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Inspecting Safeguarding Arrangements

Detailed guidance about safeguarding arrangements taken from the September 2011 Ofsted section 5 briefing.

• Acrobat pdf, 1.05MB/12 pages, 05/04/2012, inspecting_safeguarding_arrangements.pdf

Pupil Safeguarding Records Guidance

The purpose of this practice guidance is to assist the Designated Senior Person for Child Protection (DSP) in establishing and maintaining record keeping systems that support effective safeguarding practice.

The guidance has been produced following direct requests from DSPs and as a response to the findings and recommendations of individual management/serious case reviews undertaken in Hertfordshire and nationally.  

• Word 2003, 206kb/18 pages, 15/03/2012, CS0238_pupil_safeguarding_records_iss1.doc

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Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire Children’s Trust Partnership (HCTP) has made a number of changes to improve its arrangements for ensuring that vulnerable children and young people receive the right response at the right time. As part of this work, we have recently completed a review of the thresholds for accessing targeted and specialist services, and finalised a revised version of the Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire handbook.

The handbook, which has been signed off by the Hertfordshire Children's Trust Partnership and Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children's Board, sets out clear thresholds which will support practitioners in making decisions on how best to respond to the needs of children and families

The handbook can be accessed from the link below, together with a link to an Interim Services Contact List:

• Integrated Practice - Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in Hertfordshire

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School Safeguarding Practice Guidance: Drop Off Collection of Children Successfully New

This practice guidance has been written to assist the Designated Senior Person for Child Protection (DSP) in considering drop off and collection arrangements for children, to ensure effective safeguarding practice. The guidance is mainly relevant to staff working with primary aged children, although will also apply in some circumstances to older children with additional needs.

It is for schools to use in circumstances where:

• children are collected late
• children are not collected
• it is not safe for children to go home unaccompanied
• there are concerns about supervision before and after school (childcare by a sibling/child walking to or from school alone)
• there are concerns about a parent/carer’s ability to offer safe care, because they are under the influence of alcohol/drugs or there are concerns about their mental health state

CS0269 Drop Off Collection of Children Successfully

• Adobe pdf, 156kb/22 pages, 13/09/2012, cs0269_dropoff_collection_children.pdf
  
  
  
  

Herts Forced Marriage and FGM Guidance

Keeping children and young people safe from all forms of abuse is a top priority in Hertfordshire. There are two forms of abuse which tend to peak during the school holidays – forced marriages and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This guidance aims to equip you with the information to help children at risk.

• Adobe pdf, 1.6MB/5 pages, 15/02/2012, herts_forced_marriage_fgm.pdf

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HCC Intimate Care Guidance

Continence guidance and support for children in nappies includes:

• Supporting Children in Nappies - Early Years Guidance
• Continence Guidance for Early Years Settings

Available to download from:

• www.thegrid.org.uk/learning/foundation/inclusion/links.shtml

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Safe Sleeping

The Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (HSCB) has launched a safe sleeping campaign to highlight the dangers of sleeping with your baby.

300 babies in the UK die suddenly and unexpectedly in their sleep every year as a result of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); commonly known as cot death. In Hertfordshire, nearly a third of these types of deaths could have been avoided.

The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a cot, moses basket or crib in your room. Although we don’t always know what causes many sad, unexpected deaths, it has been proven that if the parent is a smoker, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or just very tired, falling asleep with their baby significantly increases the risk of sudden infant death.

Following good advice does not guarantee the prevention of sudden infant death, but there are a number of things parents and carers can do to reduce the risks to their baby:

• The safest place for a baby to sleep for the first six months is on its back in a cot, moses basket or crib in their parents’ room
• It is dangerous for a baby to sleep in a normal bed or on a sofa or armchair
• Babies should be placed on their back on a firm mattress, with their feet at the bottom end of the cot
• They should not be allowed to get too hot - an ideal room temperature is between 16-20°c
• Babies should be protected from second hand smoke - mothers should not smoke during pregnancy and people should not smoke in the house.

Dr Hilary Angwin, Public Health Consultant for children, NHS Hertfordshire. said: “Losing a child this way is a terrible tragedy. We should all do everything we can to reduce the risk of this happening. As the campaign highlights, drinking alcohol, smoking or any drug use adds unnecessary risks. I hope people take note of these messages and that this campaign saves lives not only in Hertfordshire, but across the country.”

Schools are asked to share the above information with their parents via any parent newsletters or email Helen.c.jackson@hertscc.gov.uk for copies of the leaflet or download:

• Adobe pdf, 1.8MB/4 pages, 08/05/2012, safe_sleeping_leaflet_may2012.pdf

To learn more about reducing the risks, visit the FSID website:

• www.fsid.org.uk

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