Child Protection

Keeping Children Safe

Keeping Children Safe (KCS) provides Child Protection training and advice for the voluntary and private childcare sector in Highland.

Find out more about Keeping Children Safe.

If you require to book, or find information about, Child Protection training please contact the Highland Council Child Protection Team on: 01463 703483 [email protected]

Child Protection Toolkit

The ‘Child Protection Toolkit and Guidance for Third Sector Organisations’ has been produced by the Highland Child Protection Committee. The toolkit provides tools to help support recruitment of staff and volunteers, as well as more detailed guidance on child protection issues.  You can download the toolkit from the HCPC website by clicking here.

Child Protection Training

Highland Council have released a flyer that advertises free access to our ‘Introduction to Child Protection’ online training course. To be eligible, you must work with children or family members in Highland.

To receive your unique code, or to check eligibility, please contact [email protected]

More information can be found on the flyer, which can be downloaded by clicking here.


Highland Practice Model

Everyone working with children across Highland uses the Highland Practice Model. This means that every child has a Named Person. Children who have additional needs that require a plan involving more than one service have a Lead Professional.

Download the Highland Practice Model Training Booklet.

You can find out more information on the Highland Child Protection Committee’s website: http://hsps.scot


 

 

Say no to sexting

An anti-sexting app from Childline is using humour to help teenagers deal with unwanted requests for sexual images of themselves. The Zipit app has been updated as new figures from Childline reveal the NSPCC service held 2,634 counselling sessions about sexting and self-generated explicit images in 2016/17. Sexting was also the most viewed topic on the Childline website last year with 221,840 page views. The free app offers young people a gallery of images and animations called GIFs they can send in response to requests for sexual pictures and to deal with difficult sexting situations.


Download the full guidance notes from the NSPCC: https://www.careandlearningalliance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/say-no-to-sexting.pdf

or take a look at their new app here: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/sexting/zipit-app/

Quick Guide to Non-Accidental Injuries in Children

These useful charts from South Lanarkshire Child Protection Committee shared by Highland Child Protection Committee are not designed for assessment purposes, rather their purpose is to provide a quick, helpful visual guide of non- accidental and accidental injuries in children.
Click here to download the non-accidental injuries charts.


Top Ten Practical Safeguarding Steps (OSCR)

Safeguarding is the action that an organisation takes to promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults to protect them from harm.  This includes making sure that the appropriate policies and procedures are put in place.  Safeguarding includes child protection but goes further and extends to all vulnerable beneficiaries.

Learn more about safeguarding on the OSCR website. 


The SSSC’s new ‘professional simulator’ tool – help develop your assessment and decision making skills

Click here to be taken to the SSSC simulator tool.


Practice Guide to Chronologies

This useful guide supports practitioners work in this respect.  ELC practitioners might consider reflecting on aspects of the guidance  linking this in with self-evaluation eg. Quality Indicator 2.1 Safeguarding and Child Protection: Consider how well you do this, any actions required to improve and plan accordingly.

Click here to download “Practice Guide to Chronologies” [PDF].


Supporting children and families – new legislation to clarify information sharing provisions

The following information comes from The Scottish Government, in relation to new legislation on information sharing provisions: 

Public bodies and other organisations are to have a duty to consider if the sharing of information will promote, support or safeguard the wellbeing of a child or young person.

The duty forms part of the Children and Young People (Information Sharing) (Scotland) Bill, which will also ensure that the sharing is compatible with current law and will introduce a new code of practice for information sharing with regard to the Named Person service.

Click here to read the announcement on the Scottish Government’s website.


Factsheet: Radicalisation and Extremism

This factsheet has been produced by tri.x as a resource for professionals working with children, young people and families and gives a brief overview on the Prevent duty, the Channel Panel and the importance of referrals.

Click here to download the ‘radicalisation and extremism’ factsheet. 


National Action Plan on Internet Safety for Children and Young People

This internet safety action plan for children and young people is an important step to ensure that we have appropriate frameworks of training, support and information in place for professionals and families, including children and young people.

Download the National Action Plan by clicking here.


Toolkit for Police Scotland’s Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Campaign

Following on from the public awareness campaign in the media earlier this year, Police Scotland have recently launched this helpful toolkit which includes key messages, communication methods and useful contacts.

Please support this campaign to help keep our children safe and spread the key messages.

You can download the toolkit by clicking here.


Forced Marriage in Highland

The new Highland Protocol for Responding to Forced Marriage in Highland has just been published (Feb 2016). It outlines staff’s responsibilities to respond to those who might be at risk.

Download the Responding to Forced Marriage in Highland Protocol.

Download the latest Legal Information Book on domestic abuse and forced marriage, produced by the Highland Violence Against Women Partnership


The Highland Child Protection Committee

hcpc-logo

The super new website is a one stop source for all your Child Protection related training, information, contact, resources  and guidance needs. Why not register to receive information updates direct to your email. www.hcpc.scot  

  


Moray Child Protection

Download Moray Child Protection Bulletin (July 2016)


Highland Child Protection Committee: Training Guide for Staff and Managers

This document contains information regarding which level of CP training is recommended for various staff and volunteers within Highland. Download Child Protection Committee Training Leaflet (2014)


Community Groups Child Protection Guidance

This is specifically for the voluntary sector. The guidelines have recently been updated in line with changes to national and local Child Protection Guidance with additional information on the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG Scheme).

Download the Child Protection Guidance for Community Groups in Highland (2012)


Thinkuknow

You can download a wealth of resources for children and young people aged 5 to 17, from the Thinkuknow website including the Thinkuknow toolkit.


National Guidance for Child Protection

National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland was published by the Scottish Government in 2010 and refreshed in 2014 to ensure that it remains relevant and up to date for local agencies and practitioners working together to safeguard and promote the wellbeing of children. You can access the document here.


Guidance Cards

The Highland Child Protection Committee has produced updated child protection guidance cards that can be printed out and kept for personal reference or put on a group’s noticeboard, etc. Download your Child Protection Guidance Cards.


Resources for teachers: the Underwear Rule (NSPCC)

Teach your child the Underwear Rule and help protect them from abuse. It’s a simple way that parents can help keep children safe from sexual abuse – without using scary words or even mentioning sex. Find out all about the campaign.


Links from E-Safety Live Briefings, Inverness, 16 May 2013

http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources
http://www.360safe.org.uk/
http://www.onlinecompass.org.uk/
http://www.swgflstore.com/collections/resources/products/facebook-check
http://www.saferinternet.org/online-issues/parents-and-carers/sexting
http://www.swgfl.org.uk/digitalliteracy
http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/about/helpline

Child Protection ResearchReconstruct Research Archive


Safer Children in a Digital World (2008)

The report of the Byron Review – Children and new technology.


Protocol for Missing Children and Families

This guide should be followed and this form should be completed when anyone working with children and families, such as a health practitioner, teacher, nursery or play worker, becomes aware that a child or pregnant woman & unborn child is missing from a known address, school or a pre-school education provider and they have no forwarding information. Download the Missing Families Alert Protocol (2015)


Social Networking Guidance for Professionals

The Highland E-Safety Group has produced Social Networking Guidance to support professionals in Highland learning communities. Following this guidance will help to keep you safer online and contribute to safer online communities for others too.


Cyberbullying, Safer Social Networking, Online Gaming, etc.

WithScotland have produced a series of factsheets which are vital to anyone concerned with our children’s online safety. You can download them from this page


Mobile Phone Safety Advice

Each year an advice letter is provided by the Highland E-Safety Group for parents & carers of P7 pupils on Mobile Phone Safety during the early summer months as children make the transition to their secondary school. It is known that this is often a time when young people request a mobile phone in order to keep in touch with home and also be connected to their peers.

The Mobile Phone Advice Letter provides a good starting for parents & carers to discuss the safety aspects of owning a mobile phone and also learn about the new additional functions the latest smart phones provide. The advice has been developed to promote a safer online community and is part of the approach to learning about how to use technology safely and responsibly that takes place in schools.

Download the Scottish Government’s Guidance on Developing Policies to Promote the Safe and Responsible Use of Mobile Technology in Schools.


Inter-agency guidelines to protect Highland children & young people

The Highland Child Protection Committee has updated (April 2011) its protection guidance in accordance with new national guidance published at the end of 2010.

The main changes, which are fairly minimal, are in sections:

  • 1.5 to 1.7
  • 2.0 and 2.8
  • 4.7, 4.14, 4.15 and 4.19
  • 12.12
  • Appendices B, C & G

Download the Highland Child Protection Cttee Protection Guidelines

Download Notes On Child Protection Guidelines


Keeping Children Safe: what we all need to know to protect our children

Access the Scottish Government’s Guidelines here


Keeping Children Safe: information disclosure about child sexual offenders

Access the Scottish Government’s Guidelines here


My World Triangle

Learning gained from recent Serious Case Reviews in a few Local Authorities in Scotland included the need for adults involved with children and families to make accurate assessments of children an young people who may be at risk to take into account all factors with may impact on a child or young person to help identify support needs. This reminded us that the My World Triangle provides us with a framework to consider the whole child or young person. The Scottish Government have provided a colour version of this along with separate descriptors for each side of the triangle to support us in assessing risk to children and identifying and planning areas of support which you may find useful in helping to consolidate your thinking where you have concerns about a child or young person.

my-world-trainglehow-i-grow-and-develop my-wider-world  what-i-need-from-people

You can also download the My World Triangles as a PDF by clicking here.