Please note that a number of changes will be introduced to the London Safeguarding Children Procedures on or about the 31 March 2022. Details are set out below:
Changes to the front page
The most obvious change is to the name of the procedures - “London Safeguarding Children Procedures” now replaces “London Child Protection Procedures”.
Following the consultation meetings and survey undertaken in the autumn of 2021, changes have been made to the menu structure.
There are now three main headings, Core Procedures, Safeguarding Partnership Arrangements and Practice Guidance:
- Core Procedures - the order remains the same but two additional chapters have been added (see below);
- Safeguarding Partnership Arrangements includes agency responsibilities and partnership arrangements - this is themed with some new content (see below);
- Practice Guidance - is now in alphabetical order with shorter titles in the index which hopefully makes it easier to locate what you are looking for.
Each chapter of the procedures now includes information about when it was last updated on the first page. And the text suggesting how best to search the procedures has been updated.
Despite the change of name, internet searches for the “London Child Protection Procedures” and for the “London Safeguarding Children Procedures” will continue to function until September 2023.
Colleagues that use a link to access frequently visited sections of the procedures may need to update their links. London Child Protection Procedures (londoncp.co.uk)
There are further changes to the interface, search engine and colours used in the procedures planned for later in the year.
Core Procedures - updates
- Information Sharing Guidance - this is an entirely new chapter in the procedures. It sets out the legal bases for sharing information to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
- Referral and Assessment - the Pre-Birth Section this chapter has been entirely re-written in the light of the publication of the “Myth of Invisible Men” by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel; it emphasises the importance of early identification and assessment and the need to ensure that information is obtained about fathers at every stage of anti-natal care.
- Allegations Against Staff or Volunteers
- A new paragraph 2.8 encourages agencies to ensure that they have a code of conduct in place which clearly includes references to behaviours/relationships between people in a position of trust and those for whom they are responsible that are over the age of 18
- Paragraphs 2.12 and 2.13 underlines the need for “low level” concerns to be discussed with the LADO and for them to be recorded.
- Risk Management of Known Offenders - this Chapter has been moved into the Core Procedures.
Safeguarding Partnership Arrangements - new menu heading and updates
Safe Recruitment
- Changes to paragraphs 1.11 and 1.40 concerning the statutory disclosure guidance for DBVS checks
- Paragraphs 1.50 and 1.51 have been updated to include a recommendation that agencies retain copies of DBS certificates, ensure that their staff are registered with the DBS update service and provides the UK GDPR bases for the retention of DBS certificates.
- A new paragraph, 2.6 includes reference to the information that fostering and adoption services are required to keep about their staff in addition to that which would be kept for other social workers.
Learning and Improvement Framework
This is an entirely new chapter in the procedures and combines / replaces “Principles for Learning and Development” and the “Safeguarding Training Competency Framework”.
Quality Assurance
Section 5.3 (unallocated cases) has been deleted
Practice Guidance
As set out above, the index has been revised to have shorter chapter titles in alphabetical order.
The chapter dealing with “Children Living Away from Home” is now under revision.
Other chapters will be revised in due course including that relating to missing children.
Henrietta Quartano, Chair of the Editorial Board
(Senior Assistant Director, Children's Safeguarding & Social Care, Royal Greenwich)
Steve Liddicott, consultant for the review of the London Safeguarding Children Procedures.