SAFEGUARDING

Safeguarding

Safeguarding

Part I

The term safeguarding means ensuring the safety and protection of an entity. Any loophole in safeguarding of children results in child abuse which is said to be the emotional, physical or sexual mistreatment of children. Rights of child socialization and education are provided under the children's act of 1989, it emphasizes on the safety and promotion of welfare of the children. The authorities are obliged to identify the needs of children and they have the responsibility to promote the family in order to have safe upbringing of the children. Local authorities should help parents in performing their duties. Rights of the Child and the Convention of 1989 included many principles, including:

You must protect the child away from everything else because of race, nationality or religion.

You must help the child with respect and family unity.

The child must be in a position to grow normally in terms of physical, moral, and spiritual aspect.

The child must be the first to receive aid at the time of distress.

To benefit the child must make full use of the means of prevention and social security.

The Act has also made rectifications to the laws that are made for the rights of the children, babysitting services, foster homes, adoption agencies and the handling of crimes against children as well as child-related crimes (Accardo & Whitman, 2007 pp.781)

Frameworks for child protection, policies and procedures in England & Wales

The child protection in Wales as well as England is said to be the responsibility of the department of Children, Families and Schools (DCSF). It is said to issue not only statutory guidance (mandatory to abide by) but non-statutory guidance (suggestions by DCSF to abide by) as well.

It is the local authorities who are said to utilize the guidance provided to establish procedures which should be utilized and followed by the professionals as well as the practitioners upon coming across affected families and children. The national assembly of Wales is said to develop guidance which can be sued by the local authorities.

Legislation that is said to enable the prosecution in relation to child cruelty has been implemented since 1880's. It is also said that a series of cases and deaths in relation to child abuse has taken place for this protection system to come into effect. The first case being the Curtis Committee Report which entailed the Dennis O'Neill's death who was a 12 year old and was killed by his foster father in the year of 1945. Even after the death of the child the protection system wasn't introduced. It was the death of Maria Colwell who was a 7 year old in the year of 1973 that led to the implementation of the system of child protection. Later there were many changes that took place when numerous child deaths took place especially the case of Jasmine Beckford who was a 4 year old and died in the year of 1984.

The system of child protection in England and Wales come under the child protection act of ...