Safeguarding and protecting, children and young people in residential childcare and supporting children who have experienced harm or abuse.
The aim of this assignment is to develop your knowledge and skills as a Residential Childcare Practitioner in order for you to safeguard children at all times through generating an understanding of:
Abuse can take place in different forms. As a residential child care practitioner, it is important that you can recog nise signs and symptoms of abuse. For this task you are required to research the following:
a) What is safeguarding when referring to children and young people and how does this link to child prot ection? 1.3 & 1.4
b) Explain safeguarding requirements contained within mandatory and local safeguarding training 1.2
c) Types of abuse – research signs and behavioural symptoms of the following: Physical, Emotional, Sex ual abuse and Neglect you can produce a table for this, please also outline any other types of abuse s uch as financial abuse, domestic abuse, 2.1 & 2.2
d) Other types of abuse include: FGM, County lines, Cuckooing-research into what these are and explain.
Bullying is another form of abuse:
a) Research into the following types of bullying: cyberbullying, verbal, emotional and physical. Explain h ow these can take place identifying what these are.
b) Outline procedures you should follow when bullying is suspected and explain how you can support a c hild and where relevant their family. 2.5
c) Online safety – Produce a poster to explain the risks and dangers of technology and outline procedure s you use to keep children safe, (you must include social networking, using the internet, buying and sel ling online and electric communication devices). 3.2 & 3.2
Describe your understanding of the Prevent strategy and identify signs of radicalisation and extremism and what you would do if you had a concern.
Within the UK there are many legislations that have been passed by Government. You need to show knowledge a nd understanding of laws that help safeguard children. 1.1, 1.5
Why is it important that you follow safeguarding policies and procedures?1.6
Working in residential child care, some children can disclose abuse to you or you may have concerns regarding a c hild or young person. Therefore you need to be able to recognise how they may do this. Create a document that explains:
a) How children can disclose?
b) How would you respond to the disclosure (outlining things you should and shouldn’t do), including sup port you can provide? 2.4, 1.1,2,4
c) Explain how you using avoid actions or statements that can impact on the disclosure evidence being u sed in court. 2.2
d) Why do records about disclosure of harm or abuse need to be detailed, accurate, timed, dated, signed and accessible? 2.5
e) Explain why it is necessary for you to take into account the child or young persons level of understandi ng when abuse has been disclosed and why it is necessary that that understand whom the informatio n will be shared with and why. 2.1 & 2.3
f) Why do you think a child or young person may not recognise or disclose they are being harmed or abus ed? 2.6
g) Describe behaviours that may cause concem following harm or abuse and the actions you would take to support the child or young person. 3.4
a) What potential risk factors increase the vulnerability of children and young people in residential care? 2.3
b) Explain what whistleblowing is and the procedures you follow.
c) Explain how whistleblowers are protected 5.3
d) Describe when restrictions may be imposed on the involvement of key people following a disclosure o r investigation into harm or abuse.4.1
e) Explain how you can support a child or young person to understand why safe and consistent boundari es for themselves and key people must be in place and maintained. 4.2
Children can be victims of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The patterns of perpetrators when gro oming, manipulating and coercing children can differ. In this section, you will answer the following:
a) Describe child sexual exploitation and how this links to human trafficking.
b) Identify the patterns of child sexual exploitation in relation to how the following operate to groom children and young people:
c) Describe the support that should be offered to a child or young person who has been the victim of child sexual exploitation.
Serious case reviews inform changes to help improve procedures. The safeguarding webinar introduced you t o the following case reviews: 1.7
Choose 1 of the above and produce a summary of what happened, evaluate and reflect on any changes to law, s chools policies, procedures and practice.
Now complete some independent research on the following and again produce a summary of what happened, evaluate and reflect on any changes to law, schools policies, procedures and practice.
Working with other agencies is a necessary part of the roles and responsibilities of a residential practitioner. Ple ase look at the Working Together to Safeguard Children’ document. Links have been provided below. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children-2
a) Explain who you must work in partnership with, the importance of information sharing and the externa I agencies that are involved in keeping children safe. 5.4, 1.2
b) Research further the roles and responsibilities of; Social Workers, Police, Health Professionals in abu se cases. 5.4, 1.2
Being subjected to harm or abuse is a traumatic experience and one that children and young people will need sup port in working through. It can also be a traumatic experience for those supporting a child or young person thro ugh incidents of harm or abuse.
a) Why it is important that you establish positive and trusting relationships with children and young p eople who have suffered harm or abuse? 1.3
b) How can you support a child or young person to understand distress, fears and anxieties and its im plications caused by harm or abuse? 3.2
c) Outline sources of information, advice and guidance about how to support a child who has experie nced harm or abuse and describe how you would access support. 1.4 & 3.1
d) Describe ways of empowering children and young people to make informed choices about their saf ety. 5.2
Explain positive coping strategies that can support a child and how you can work with children and young people to protect themselves and build self-confidence, self-esteem and resilience. 5.13. 3,3.5