Safeguarding and Child Protection

This chapter was added to the procedures manual in September 2022.

Recruitment, assessment and support of adopters have a very strong focus on child protection, including help to ensure that children are safe and feel safe. Preparation of adopters explains the potential impact of abuse and neglect on the behaviour and needs of children and helps prepare them for the current and changing needs of any children placed.

Children should feel and be protected from harm, including neglect, abuse, sexual exploitation, accidents, bullying and radicalisation. Adopters, and prospective adopters, are helped to understand the risks associated with children offending, misusing drugs or alcohol, self-harming, going missing, being affiliated with gangs or being sexually exploited. Individual up-to-date risk assessments address effectively any known vulnerabilities for each child and set out what action should be taken to address the risks.

Adopters and prospective adopters are helped to protect children and help them to keep themselves safe from bullying, homophobic behaviour, racism, sexism, radicalisation and other forms of discrimination. Any discriminatory behaviours are challenged by agency staff. Help and support are given to adopters and children about how to treat others with respect.

As age-appropriate, children are supported to develop their independence while protecting themselves from being in unsafe situations or with unsafe people.

Staff, adopters and prospective adopters are clear about, and understand how to follow, procedures for responding to concerns about the safety of a child, how to make safeguarding referrals and how to escalate their concerns if they are not satisfied with the response.