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'Children have varying needs which change over time. Judgements on how best to intervene when there are concerns about harm to a child will often and unavoidably entail an element of risk - at the extreme, of leaving a child for too long in a dangerous situation or of removing a child unnecessarily from their family. The way to proceed in the face of uncertainty is through competent professional judgements based on a sound assessment of the child's needs, the parents capacity to respond to those needs - including their capacity to keep the child safe from significant harm and the wider family circumstances'. (Working Together to Safeguard Children |
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This handbook has been written in response to the Department of Health's guidance documents Working Together to Safeguard Children and The Assessment Framework. It seeks to demonstrate the links between the two documents, to place child protection within the wider context of children in need and to emphasis the necessity for all agencies to work together to provide an integrated approach to the children and their families.
No system, however well prepared, and no staff, however sensitive and skilled, can provide a total insurance against the abuse of children. The primary responsibility for children lies with their parents, and in many circumstances children at home will remain at risk no matter how skilled and sensitive the family support systems may be. Nevertheless this Handbook tries to ensure that all workers involved in child protection know the steps which need to be taken to offer protection to children at risk.
In the spirit of co-operation this handbook has been jointly commissioned by Plymouth, Devon & Torbay ACPC's for use by all practitioners (Statutory & Voluntary) within these areas.
This edition has been written to include all new legislative requirements e.g. Human Rights Act, Data Protection Act and other statutory requirements.
It has been written following extensive consultation and we would like to thank all members of staff from all agencies and voluntary groups who contributed or made comments.
| Chair of Plymouth ACPC | Chair of Devon ACPC | Chair of Torbay ACPC |
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