Safeguarding children & young people policy

A child is in need if:

• They are unlikely to achieve or maintain, or have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision for the child of services by a local authority. 
• The child’s health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision for him/her of such services; or 
• The child is disabled.

A child is at risk if;

• There is reasonable cause to suspect a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm whether a single incident or an accumulation of events which interrupt damage or change a child’s development.
• Significant ill-treatment or the impairment of health or development including, for example, impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another.

Where an employee, volunteer, contractor or Member is concerned that a child is “in need” or may be “at risk of significant harm” they will need to follow the council’s procedure as outlined in Appendix A. For most staff this will mean contacting their line manager and/or Designated Safeguarding Champions. Designated Safeguarding Champions across the council are responsible for providing advice and signposting when dealing with staff concerns and help taking action to safeguard children, by assisting with making the appropriate referral. Prior to making any referral, best practice shows that parents should be notified of the intended referral, although only if doing so would not put the child at further risk of harm.