All services and professional bodies should have clear policies in place for identifying, sharing and acting upon concerns about risk of harm to a child or children.
At this IDENTIFYING CHILD PROTECTION CONCERNS stage you should be asking yourself the GIRFEC 5 questions to help you identify the level of concern and if it warrants a child protection referral. If the child has a universal child’s plan then the team around the child should be involved in considering these questions
- What is getting in the way of this child's or young person's safety?
- Do I have all the information I need to help this child and young person?
- What can I do now to help this child and young person?
- What can my agency do to help this child or young person?
- What additional help, if any, may be needed from others?
The national guidance reference points, protocols and assessment tools below will help you with your role and responsibilities in this area to ensure you are identifying, assessing and responding to concerns in line with best practice guidance.
| Title | Summary | Who For |
|---|---|---|
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Section 2.1 – 2.18: Roles and responsibilities for child protection Section 2.227: GIRFEC National Practice Model Section 2.228 – 2.243: Using GIRFEC components in assessments Part 4 Specific Support needs and concerns |
Everyone Everyone working with children, young people and/or their families |
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The common assessment framework to understand a child or young person's needs, the strengths and pressures on them, and consider what support they might need
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Everyone working in universal children’s services.
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| A&B Equal Protection from assault multi-agency guidance | This guidance is for all professionals dealing with an incident that comes under Equal Protection from Assault Act 2019. |
Everyone working with children and young people.
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Children Affected By Domestic Abuse Argyll & Bute Referral Pathway
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Pathway to follow when incidents or allegations of domestic abuse involve or could impact on children | Police, Social work, Named Persons from Health & Education |
| ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp Pre-birth Referral Pathway | Pathway to identify assess and support pregnant women; including where the unborn child may be at future risk of significant harm. | Midwives, social workers |
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Recognition and Management Of Maltreatment In Infants (Children Under The Age Of 1 Year)
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Professional guidance for practitioners working with young children on responding to injuries including bruises to young children | Midwives, Health Visitors, A&E staff, GPs Paediatricians, foster carers, social workers |
| Young Person’s support and protection protocol |
Protocol outlines interagency arrangements for the assessment and management of risk for people young people still at school, and for young people under the age 26 who are receiving support as a previously looked after child, who are at risk of significant harm or of causing significant harm to themselves and others, where Adult or Child protection procedures do not apply
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Social Work, School Nurses, Health Visitors, CAMHS, Police, Schools, Ed Psychologists, Named Persons, Community Paediatricians, independent housing association providers |
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Downloadable Risk Indicators Sheet in Excel Format:
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A suite of risk assessment tools to assist practitioners to understand, assess and plan for children who may be at risk of significant harm:
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All practitioners working with children & families |
| ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp Care assessment toolkit | Toolkit to assist practitioners to understand the impact of neglect and to identify, assess and plan for children who may be at risk from neglect |
All agencies can use this as a reference document to help their assessment of neglect. Parenting assessment to be led by health visitors and social work.
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| ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp Young people at risk of self-harm and suicide guidance | Practice guidance on understanding, assessing and responding to children who may have or are thinking of deliberately harming or killing themselves |
All members of the children’s services workforce including Named Persons, Child Health staff, CAMHS, Education Staff, A&E, care staff, foster carers social workers, youth workers, GPs
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Joint guidance for practitioners working with children, young people and their parents on understanding and responding to the impacts of parental substance misuse
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All practitioners working with children, young people, parents and carers |
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Multi Agency Practice Guidance Child Sexual Exploitation
·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Screening Tool
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Guidance and screening tool for assessing and responding to children and young people who may be at risk from sexual exploitation |
Everyone working with young people including Social Work, Police, Education, residential & through care, foster carers, CAMHS, Youth work.
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Responding to concerns where children are engaged in underage sexual activity
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Protocol for how practitioners and agencies should respond when they become aware of underage sexual activity. |
Social Work , Police, Education and childcare providers, residential care providers, foster carers, CAMHs, youth workers
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Practitioners guide to children and young people affected by parental mental health
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Joint guidance for practitioners working with children, young people and their parents on understanding and responding to the impacts of parental mental health |
All members of the children’s workforce as well as all those working in adult services such as mental health services, GP’s, psychiatrists.
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| Responding to children and young people displaying sexually harmful behaviours | Protocol for practitioners and agencies in responding to allegations that a child or young person has displayed sexually harmful behaviours - usually towards another child |
Social Work , Police, Education staff, residential care providers, foster carers, CAMHs, youth workers
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·¬ÇÑÊÓƵapp Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) protocol
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Guidance for professionals on the identification and how to respond when concerned that an adult or child may be at risk of or suffered genital mutilation. |
Named persons, lead professionals, Health Visitors, Midwives, School Nurses, named persons, genecology, GPs
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Joint guidance on the interface between child protection and adult protection
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Guidance outlining when the Child protection and adult protecting procedures will apply and on transition arrangements for young people at risk becoming adults | All members of the children’s and adult’s services workforce |
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Responding To Allegations Of Historical Reports Of Abuse
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Protocol outlining the approach to be taken in response to any allegation or concerns about historic child abuse |
All professionals working with adults and children
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A&B Child trafficking guidance
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Guidance for professional to help identify an respond to concerns that a child or young person may be involved in trafficking
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Everyone coming into contact with children and young people under the age of 18. |