The Welsh Government set out in the report Rights To Action the importance of providing children with a good start in life and ensuring that their material, physical and emotional needs are met. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was formally adopted by the Welsh Government in 2004 and used as the basis of all policy-making for children and young people. These have been articulated through the seven core aims, which are that children:
-
have a flying start in life
-
have a comprehensive range of education and learning opportunities
-
enjoy the best possible health and are free from abuse, victimisation and exploitation
-
have access to play, leisure, sporting and cultural activities
-
are listened to, treated with respect, and have their race and cultural identity recognised
-
have a safe home and a community which supports physical and emotional wellbeing
-
are not disadvantaged by poverty.
In meeting these aims, the Local Health Boards, working with other agencies through partnership arrangements, should strive to deliver the quality of services that children, young people and their families have a right to receive and as set out in the National Service Framework (NSF) for Children, Young People and Maternity, launched in 2005.
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is essential to enabling children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.
Safeguarding may be defined as:
-
protecting children from maltreatment
-
preventing impairment of children’s health or development
-
ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
Child protection is a part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. This refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are at risk of suffering, significant harm as a result of abuse and neglect. All agencies and individuals need to work proactively to safeguard and promote the welfare of children so that the need for action to protect children from harm is reduced.
It is the duty of Local Health Boards and NHS Trusts to ensure that safeguarding and promoting welfare forms an integral part of all elements of the care offered by health professionals working directly with children and young people. Other health professionals who come into contact with children, parents and carers in the course of their work also need to be fully informed regarding their responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. This is important even when the health professionals do not work directly with a child, but may be seeing their parent, carer or other significant adult. A National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guideline ‘When to Suspect Child Maltreatment’ (21 July 2009), is a helpful resource for healthcare practitioners and can be accessed via the link shown on this page.
'Safeguarding Children: Working Together Under the Children Act 2004', sets out the roles and responsibilities of agencies and practitioners working together through Local Safeguarding Children Boards to safeguard and promote children’s welfare and protect them from harm. The All Wales Child Protection Procedures 2008, endorsed by all Welsh Local Safeguarding Children Boards provides detailed procedures on the actions to be taken and can be accessed via the link shown on this page.
Other useful sources of information on the safeguarding of children can be found via the Resources link.