SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN

Safeguarding Children

Safeguarding Children

Introduction

According to the department of education in the UK, the underlying objective of safeguarding children is to promote their welfare. This entails protecting them from any form of maltreatment, preventing any hurdles in their well being and ensuring that children are growing up with effective care and in safe environment. Child protection is a very crucial part of safeguarding children. According to UNICEF, child protection may be defined as steps taken to prevent and respond to violence against children, or any form of abuse and exploitation. These include child trafficking, sexual abuse, and child labour. In some countries, the traditional and cultural practices also come in the ambit of child abuse. For instance, the mutilation of female genital and early marriages categorize as serious forms of child abuse. UNICEF has designed several programs to protect children and ensure their safety. These programs include not only the normal children but also children who are in the midst of some conflicting situation such as during war, orphans and others (UNICEF, 2006).

Child protection requires particularly attention to matters of child abuse as child survival and development is at stake in matters of child abuse. Fatefully, Child abuse is common in both the developing and the developed countries. Children who go through any form of abuse turn out to be individuals with distorted personalities. These children have a higher risk of mortality, physical and mental challenges, chronic ailments such as HIV/AIDS infection, homelessness, abandonment from the parents and the society, vagrancy and personally poor skills of parenting in their future lives.

Child care policy

Child care policy in the UK has changed many times over the years owing to the increase in child mortality rate due to different forms of child abuse. The child abuse is of four types. These are physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.

The recent changes in the child protection policy in the UK, is the result of two incidents that brought the issue of child abuse and the need for child protection to light. These incidents include the death of Victoria Climbié and Kelly Macfarlane in England and Scotland respectively (Stevens, 2007, p. 78). In both these cases, the post-incident reports suggested that the loss could have been avoided. There was a lack of communication between the different agencies and an effective child protection investigation. The two deaths are an example of blinding incompetence not only on the part of the police but also on the part of other social agencies working for child protection. Moreover, the media did not play its role in bringing the misery of the two children to light before their tragic death.

There are different agencies that can work in collaboration towards the cause. These include local private and public authorities that are providing child oriented services, criminal justice organizations and professionals, armed services, health organizations and health professionals, faith communities, children schools, and Family Court Advisory and Support Services (CAFCASS).

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010)

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