Child Protection in Angus
Information for children and young people:
About child protection investigations
Introduction
All children have a right to be kept safe and looked after properly. It is everyone's job to make sure this happens. Anyone who is worried about a child or young person should tell a teacher, health visitor or school nurse, social worker or police officer. Many people such as parents, grandparents or children themselves report worries about the care children get.
Why might adults be worried about a child or young person?
Adults may worry about a child or young person if they think they are being harmed in any way at all. Examples of harm would be if:
- someone hit, kicked, punched, burned or scalded them;
- someone spoke inappropriately in a sexual way (face to face, on a mobile phone or computer);
- someone kissed or touched them in a way that made them feel uncomfortable;
- someone constantly criticised or ignored them, or made them feel frightened or unhappy a lot of the time; or
- they are living in the same house as another person who has hurt a child in the past, or they see a lot of that person.
Adults may also worry if a child or young person:
- is not being properly fed, clothed, or kept clean;
- is being left on their own or is asked to look after younger children; or
- their health is not being looked after properly and they are not being taken to a doctor, dentist or hospital when they should.
Sometimes children or young people behave in ways that might make an adult think they were being harmed, although they do not know for certain.
What happens if someone reports a concern about a child?
If someone is seriously worried about a child or young person they will tell a social worker or police officer and it is their job to make sure they are safe and looked after properly.
Most of the time they will want to meet the person looking after the child or young person first to talk about:
- their worries about them;
- their safety; and
- arranging to meet the child or young person to ask them what they think about the worries.
They will also want to ask for permission to speak to the child or young person and adults who know them well, such as other members of their family, their teacher, doctor or school nurse.
Who will talk to the child or young person ?
The social worker or police officer (or sometimes both) will want to speak to the child or young person and the person looking after them together. The child or young person could also meet with them:
- on their own; or
- with another adult they know and trust.
This could be with a relative, a teacher or someone else who knows him/her well.
What the child or young person and other people say will be written down by the social worker or police officer and the notes will be kept in their file, which s/he can ask to see.
Where will this happen?
- At home
- In school
- In a room in the local social work department or police station.
The child or young person can choose where they would like to meet.
Workers know the child or young person and their family may be worried and upset. They will try to help them all feel better. The workers will want to understand what the child's life is like, and to check if they are safe and looked after properly.
Will the child be taken away from home?
Children are usually best looked after by their own family. Social workers will work with the family to keep the child at home, if possible.
The family needs to be able to keep the child safe and cared for properly. If this is not possible, the child may need to be looked after away from home. The workers will listen to what the child thinks before they decide what should happen. If there is a member of the family who can look after the child, for example, a grandparent, aunt or uncle, they may be asked to do so. If this is not possible, a foster carer will look after them in their home.
If a child has to live away from home the aim would be:
- to keep the child safe; and
- to help the person who usually looks after the child to do so properly, so the child can go home as quickly as possible, if that is what is best.
What will happen next?
When the social worker has spoken to everyone involved, they will speak to the child and the person looking after him/her to talk about what will happen next. This could be:
- nothing - as the family can keep the child safe and look after him/her properly;
- offering the child and the person looking after him/her help to keep the child safe; or
- a meeting called a child protection case conference to plan what the child needs to keep him/her safe and looked after properly.
There is a separate section about case conferences.
Where can a child or young person get help?
If a child needs advice, they can contact:
- a teacher;
- other people they know and trust;
- Childline (phone: 0800 1111, calls are free); or
- Angus Council's Clients' Rights Officer, phone 01307 473180.
Remember
- children have a right to be safe.
- children have a right to be listened to and taken seriously.
- if a child doesn't understand they shouldn't be afraid to ask.
- children are rarely taken away from their home.
Download the Information about Child Protection Investigations (48 KB PDF).
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