Safeguarding - A complex web

Early years staff engage with parents face to face when they’re in the setting dropping off and collecting their children. Some settings carry out home visits before children start. But are staff able to pick up on suspicions of abuse, controlling behaviour or neglect? Do they document their observations from their home visits? Would they raise a concern if the house had no toys or was too dirty? Children aged under five are not as vocal as older children in expressing worries. Serious case reviews, two-thirds of which concern children under five, highlight these issues time and time again.

Beyond the early years, there are a myriad of processes which professionals from agencies such as social care, health and police must follow. These services are under ‘complex and urgent’ pressure, as a December study by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has found. The 2015/16 study looked at 132 councils across the UK and found that a fifth of all children on child protection plans are now aged under one. Domestic violence and neglect are common reasons for the involvement of social services, yet support is being cut.