A1.1 Responsibilities to children’s health and safety:

What is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) ?

A child’s right to be healthy, safe and secure, protected by an international agreement. It ensures a child’s rights are protected and maintained, each country that is signed up to this treaty has a legal obligation to implement legislation.

How many articles are in the UNCRC ?

Consists of 54 articles, covering the rights that all children are entitled to.

• Article 19 - the child’s right to be protected from violence, abuse and neglect

• Article 24 - every child has the right to the best possible health. Governments must provide necessities for the child to stay healthy, and richer countries must help poorer countries achieve this

• Article 3 - the best interests of the child must be a top priority in all decisions and actions affecting that child

What is duty of care ?

A legal or moral obligation of adults who work with children to keep children safe from harm and promote their welfare. They must not do anything that might harm a child through their actions or through their negligence.

What is duty to report?

Everyone who works children have a duty to report any child protection or welfare concerns to the police, Children’s Services or their Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). If you’ve noticed a change in a child’s behaviour or spotted something that doesn’t seem right, it is important that concerns are reported.

• Risk of immediate harm = police

What information has to be provided when making contact with the police or Children’s services, as duty to report ?

• Your details, such as name and profession

• The setting information (name, address, contact details)

• Information about the child

• Details of the child protection or welfare concern - can be suspected or confirmed

Information must be accurate, factual and avoid giving opinions or making assumptions

What happens after a practitioner tells the police or children’s services ?

The case may be allocated to a social worker for further investigation. Then the children’s social care team will inform you what will happen next, but they will not be able to share any confidential information about the case.