Assessment of Children
in Need and their Families recently implemented in England and Wales. 6.9 Practitioner Staff involved in completing initial and comprehensive
assessments, using the Framework Document, require a substantial knowledge
base with regard to the three inter related domains:
6.10 Each of the three domains has a number of critical dimensions as
shown in Figure 4. Figure 4: Assessment Framework
6.11 The interaction of the various dimensions requires careful
exploration during assessment with the aim of understanding how they affect
the child or children in the family. The resulting analysis informs planning
and action to secure the best outcomes for the child. 6.12 In the course of the initial assessment social work staff will
consider if the child is a "child in need" or if there is
reasonable cause to suspect that the child "is suffering, or is likely,
to suffer significant harm" (Article 66 of the Children Order).
Following the initial assessment, social work staff will decide on the next
course of action. This may be no further action, provision of services or a
further assessment which may include an Article 66 inquiry. The family, the
original referrer and other professionals and services involved are advised
of the action that has been taken, consistent with respecting the
confidentiality of the child and family concerned and without jeopardising
further action in respect of child protection concerns. 6.13 A Multi-Professional Audit of Child Protection Activity, based on the
minutes of 33 Initial and 31 Review Child Protection Case Conferences, was
undertaken in 199810 It revealed that whilst social work reports
prepared for and submitted to Conferences outlined relevant background
information, details of social work involvement and concerns for the
attention of the Conference, few reports demonstrated evidence of risk
assessment or details of Child Protection Plans. It was, however, gratifying
to note that the small number of reports which did address these areas
reflected high quality standards of recording and knowledge of child
development as well as coherent analysis of risk and protection factors in
family dynamics. 7.0 Communication Working Together – Information Sharing 7.1 In England and Wales during the 1980s and 1990s the repeated failures
of professionals working together and communication problems were highlighted
in many inquiries into child abuse. The Report entitled "Paul, Death
through Neglect"11 published on behalf of Islington ACPC in
1995 identified as an area of concern the fact that important information
about the history of the family went unrecognised or unreported. 7.2 Paragraph 8.5 of the Final Draft of Co-Operating to Safeguard
Children, April 2002 states: "Research and experience have shown repeatedly that keeping
children safe from harm requires professionals and others to share
information about:
Often, it is only when information from a number of sources has been
shared that it becomes clear that a child is at risk". 7.3 Paragraph 8.7 advises that: "Professionals can only work together to safeguard children if
there is an exchange of relevant information between them." Child Protection Process 7.4 The current system is structured in a manner designed to secure
effective liaison between the parties, e.g. Social Worker, Health Visitor,
General Practitioner and Police and indeed other Agencies in discharging
responsibilities in relation to the many complex child protection cases that
have to be considered. It is helpful to think of the child protection process
in chronological terms taking into consideration the distinct purposes that
the various meetings have and how they contribute to ensuring a child’s
protection12. An Information Leaflet outlining the procedures for
professionals was produced by the ACPC in 1998. 7.5 Whenever there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is
suffering, or likely to suffer significant harm, the first meeting
professionals may have is a strategy meeting, the purpose of which is to plan
the investigation. In addition to Social Work Staff and Police Officers,
other professionals who may have important information are invited to attend. 7.6 The next meeting which is likely to be held in the protection process,
following an initial assessment, is the Initial Child Protection Case
Conference which should take place within 15 working days of the child
protection referral. The Initial Case Conference enables information to be
shared and evaluated including the outcome of the Social Work, Police and
Medical investigations undertaken. A decision is made on whether or not to
place the child’s name on the Child Protection Register. 7.7 The Multi-Professional Audit referred to in Section 6.13 established
that the attendance patterns at Initial Case Conferences revealed the
predominance of social work involvement and low levels of participation from
other professionals involved in child protection apart from Health Visitors,
Nurses and Education Services. This Audit also found that while there were
high levels of parental participation, parents were only included in part of
the Conference and not the entire meeting. There were very low rates of
attendance by children and young people across both Trusts. 7.8 If the Initial Child Protection Case Conference decides that a child’s
name should be placed on the Child Protection Register, it is then required
to appoint a Co-Ordinator who should be a Social Worker from the Trust
concerned. It also nominates a Core Group and formulates an Inter-Agency
Child Protection Plan. In general, a Core Group comprising those members of
the Multi-Disciplinary Team who work directly with the child and family,
meets on a regular basis, usually monthly or bi-monthly, to discuss progress
and action in response to particular issues of concern. In the first three to
six months of registration, the work of the Core Group is quite intensive
because of the necessity to complete a Comprehensive Assessment which is
presented by the social worker to the Assessment Review Case Conference held
three months after the Initial Child Protection Conference. Sometimes there
are delays in completing Comprehensive Assessments which have then to be
submitted to a subsequent Review Case Conference. Reasons for the
non-availability or delay in submitting a Comprehensive Assessment noted in
the 1998 Multi-Professional Audit were that a period of time in excess of
three months was required and difficulties were encountered in engaging
parents. 7.9 The final type of meeting which takes place in the child protection
process is the Review Case Conference which is convened at least every six
months or earlier where any professional has cause for concern that the Child
Protection Plan is not addressing the ongoing or changing risks to the child.
As well as identifying significant and relevant changes in a family’s
situation since the previous Case Conference, it evaluates the Child
Protection Plan, examines levels of risk and decides whether a child’s name
can be removed from the Register. Evaluation of Risk 7.10 The Multi-Professional Audit (1998) recommended that Trusts should
review the way in which risk is evaluated. It noted that the low rate of
completion of comprehensive assessments for Reviews and the low rate of
formalised multi-professional contributions (reports) at Initial Case
Conferences resulted in a professional reliance on Social Work assessments
largely to the exclusion of other professional contributions. A re-audit
undertaken in 1999/2000 indicated that risk assessments continue to pose a
challenge for both Trusts.13 The re-audit identified exemplars of
good practice which included:
7.11 The area of Risk Assessment and Risk Management will be addressed by
the Board and both Trusts in the forthcoming review of the Assessment
Framework Document described in Section 6.8 – 6.11. There is also a Regional
Working Group co-ordinated by the Chairman of the Southern Area Child
Protection Committee developing a Framework for the Management of Risk in
Child Protection. 7.12 Since The Children N.I Order was introduced on 4 November 1996, the
judgement of whether a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant
harm has become central to a wide range of decisions in the field of child
protection, yet nowhere in the Order or "Co-operating to Safeguard
Children" is the whole phrase defined, nor is comprehensive guidance
given about how it should be applied in practice. Recognising the
difficulties which this posed for staff working with children and families
throughout the administrative area of the WHSSB, the WACPC has requested its
Policy and Procedures Sub-Committee to devise guidance on significant harm
and thresholds for action. General Practitioner Attendance at Case Conferences 7.13 It has to be conceded that there are difficulties in securing General
Practitioner attendance at Case Conferences. There is much evidence that GPs
nationally are poor attenders at Child Protection Case Conferences mainly
because of other tasks of higher priority. Timing, inconvenient location and
lengthy Conferences also contribute to non-attendance. The Study by Dr Janet
C Polnay published in Child Abuse Review, Volume 9 (2000)14 confirmed
that for many GPs, Case Conference attendance is just not a priority and
attendance will not improve by overcoming the practical issues.
Suggestions that could increase attendance and improve communication between
GP and Social Worker include better telephone contact, clear guidance as to
the information required in reports from GPs and child protection training
being incorporated in both under graduate and post graduate medical
education. It should also be noted that whilst the formal structure provides
the communication links, so often the informal contacts play an important
role as well. Research Project 7.14 "Effective Multi-Disciplinary Practice in Child Protection -
The Challenge of Delivering an Effective Service" The purpose of this Research Project is threefold:
7.15 The WACPC believes that it is important to hear the views of
professionals who are involved in the delivery of child protection services
to the community particularly what works well in the process and what areas
need to be improved on. To facilitate the research, the Trust Child
Protection Panels organised for the Researchers to meet uni-professionals
focus groups and to observe Core Group Meetings. The initial findings of the
project can be grouped under three specific headings: systemic issues,
management of risk and other professional views of Social Workers. Systemic Issues 7.16 These issues include the perception that the Child Protection Process
is crisis led. In addition, issues of how to deal with the concept of neglect
have emerged as have the difficulties experienced by professionals attending
Core Groups and Case Conferences. Whilst Core Groups have generally been
considered helpful, questions have been raised, for example in relation to
their purpose, the involvement of families, the professional level at which
chairing should be held as well as administrative issues such as
responsibility for minute taking and length of minutes. Management of Risk 7.17 The issues emerging in this area relate to the definition of risk,
the need for clarification on "thresholds" for intervention, the
definition of "significant harm" and the balance to be achieved in
the refocusing debate between prevention and protection. Perception of Social Workers by "Other Professionals" 7.18 Other professionals hold the view that Social Workers are very
committed to their work, that they strive for high standards and that they
are child and family focused. However, other comments refer to Social Workers
being newly qualified, vulnerable and subject to high levels of staff
turnover and sickness rates which lead to an inconsistency of service for
clients. 7.19 Although the Researchers will develop these aspects more fully in
their final Report, they have identified some themes emerging as central to
the research. These include:
7.20 The researchers have indicated that staff commented favourably on the
training they had received especially when multi-disciplinary audiences
attended training events. It is expected that the Project will be completed by the autumn of 2002. 8.0 Linkages - with Children, Parents/Carers and local Communities and
their access to information Communicating with Children and Families 8.1 Encouraging children to share their difficulties, wishes and feelings
is a skilled social work task. It is important that they are afforded an
opportunity to express their views in an age appropriate manner and not
necessarily in a formal interview environment. Social Work Staff use, for
example, drawing, play, materials and stories to help children communicate
their views and have suggested that a computer programme similar to Viewpoint
for Looked After Children should be available to children within the Child
Protection Process. 8.2 If there are concerns that a child has suffered or is likely to suffer
significant harm, clear assessments of the parents and the family as a whole
are vitally important, for example, parenting assessments, family history,
how parents see the needs of the child/ren and growth charts. Failure on the
part of the family to keep health appointments and their reluctance to
facilitate Social Workers visiting the home are matters of concern which have
to be addressed. Working in Partnership with Children and Parents 8.3 The Board, ACPC, Trusts and Child Protection Panels strongly support
the principle of working in partnership with children and parents/carers. It
is, however, important to be clear about what partnership means in the
context of child protection. 8.4 The Board and the Trusts recognise that partnership does not mean
always agreeing with parents or always seeing a way forward which is
acceptable to them. The focus has to be on the child and what is best for
him/her. For the Agencies involved in child protection in the Western area,
partnership with families means:
Parental and Child Participation 8.5 Many Social Workers feel that parents are given priority over children
in the matter of attendance at Child Protection Case Conferences.
Furthermore, they feel that they do not have sufficient time available to
prepare both parents and children for the Case Conference. Whilst supportive
of attendance by both children and parents, Social Workers and their Managers
believe that there should be a clear proviso that attendance is so managed
that it does not prejudice the Trust’s ability to make the best decision on
safeguarding the children. 8.6 The Community Education Sub Group of the Western Area Child Protection
Committee is submitting a funding application to the Children’s Fund for the
development of a diary/address book written "by parents for
parents" containing family support and other advice and information. 8.7 On 6 May 1999, the Young Independent’s Group (Leaving and Aftercare
Group) presented the "Not Going It Alone" Conference in Derry. This
was an excellent example of client participation. Young People’s Reference Group 8.8 One of the recommendations of the second Multi-Professional Audit of
Child Protection Activity undertaken in the Western area in 1999/2000 was
that consideration should be given to examining ways in which children could
be empowered to become more meaningfully involved in the Child Protection
Process. Under Children’s Service Planning the WACPC intends to establish a
Young People’s Reference Group in order to become more attuned to the views
of young people who have experienced the Child Protection System. Access to Information 8.9 A Leaflet entitled, "Children, Who Cares?" provided by the
WACPC in 1996, the message of which was ‘Child Protection is Everyone’s
Business’, was widely circulated throughout the Board’s area. This document
was designed not alone to attract the attention of parents and children but
also other professionals and, of course, the general public. A laminate card
which contains relevant contact numbers has also been widely distributed. 8.10 In 1999 two booklets, "A Guide for Families" and "A
Guide for Children and Young People" were produced. Whilst considered
helpful at the time, feedback from Social Work Staff indicates that the
documents need to be revised. "Keeping Our Children Safe" 8.11 During the year ended 31 March 2002 the Community Education
Sub-Committee of the WACPC produced a Strategy Document entitled,
"Keeping Our Children Safe". It proposed a number of projects in
relation to raising awareness within the wider community of the need to
safeguard children. Included within the Strategy are the following elements:
8.12 Consideration has been given to the resources required to action the
above aspects of the Strategy and it is anticipated that these projects will
be taken forward in the current year. 9.0 Workforce Issues Human Resources 9.1 The WHSSB’s Position Statement (December 2001) refers to research
published by the DOH in Dublin 2000, undertaken by McKeown, which examined
the key influences that determined success in relation to therapeutic
outcomes across a broad range of health and social care interventions. He
found that the two most significant influences which determined success were:
firstly, the individual himself and the network of social support he had; and
secondly, the quality of the relationship between the worker and the
individual. This is of particular significance for social work and the
positive outcomes which social work interventions have for families. Social
Workers in Family & Child Care are committed to high standards and
frequently experience situations when the availability of resources precludes
them from delivering the package of care which they have assessed to be in
the best interests of the child and his/her family. There are particular
stresses in Family & Child Care relating to the magnitude of the
decisions which have to be reached and the feeling of personal responsibility
for carrying those decisions through, including answering to the Court.
Therefore, while Social Workers may prefer to work in Family & Child Care,
they choose to seek posts in other Programmes of Care and in other Agencies
including the Western Education and Library Board, Probation Board Northern
Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland because the terms, conditions and work
demands are more favourable. The Training Organisation for PSS in Northern Ireland – Workforce
Supply 9.2 Findings from a Workforce Planning for Social Work Project undertaken
on a Regional basis by The Training Organisation for Personal Social Services
in Northern Ireland [TOPSS(NI)] revealed information in relation to Workforce
Supply which included:
75.2% (1,459) were employed in Health & Social Services Community
Trusts 10.3% (200) in the Voluntary Sector 9.1% (176) in the Criminal Justice (Statutory) Sector 3.4% (65) in Education Welfare 2.0% (39) by the Guardian Ad Litem Agency
8% (117) in Health & Social Services Community Trusts 6.6% (12) in the Voluntary Sector 1.7% (3) in the Criminal Justice (Statutory) Sector
Sickness Rates 9.3 Social Workers and their Managers in both Trusts report that threats,
conflict and assaults are part of their day-to-day work. In the year 2000/01
the sickness rate in fieldwork services in Foyle Trust peaked at one point at
10%, at present it is 7.5%. The Occupational Health Unit in Foyle Trust has
commented on the stresses and pressures that are experienced by fieldwork
staff. 9.4 Both Trusts have a policy of providing cover for staff on sick leave.
Despite strenuous efforts, however, it is not always possible to recruit
staff because of a shortage of suitably qualified Social Workers as reported
earlier in this Section. Recruitment and Retention Issues 9.5 The high level of staff turnover and the impact of unfilled posts
places additional demands on Senior Social Workers and Assistant Principal
Social Workers. The difficulty in recruiting suitably qualified staff has
necessitated Foyle Trust securing the services of Agency staff for periods of
3-6 months. Whilst the selection procedure is the same as for all Social Work
posts in Family & Child Care, the situation has a very real impact on the
continuity of delivery of services to children and families. 9.6 The Board and the Trusts will be re-examining working conditions and
staffing levels so as to redress any factor which would militate against long
stay development. Training and Supervision 9.7 Training and supervision of staff remains high on the Board’s agenda
as is clearly outlined in the Social Services Training Team’s Training
Programme details of which can be found on a dedicated website :
www.westcare.org.uk. The following relevant themes were the subject of
courses, seminars and development days organised by the Social Services
Training Team last year:
9.8 There were 3682 units of training delivered under the Post-Children
Order training budget last year (1 unit of training = 3 hours of training
for one person or its equivalent). This training was provided free at the
point of delivery. 9.9 The Western Health and Social Services Board has one Assistant
Principal Social Worker involved in multi-disciplinary child protection
training and post-implementation Children Order training. This training
officer is also the Chairperson of the Regional Trainer’s Group which seeks
to co-ordinate training activity across Northern Ireland. This has achieved a
number of successful outcomes not least of which has been greatly increased
level of co-operation between child protection training officers. 9.10 On occasions there are problems in relation to staff booking on
courses and then having to cancel at short notice. This is not a reflection
of the commitment of either staff or managers to child protection training,
but rather highlights the demands of child protection work. 9.11 Social Services Training Team works closely with the Social Work
department at the University of Ulster (Magee Campus). This includes
delivering child protection training to under-graduate and post-graduate
students undertaking the Diploma in Social Work. It is hoped that this input
will increase awareness among social work students of the need that Family
and Childcare services have for new members of staff. 9.12 Child protection is everyone’s business and the Social Services
Training Team has also been actively involved in training Trust staff to work
more closely with community groups, as well as providing child protection
training directly to the voluntary and community sector. Both activities are
co-ordinated under the auspices of the WACPC Community Education Sub Group
that is chaired by the Assistant Principal Social Worker (Training). 9.13 The Supervision Policy is directed mainly at practitioners rather
than middle and senior managers although it is recognised that they, too,
need appropriate oversight, support and development. However, having
highlighted the extreme pressure that Social Work Staff are currently
experiencing, arrangements for supervision are patchy. In a number of Teams,
formal staff supervision takes place infrequently with some Social Work Staff
acknowledging that they have supervision every 3-4 months. Senior Social
Workers/Team Leaders are also under considerable pressure covering cases due
to staff sick leave and vacancies and, therefore, cannot find the time for
supervision. Where possible, Team Leaders offer a consultation service to
their staff. Demands and Prioritisation 9.14 The ACPC and the Child Protection Panels in Foyle and Sperrin
Lakeland Trusts accord high priority to effective child protection practice
despite the considerable pressures and challenges within the Family &
Child Care Programme. Each child whose name is on the Child Protection
Register has a Case Co-Ordinator (Social Worker), an identified Core Group
and a Child Protection Plan, the purpose of which is to ensure the child’s
safety and well-being. 9.15 One of the key issues for Social Workers in this area of work is
trying to identify the level of significant harm likely to be experienced by
the child. Clearly this has an implication for risk assessment and risk
management as referred to in Section 7.10. The volume of work currently
undertaken means that many Social Workers have to balance the roles of
surveillance and monitoring with offering family support and therapeutic
input. Indeed it is a matter of concern for both Social Work Staff and
Managers that pressure of work and the sheer weight of many responsibilities
to be attended to often precludes them from undertaking therapeutic work
required by children and families in the Child Protection Process. 9.16 Foyle Trust has, for some time, operated a procedure whereby staff
are not expected to work in excess of their contractual 37 hour working week.
A protocol exists to cover working extra hours in emergencies. The Northern
Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) has recently requested each Community
Health & Social Services Trust to agree and implement this procedure and
protocol. 9.17 There were 248 unallocated child care cases in Foyle Trust and 89 in
Sperrin Lakeland Trust at the end of the financial year. Senior Social
Workers/Team Leaders in each Trust endeavour to manage waiting lists. 9.18 Clearly it is not possible to meet all the needs of children and
families in the Western area and as expectations rise, demand will continue
to outstrip resources. It is therefore necessary to develop a model that will
target resources to those in greatest need. The Board and Foyle Trust, having
taking cognisance of the findings of the Report of the Review of the
Discharge of Statutory Functions in the Family and Child Care Programme,
established a Project in order to examine Case Prioritisation and Case Load Management
Models. Consequently, a "Thresholds for Intervention" Model is in
the process of being devised with a view to providing some consistency of
approach. A Caseload Management System is also in the process of being
devised. Both Models should make a significant contribution to ensuring
quality, focused work within manageable caseloads thereby making the Family
& Child Care Programme a more attractive environment in which to work and
retaining the right calibre of staff in sufficient numbers. The allocation of
monies from the WHSSB for the appointment of a Senior Social Work
Practitioner in each Team is also recognition of the demands and complexity
of some of the tasks that have to be undertaken. 10.0 Resources Funding of Family & Child Care Services since the introduction of
The Children (NI) Order 1995 10.1 Attention was drawn to the extent to which provision for Statutory
Child Care Services in Northern Ireland had been under funded since the
introduction of the Children Order in a paper developed by the four Boards
(December 200015). It estimated that while approximately £17 million
additional funding had been allocated by the Department this still fell
£17 million short of the amount initially identified by Boards as necessary.
The area of Child Protection was not recognised as an area in which
significant additional costs would be incurred as a result of the Children
Order. The original submission by the four Boards under estimated the true
costs of implementation because the exercises were undertaken without a full
understanding of the practical implications of the Order. 10.2 The real cost implications have become apparent since implementation
and have been driven by changes in policies, procedures and practices across
a wide range of disciplines and organisations including social work, the
Guardian Ad Litem Agency and the Courts. As indicated in the WHSSB’s Position
Statement the limitation in funding has been further exacerbated by a number
of additional policy developments and initiatives which are welcomed from a
professional development perspective but which require additional funding.
These include:
10.3 Whilst the injection of new monies over the past seven years has been
helpful and has enabled significant progress to be made in terms of the
development of services, it does not meet the requirements of implementing
the Children Order. The lack of investment has had an impact on Child
Protection. There are occasions when it is difficult to identify resources to
meet all of the components of the Child Protection Plan; furthermore, it has
been suggested by Trust social work managers that if sufficient foster care
resources were available, younger children in some instances would be Looked
After rather than being with their families and potentially at greater risk 10.4 The DHSSPS Document "Key Indicators of Personal Social Services
in Northern Ireland 2001/02" reports that a total of £73 million was
spent on Family & Child Care Services in Northern Ireland in 1999/00. 10.5 In terms of expenditure England has correspondingly spent a higher
percentage of PSS expenditure on Family & Child Care than in Northern
Ireland in the years 95/96 to 97/98 as reflected in the table below. Table 3 – Per capita expenditure on provision for Children and Families
£.
Increases in Demand Child Protection Registration 10.6 The four Board Paper reported that the Children Order had generated a
number of increases in demand in respect of Child Protection work. Sperrin
Lakeland Trust, in the year 2000, tracked staff time and estimated that a 10
month period of child protection registration required a commitment of
approximately 280 hours from Trust staff in the Family & Child Care
Programme. This involved a Social Worker for 20 working days on one case
during that 10 month period. Inputs from other professionals were not included.
Child Care Managers estimate that the time needed to carry out the child
protection process has, at least, doubled since 1995 because of additional
procedural guidance and emphasis on parental and child participation. Court Work 10.7 Where it has been necessary to instigate legal action in order to
protect children, the time needed by social workers for the court process has
increased significantly. The points below extracted for the WHSSB’s Position
Statement identify some of the key issues:-
10.8 Two questionnaires were developed to consider Court issues, one was
issued by the Children Order Advisory Delay Sub-Committee to examine delays
in hearings. The second, Monitoring of Court Work Costs and Levels of
Activity was issued by the Assistant Directors Group Family & Child Care
Services. 10.9 The case example below provided by Foyle Trust and taken from the
"Four Board Paper" is not regarded as untypical. Case Example – Social Work Diary – Court Process Three children, aged between 2 months – 3 years, required emergency
protection and the formal intervention of the legal process
10.10 This example records the legal process only, which is considerably
more protracted than would have been necessary in similar circumstances prior
to the introduction of the Children Order. It does not reflect the time
needed for work with the children (including the Looked After Children
procedures), negotiation with the parents, consultation with other
professionals, consultation with legal advisors, consultation with the
Guardian ad Litem, preparation of Court reports and Care Plans – all of which
need to be carried out in advance of each Court Hearing. Designated Senior Nurse with responsibility for Child Protection in
Sperrin Lakeland Trust 10.11 Scarce finance has, so far, precluded the appointment of a
designated senior nurse with responsibility for child protection in Sperrin
Lakeland Trust. 11. Case Management Reviews Number of Case Management Reviews in Western Board Area 11.1 Since 1991 there have been two Case Management Reviews in the WHSSB
area - one in respect of a baby who sustained a serious injury as a result of
having been abused and one in respect of a young person who died following a
tragic incident. A third such Review is in the process of being completed
under the auspices of the Western Area Child Protection Committee. 11.2 In both of the former Case Management Reviews the Review Report,
whilst shared with the WHSSB and the Department, was not distributed to other
Trusts in the interest of confidentiality. There is no doubt that the wider
distribution of Case Management Review Reports to other Trusts and relevant
agencies would create useful learning opportunities and definitive action. Case Management Reports 11.3 A Seminar held on 23 March 2000 for WACPC and Trust Child Protection
Panel Members addressed issues of accountability and disclosure with regard
to those who might have an interest in Case Management Review Reports for
example the child and his/her family, staff, the general public and the
media. These are difficult interests to balance taking into consideration the
need to maintain confidentially in respect of personal information, the need
to secure full participation from the different agencies and perhaps other
constraints such as when criminal proceedings are pending. The Seminar’s
Facilitator, Mr Richard White recommended an Executive Summary, the content
of which should be suitably anonymised in order to protect the
confidentiality of the family and others. 11.4 It is noted that the Consultation Draft on the proposed ACPC Bill
advises that the DHSSPS should be required to establish and publicise
arrangements for the consideration of Case Management Review Reports, the
wider dissemination of key findings and publication of overview reports at
appropriate intervals. These proposals together with the Department’s
initiative in relation to the creation of a high level Child Protection
Review Group, are positive developments and are to be welcomed. 11.5 NSPCCs Out of Sight Report16 has drawn attention to the
increasing number of sudden Infant Deaths and recommended the establishment
of Child Death Review Teams. 12. General Comments Concluding Remarks 12.1 The Board and both Trusts, in pursuance of their child protection
responsibilities are committed to providing the best possible service for
children in need of protection. It is undoubtedly a complex and sensitive
area of work. Whilst it is recognised that the Child Protection Policy &
Procedures are, in the main, well focused, regrettably some of the measures
are not always put into practice chiefly because demands outstrip both
staffing and service provision. It has already been indicated in this
Submission that child protection referrals demand Social Workers attention
and a significant input in time. It has also been demonstrated that the
commitment that Social Workers have to make to child protection work often
results in other important work being deferred. Recommendations for Improving the Service 12.2 It would be helpful if the following areas could be considered: (i) An integrated, co-ordinated and strategic approach to Family Support
along the lines outlined in the Hardiker model to be adopted at both regional
and local levels. Recent developments such as Children’s Services Planning,
Investing for Health, the formation of Child Care Partnerships and the
emergence of improved databases about need, have created conditions which now
make it a feasible project. (Section 2.7-2.11) (ii) A revision of the present computer system is fundamental to good
management and record keeping. Any proposed development in this sphere should
provide for a database that will lend itself readily to the relevant statistical
data about activity and need, so that standards can be compared and outcomes
measured (Section 2.13). (iii) ACPCs being placed on a statutory basis in terms of strengthening
the infrastructure around the Child Protection System. (Section 3.10-3.14) (iv) Ways of encouraging and strengthening General Practitioner
participation. (Section 7.13) (v) Efforts to be made to establish liaison with the media at both a local
and regional level. In view of the adverse criticism that the service has
experienced in recent years, a more pro-active approach should be employed.
This might reasonably be secured by the establishment of a Group representing
the Department’s Child Protection Review Group and ACPCs. (Sections 8.11
& 11.3) (vi) A reappraisal by the Department and the Board of the current adequacy
of funding for Family & Child Care Services with particular reference to
the Noble Index levels of deprivation. (Section 10.1-10.5) (vii) Distribution throughout the Region of recommendations and learning
points from Case Management Reviews with a view to applying the lessons in a
sustained and consistent manner. (Section 11.1 & 11.2) Appendix 1 Northern Ireland Measures of Deprivation:
Notes Income: Measures extent of income deprivation, count of families in
receipt of means tested benefits. Employment: This measures enforced exclusion from work, counts
those unable to work through unemployment, sickness or disability. Local Extent: Proportion of an LGD’s population living in the wards
which rank within the most deprived 10% of wards in N.I). Local Concentration: This measure defines "hot spots" by
reference to the percentage of the LGD’s population. Average of Ward Ranks: Population Weighted Average of the combined
multiple deprivation measure ranks for the wards in a LGD. Average of Ward Scores: Population Weighted Average of the combined
multiple deprivation measure scores for the wards in a LGD. NB RANK 1 = MOST DEPRIVED AND RANK 26 = LEAST DEPRIVED (I.E THE LOWER
THE RANK HE MORE DEPRIVED THE AREA) Appendix 2 Fifty Highest Ranking Child Poverty Measure Wards Within WHSSB
Appendix 3a Organisational Structure Outlining Child Protection Services in the
WHSSB
Appendix 3b Foyle Health & Social Services Trust Appendix 3c Sperrin Lakeland Health & Social Services Trust REFERENCES 1. WHSSB Position Statement – Family & Child Care Services, Dec 2001 2. Children’s Services Plan, Western Area Children & Young People’s
Committee 2002 – 2005 3. Hardiker (1992) The Social Context of Family Life 4. Western Area Child Protection Committee Annual Report, Year ended 31
March 2002 5. WACPC Child Protection Policy & Procedures, Nov 1998 6. Draft Co-Operating to Safeguard Children 7. Report of the Review of the Discharge of Statutory Child Care Functions
by Foyle H&SST, June 2001 8. Child Protection Messages for Research, 1995 HMSO Publication 9. Assessment Framework, May 2000 (WACPC, Foyle CPP and Sperrin Lakeland
CPP) 10. Multi Professional Audit of Child Protection Activity: WACPC 1998 11. "Paul, Death through Neglect" Inquiry report published on
behalf of Islington ACPC 1995 12. Good Practice in Child Protection – A Manual for Professionals –
Edited by Hilary Owen & Jacki Pritchard 13. WACPC Multi Professional Audit, August 2000 14. General Practitioners and Child Protection Case Conference
Participation: Child Abuse Review, Volume 9: 108 – 123 (2000) 15. Family & Child Care Services in Northern Ireland in 2000 – A Four
Board perspective 16. Out of Sight, NSPCC Report on Child Deaths from Abuse, 1973 - 2000 SUMMARY (i) The Western Health & Social Services Board and Foyle and Sperrin
Lakeland Health and Social Services Trusts are grateful for the opportunity
that has now been afforded them to reflect on child protection services as
they are currently administered within their areas. The document that follows begins by outlining the context in which the
service is provided including the relevant child population and the levels of
deprivation within the WHSSB area. It takes into cognisance targeting social
need, Equality Legislation and the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Model for
Assessing Need and Supply that has been adopted under Children’s Services
Planning within the Western area. (ii) In order to give a measure of child protection activity, information
concerning child care referrals, child protection referrals, investigations,
child protection case conferences and child protection registration is
illustrated in Table 2. (iii) Section 3 considers the structural arrangements and it is clearly
evident (see Appendix 3a) that the Board and the Trusts have espoused, not alone,
the multi-agency approach but place a high value on partnership involvement
in delivering child protection services. The Western Area Child Protection
Committee, which is a multi-agency child protection forum has a pivotal role
in developing policy, procedures and services for children in need of
protection. The Board is aware of the significance of this role and, in this
context, fully supports ACPCs being placed on a statutory basis. (iv) The Western Area Child Protection Committee’s Child Protection Policy
and Procedures, based on the Department’s guidance contained within
Co-operating to Protect Children, are in place to ensure the safety and
wellbeing of children. They are an essential part of the management of the
child protection process. (v) The Children (N.I.) Order 1995 provides the legal framework to protect
children from harm. If at any time during the referral or assessment process,
it is apparent that a child may be at risk of suffering significant harm that
cannot be prevented by voluntary measures with the co-operation of the
child’s parents or carers, consideration must be given to the use of legal
measures to secure the child’s safety. (vi) The Board and the Trusts wish to support children in their families
and communities because this is where their roots are, the place to which the
majority will return and the base from which they can most satisfactorily
grow into adult life. Families are supported in conjunction with universal
services provided by colleagues from health and education as well as
community group involvement. Efforts are now being made to ensure that
services provided by the Trusts are focused on the assessed needs of children
and their families with a view to achieving positive outcomes. (vii) Whilst social workers recognise the need for efficient recording and
its value in relation to the work undertaken as well as in any subsequent
investigation, unfortunately pressure of work and limited administrative
support sometimes precludes this action from being implemented. (viii) The exercise of professional judgement is crucial to ensuring that
the best possible arrangements are made for children. The judgement that a
child is or is not at continuing risk of significant harm must be based on an
analysis of the evidence obtained and the assessment carried out. (ix) It is vital that all available from each agency is shared and
evaluated and that any gaps identified are resolved. The Board and the Trusts
recognise the value of close inter-agency communication in relation to ensuring
good practice and the observance of Policy and Procedures throughout the
child protection process. Risk assessment with regard to significant harm or
the likelihood of it is an area of work that is being further addressed in a
number of fora. (x) The benefit of working with children, families and local communities
is fully recognised the Board and Trusts strongly support the principle of
working in partnership with children and families but there must be a clear
understanding of what partnership means in the context of child protection. (xi) The high level of staff turnover and the impact of unfilled posts
obviously places additional demands on Managers. Further consideration is
being given to working conditions and staffing levels in order to address
factors which would militate against any deterioration in the service. The
initiative taken by the Board and Foyle Trust in responding to the Report of
the Review of Discharge of Statutory Functions in Family and Child Care is a
very welcome one. (xii) Effective child protection depends on the knowledge and judgement of
all staff working with children. It is, therefore important, that staff with
different levels of responsibility have the opportunity to avail of relevant
training for example in relation to the legislative framework, child
protection policy and procedures and assessment. An Assistant Principal
Social Worker in the Social Services Training Team is involved in
multi-disciplinary child protection training and post Children Order
implementation training. (xiii) Taking into consideration the complexity of the work associated
with child protection some of which is summarised in points (viii) & (xi)
above, it is regrettable that Managers, mainly because of pressure of work,
have not always been able to provide supervision other than in a consultative
capacity. (xiv) This report highlights the increasing demands on staff. Following
the introduction of the Children (NI) Order 1995 there was an expectation
that services for children and families would receive dedicated and
sufficient resources to enable a wide range of services to be developed. Such
provisions were envisaged as assisting and more effectively meeting the
requirements of children in need including those in need of protection.
Clearly the investment made available, although welcomed, has resulted in an
inability to meet the full requirements of the Children Order. Investment, or
lack of it, in one part of the system clearly affects another. (xv) In those circumstances where Case Management Reviews are undertaken
it would be helpful if executive summaries could be made available in order
to create useful learning opportunities and afford definitive action. (xvi) In conclusion the compilation of this report has been a most useful
exercise in concentrating our minds not only on certain shortcomings but also
the many positive features of our child protection service. written submission by: August 2002 Northern Ireland Women’s Aid welcomes the invitation to submit evidence to
the committee for Health, Social Services & Public Safety of the Northern
Ireland Assembly in undertaking an inquiry into the current state of child
protection services in Northern Ireland. We believe this will be an important
and vital step in recognising the rights and needs of children and young
people to live in a society free from harm. Northern Ireland Women’s Aid is the leading agency tackling domestic
violence in Northern Ireland. It provides temporary accommodation and support
to women and children who experience domestic violence. There is a 24-hour
helpline in operation 365 days per year dealing with approximately 15,000
calls. Children represent the majority of occupants in our refuges at any
particular time, each year Northern Ireland Women’s Aid would accommodate at
least 1500 children and 1000 women. Women’s Aid have always recognised the
effects domestic violence can have on children and young people and have
endeavoured to establish and build upon services which respond to need in protective
and creative ways. A wide range of research has shown that the majority of children from
families where domestic violence is present will witness abuse. Indeed,
Hester at al (2000) note that witnessing domestic violence to their mothers
can have a detrimental impact on children, tantamount of emotional abuse or
psychological mistreatment. Various research studies have further highlighted links between child
protection issues and domestic violence and argued that where one is present
there is co-existence of the other. Scottish Women’s Aid (2002 ) note in a
study of 111 cases of child abuse dealt with by the NSPCC, in 69% of the
cases where the father was the perpetrator, he was also violent towards the
mother (Hester & Parson 1998). Monica McWilliams and Joan McKernan’s research into domestic violence in
Northern Ireland in ‘Bringing it Into the Open’ (1993) further highlighted
the above, when they note, ‘this research has found that homes where men are
violent to their wives often become dangerous places for children as well.’
(1993: 37) Northern Ireland Women’s Aid have long recognised that supporting and
protecting women is most often the best form of child protection. Research
has continuously highlighted the need to provide support and intervention for
all survivors of domestic violence, both adults and children. Children may
experience all areas of abuse directly, beginning within the womb, to
indirectly where children can be used as weapons to further the abuse of the
mother. They can be used as a pawn to collude with the abuse of the mother
verbally or physically. This burden placed on children can be great to bear.
The experiences of children are often overlooked. Domestic violence is a
breach of children’s human rights and can, in the absence of appropriate
support, have a huge impact on the lives of children and young people. We would subsequently like to take this opportunity to highlight some of
the issues we experience on an ongoing basis, in relation to the children we
work with both in refuge and aftercare projects, in accordance with the
following key areas in relation to the Child Protection inquiry.
CASE WORK Providing services for children who have been affected by domestic
violence is the responsibility of all agencies. Northern Ireland Women’s Aid
Federation endeavour to ensure that a high quality, multi-agency service is
made available for children and their families. However, the effectiveness of
services providing child protection at times needs to be questioned. The key
issues highlighted after consultation with groups throughout Northern Ireland
include:-
COMMUNICATION No-one agency can totally support a family, particularly in cases of
domestic violence where the protection of survivors, the prevention of
further abuse and the prosecution of perpetrators will depend on effective
inter-agency work. According to Saunders and Humphreys (2002: 44) this is as
important for the children as it is for the mothers. It is essential that
professionals working with these children have a good understanding of the
dynamics of domestic violence and its likely impact on the behaviour and
health of both the child and the mother.
LINKAGES
WORKFORCE ISSUES Northern Ireland Women’s Aid Federation believe with appropriate
protection and support many mothers who are being abused by their male
partners can be enabled to protect their children. Hester et al (2000:124)
note that ‘as the Social Service Inspectorate report on domestic violence and
social care points out, ‘those who are concerned about child abuse would do
well to look to towards advocacy and protection of battered mothers as the
best means to prevent current child abuse as well as child abuse in the
future (Stark and Hitcroft 1985: 147).
LESSONS LEARNT Practice in relation to domestic violence varies between childcare
professionals. There are examples of positive as well as negative practice.
It has been the experience of Northern Ireland Women’s Aid that when good
training provision and open communication between agencies is developed this
leads to good practice and a better outcome for families living with domestic
violence. Families may then move on from social services support completely.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Support is a vital factor in influencing how children survive and cope
with abuse. Northern Ireland Women’s Aid Federation welcomes and supports the
inquiry by the Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety into
the arrangements in place in Northern Ireland to protect infants, children
and young people under the age of 18 from physical, emotional and sexual
abuse and neglect and to determine if child protection services are meeting
the welfare needs of children and protecting them from ‘significant harm’. In conclusion we would urge the Committee to recognise that there is a
definite need for all agencies involved in the area of child protection to
provide effective support interventions for children and their mothers who
experience domestic violence. Such agencies need to make themselves aware of
the complexities of domestic abuse by undertaking specialised Women’s Aid
training. Women’s Aid has long experience of training in this area for
voluntary and statutory bodies including PSNI. The policies and procedures
must be developed and put in place to ensure that children and their mothers
are receiving the support and information they need. The existing knowledge we have within Northern Ireland into this area
needs to be properly recorded and developed through effective research, which
will adequately take into account the experiences and perspectives of
children and young people. Children and young people need to be consulted. All children and young people who have experienced domestic violence,
whether living in refuge, having moved on from refuge or who have never lived
in a refuge, have a right to quality support. It is largely through listening
to children, young people and women that we can begin to understand the
effects of domestic abuse on children. It is hoped that the issues
highlighted in this paper will provide awareness of issues specific to
children and young people who experience domestic violence . These need to be
addressed by the inquiry, recognising the rights and needs of children to
live in a society free from harm. DEBBIE MEHAFFEY |
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