Response 729100722

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Questions

1. Advice and Accessibility - This guidance seeks to provide advice to local partnerships and agencies to inform the development of local guidance, and has been structured in sections that are intended to be standalone and accessible to practitioners seeking advice on particular aspects of practice. In your view, does the guidance fulfil these objectives?

Please select one item
Yes
To Some Extent
No
Don't Know

2. Legislative and Policy Development - This revised guidance seeks to reflect legislative and policy developments since 2014 and include relevant learning from practice and research. Are you aware of any additional legislative or policy developments, research or practice that should be included?

Please select one item
Yes
To Some Extent
No
Don't Know

3. GIRFEC Practice Model – Our aim is to ensure that the guidance is fully integrated with the language and core components of the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) practice model. Do you think the revised National Guidance for child protection is integrated with the GIRFEC practice model?

Please select one item
Yes
To Some Extent
No
Don't Know
Please explain your answer
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) view the positioning of the GIRFEC practice in the revised National Guidance as key to ensuring a continuum of understanding amongst practitioners at all levels and across agencies. This increases the ability of agencies to identify concerns, either wellbeing or child protection at an early stage and have the tools to act appropriately.

6. Description of child protection processes and procedure - This National Guidance covers the consideration, assessment, planning and actions that are required, when there are concerns that a child may be at risk of harm. It also provides direction where child protection procedures are initiated. This is when Police, Social Work or Health determine that a child may have been abused or may be at risk of significant harm and an Inter-agency Referral Discussion (IRD) will take place. Are the processes and procedures that lead to and follow IRD clearly described within the Guidance?

Please select one item
Yes
To Some Extent
No
Don't Know
Please provide additional comments
HMICS is of the view that this revision provides clear and consistent guidance where there are concerns that a child may be at risk of harm and procedures that require to be followed to support decision making in the best interest of the child.
This consistency of approach is a positive move given long standing different perceptions regarding of the information sharing and decision making process in the early stages of child protection planning.

HMICS welcome clarity outlined on the purpose and constitution of an Inter-agency Referral Discussion (IRD). As a scrutiny partner involved in the joint inspections of services for children and young people in need of care and protection there have been varying degrees of practice, quality assurance and oversight of IRDs as documented in the recent review of findings from the inspection programme .

Review of findings from inspection programme for CYP 2018 to 2020.pdf (careinspectorate.com)

7. Integration of health guidance – We have integrated previously separate guidance for health practitioners into the revised guidance and more clearly defined the key role of health in protecting children at risk of harm from abuse or neglect. Do you have any comments on specific aspects for health practitioners?

Please explain your answer
No

8. Neglect - The draft National Guidance defines ‘neglect’ as child abuse, where it: “Consists in persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. There can also be single instances of neglectful behaviour that cause significant harm. Neglect can arise in the context of systemic stresses such as poverty and is an indicator of support needs.” Do you agree with this definition?

Please select one item
Yes
To Some Extent
No
Don't know
Please provide additional comments
The guidance defines child abuse and child neglect as forms of maltreatment and thereafter defines in greater detail forms of abuse and neglect. HMICS view the detailed definition of child neglect in the guidance as appropriate and necessary to ensure timely and effective responses are instigated when responding to a child at risk of harm through neglect.

9. Neglect - Recognising that it is a complex area we also include some discussion about whether neglect should be defined as abuse where it is “a consequence of systemic stresses such as poverty.” Do you agree with this approach?

Please select one item
Yes
To Some Extent
No
Don't Know
Please provide additional comments
HMICS welcomes the approach to poverty and neglect given the complexities outlined and in particular the detailed guidance referenced in the sections regarding common themes in multi- agency assessment. It is clear the intention is to assist professionals in decision making, planning and tools to improve outcomes for children whatever the causal factors are.

11. Specific areas of concern (Part 4) - Do all sections of Part 4 of the National Guidance address the specific areas of concern appropriately?

Please select one item
Yes
To Some Extent
No
Don't Know

12. Implementation – The Scottish Government considers that Chief Officer Groups and local Child Protection Committees, supported by Child Protection Committees Scotland, the Scottish Government and a range of other partners, are the key fora for implementation of this Guidance. Do you agree or disagree?

Please select one item
Strongly agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Don't Know
Please explain your answer
HMICS is of the view that awareness and implementation of the guidance at practice level will be dependent on engagement within recognised and influential local partnerships structures. Key to this will be effective communication channels. By utilising established fora this will provide the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the guidance in everyday practice.

Furthermore this approach will connect to the previously revised guidance on the role of Child Protection Committees and Chief Officer responsibilities .

The need to engage with multiple stakeholders and at various levels of practice requires a collegiate effort and shared responsibility .

13. Covid-19 - During the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been necessary to adapt practice to ensure continuity of child protection processes. Learning from the pandemic and examples of best practice will be incorporated into the National Guidance. Are there adapted processes that you would like to see continued?

Please select one item
Yes
To Some Extent
No
Don't Know
Please provide further information
HMICS has not been involved in any review of adapted practice at the time of consultation response.

14. Do you have any further comments on the National Guidance?

Please explain your answer
HMICS welcomes the revision of the National Guidance given our statutory scrutiny role and our collaborative work in relation to the joint inspections of services for children and young people. This comprehensive document should serve as an active reference of support to local practice, knowledge and understanding .

About you

15. What is your name?

Redacted text

17. Are you responding as an individual or an organisation?

Please select one item
(Required)
Individual
Organisation

18. What is your organisation?

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS)