Early Years Safeguarding Briefing

1. Early Years Safeguarding Briefing Spring Term 2014 Ceri McAteer – Early Years Safeguarding Adviser Contact – 01793 465740 07774178011

2. Agenda 1.00 – Welcome and housekeeping arrangements 1.05 – Attachment Issues – Nicola Hawkins (Specialist teacher for children in care) 2.00 – Children’s Centres, Links with pre-schools/nurseries – Jo Hartley (Commissioner-Children and Families) 2.30 – Swindon LSCB Neglect Framework – Local and National Updates 3.00 – Networking Time

3. Local SCIE Review –The Case of M and P Background • Review of a neglect case undertaken by LSCB. • Review period Jan 2010-Nov 2011 • 2 children boy 3 ½, new born girl • Removed from care of parents Nov 2011 Purpose of review To learn how effectively agencies work with families where there is neglect

4. Neglect Definition The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: • provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); • protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; • ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care-givers); or • ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. • It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs. • (Working Together 2013)

5. The Case • Involved chronic neglect of 2 young children • Children slept on mattress on floor, little bedding, full of rubbish, stank of urine. • Both children grubby, inappropriately dressed • Older child poor attendance at school, stole food. • Household adult focused, friends sofa surfing • Father suspected of drug dealing • 2 adult dog, 10 puppies, playpen in sitting room.

6. SCIE Review M and P • Involved with early help – resistant - but did engage with one worker (Children’s Centre) • School referred to Children’s Services, poor attendance, appearance etc • Refused CAF initially parents afraid it would criticize them. • CAF – undertaken for both children – lots of information collected – lack of clear analysis or professional judgment • Team Around the Child – dominated by anger and volatility. TAC minutes over optimistic. • Decision to remove the children eventually made in Nov 2011 due to a crisis when all concerns came to a head in one visit.

7. 7 Main Findings Prioritised for Swindon LSCB 1. The need for a neglect framework-common language for all agencies. 2. Insufficient acknowledgement of the emotional toll on professionals working with aggressive and hostile families. Leaves them struggling to fulfil professional role. 3. Too much focus on parents needs and not child-centred enough

8. 4. Professionals not recognising the needs of learning disabled parents especially when this co-exists alongside substance misuse and mental health issues 5.Lack of challenge amongst professionals in decision making 6.The reluctance of professionals to make professional judgements make addressing child neglect difficult (supervision) 7.The priority of keeping families on board masks the true extent of the neglect of children.

9. Swindon LSCB Neglect Framework

10. Neglect Framework 5 key questions to ask to determine the level of neglect and make sense of the child’s circumstances; • Persistence and change: Is the level of neglect persistent over time and resistant to change (in spite of intervention and support?). Persists over family generations? Do parents want to change, are changing, what is their level of ability to change?

11. 2. Areas of the child’s developmental needs affected: • Physical care: Emotional relationships, love, and the attitudes of the parents to the child. • Health and medical needs. • Supervision, guidance and safety. • Stimulation and education 3. Impact of neglect on child and their lived experience particularly from the child’s point of view, their voice. Pervasive? From the evidence before the professional, what can be predicted for the child’s future? Is the neglectful care enabling other kinds of abuse?

12. 4. Causal Factors: there is no single cause of neglect and that it is most likely to result from a complex interplay of factors affecting the parents, such as: maltreatment when they were children; learning difficulties/disabilities; domestic abuse; substance or alcohol misuse; poor mental health; social isolation; poverty; etc. 5. Acts of Omission or Commission: Do the parents accept that there is a problem? Do they blame others or hold the child responsible?

13. LSCB Website • LSCB Neglect Framework • Swindon Neglect Practice Guide http://www.swindonlscb.org.uk/wav/Pages/Neglect.aspx

14. Local Updates Domestic abuse information sharing • End of March-new system in place. • DA co-ordinator (Jackie Pennington) will inform schools and Early Years of any DA incidents which have occurred in the previous 24 hours. • DA co-ordinator will only speak to CP Lead or deputy • The call will happen between 9.30 and 10.00 it will not be repeated • HV’s will continue to be a source of information.

15. Local Updates • Sample EY Safeguarding and CP policy • Supervision Policy • Allegations guidance-managers/staff • Admission forms to include question re-social care involvement present/historical. • Remember to copy RF1 to EYSA. RF1’s can be found on LSCB website under forms. • Recent Ofsted inspections –Safe environment (door wedges), risk assessments, registration, accident books, daily risk assessments

16. Thank you for coming – I hope you have found the information useful. Please could you take a few minutes to fill out an evaluation form Next briefing dates: 11th June - 9.30-12.00 25th June – 1.00-3.30