Unit 16 – Understand safeguarding of children and young people.

1 - We provide care to vulnerable adults on a day to day basis. We do not directly care for children but quite often come into contact with children via the clients we care for, who have family visit, or for the few that live with family members. I have previously read up about child protection cases and am aware that there have been quite a few failures that have made the safeguarding of children a lot stronger in the way things are done and carried out. Many of these failures could potentially have been avoided if all professionals had been working together and had shared the information. This is often the same for adult safeguarding.
The main pieces of legislation for safeguarding of children and young people are the ‘children’s act 1989’ where it states that “all services, including those specifically for adults, have a duty of care towards children. A general duty was placed on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their area who are suffering or likely to suffer harm” That is why it is very important to report any concerns and look outside the box when providing care for a service user as one of their family members may be suffering abuse or neglect and it is our responsibility to report this to safeguarding and allow the process of investigation to begin.

After the Victoria Climbie case the ‘Every child matters 2003’ set out outcomes to follow which are very important to a Childs well-being:
1 For a child to be healthy
2 For a child to be kept safe
3 To be able to enjoy and achieve
4 For a child to be able to achieve economic well-being
5 For a child to be able to make a positive contribution.
One of the main differences I have noticed in safeguarding of children and adults is that with adults they are always deemed as having capacity before any mental capacity tests are done but with children this is the opposite. I have read up on the children’s act 2004 which set out a further five outcomes. Section 11 of this act outlines “ a duty to co operate among the main people and bodies to promote the welfare of children” So even if we are working in a service which is aimed at adults, we still have a legal obligation to safeguard children and young people should the need arise. It is also important for all our staff to have a good knowledge of this as they all may come into contact with children and young people. I have read up about the safeguarding of disabled children and young people and am aware that they are far more vulnerable to abuse as they are quite often unable to say what has happened or don’t have the mental capacity to be able to understand what may have happened.
The best way forward for both adult and children’s safeguarding is to have all professionals share information across both adult and child services as well as inter agency working. This will secure the best outcomes for all. 2.1 - There are several different types of abuse. The abusers may or may not be known by the victim. Children with disabilities are more likely to be abuse as they are at greater risk and more vulnerable. Abuse could be direct harm or failing to prevent harm. The four main types of abuse are physical, emotional, sexual and neglect. Below are a few of the more common signs to look out for.
Signs of physical abuse can be bruising to certain parts of the body which are unexplained, bite marks, fractures, reoccurring accidents and being taken into