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WQ.102/2023
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR CHILDREN AND EDUCATION
BY DEPUTY L.V. FELTHAM OF ST. HELIER CENTRAL
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 6th MARCH 2023
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 13th MARCH 2023
Question
“Will the Minister provide a list of the operational policies and guidance documents used by her department, including the following details for each –
- what date the document was approved for use;
- who approved it;
- the date of implementation;
- where the document can be accessed;
- what areas of the department use the policy/guidance;
- how staff are informed about, and provided training on, the policy/guidance; and
- how compliance/non-compliance with the policy/guidance is tracked and monitored?”
Answer
Following discussion between Deputy Feltham and the Minister it was agreed to limit the scope and focus of the response to this question, to policies and guidance documents that relate to child protection and children in need.
There are core documents available to staff working with children and families within the early help and statutory social work services that guide the activities of triage, assessment and decision making in relation to considering the risk of significant harm to all children and to help understand their particular needs.
Documents are located in 3 main areas:
- Publicly available documents on the Government of Jersey web pages.
- Internal operational policies available to officers who work within the Children’s Social Care Services Department only.
- Publicly available documents on the safeguarding partnership board website:
Jersey Safeguarding Partnership Board Full Contents (proceduresonline.com)
Jersey Children’s Social Care Services operate according to the practice model entitled ‘Jersey’s Children First’. There are multiple documents available publicly that guide and support practitioners to understand the practice model and how to apply the model in direct work with families. These can be found here:
Guidance for practitioners (gov.je)
More specific details relating to points a-g above are summarised in a table list accompanying this answer. The table sets out all of the separate documents that are used by the department relating to child protection and children in need.
The responsibility to provide services to Children in Need is not yet set out in statute, however Children in Need will be recognised as such in the new Children and Young People’s Law in 2023.
The table below list the documents and details as requested by the questioner:
|
Document Title |
a) date the document was approved for use; |
b) who approved it; |
c) date of implement- tation; |
d) where the document can be accessed; |
e) what areas of the department use the policy/guidance; |
f) how staff are informed about, and provided training on, the policy/guidance; and |
g) how compliance/non- compliance with the policy/guidance is tracked and monitored? |
|
Using the Jersey's Children First Guidance |
Sept-18 |
Group Director for Children's Social Care and the States Ministerial Group for Community |
Nov-18 |
Island wide services involved in working with children |
During induction, GOJ staff obtain access to the Virtual College and complete the JCF Essentials modules. |
Quarterly data is obtained to look at completion rates of the training for all staff. |
|
|
Understanding the Continuum of Children's Needs |
Oct-22 |
Safeguarding Partnership Board |
Oct-22 |
Island wide services involved in working with children |
During induction, GOJ staff are asked to read and understand the continuum of need. |
Line managers will check during induction that the CON has been accessed and read by staff. The CON document is regularly revisited in Service Meetings and with HOS to be refreshed and updated as new needs emerge in the population. |
|
|
Article 42 Child Protection Enquiries Under the Minister's Duty to Investigate |
Mar-17 |
Safeguarding Partnership Board |
Mar-17 |
Children's Social Care Social Work Teams |
During induction, GOJ staff are asked to read and understand the child protection enquiries Article 42 procedures. |
Line Managers will check during induction that the procedures have been accessed and read by staff. Training on the procedures can be requested from the SPB free of charge. |
|
|
Children and Young Person Safeguarding Referrals |
Oct-22 |
Safeguarding Partnership Board |
Oct-22 |
Island wide services involved in working with children |
Members of the Safeguarding Partnership Board Sub Groups ensure their respective service areas read and understand the procedures. |
Line Managers will check during induction that the procedures have been accessed and read by staff. Training on the procedures can be requested from the SPB free of charge. |
|
|
Responding to Abuse and Neglect |
Jun-19 |
Safeguarding Partnership Board |
Jun-19 |
Staff located in all Children's Social Care Teams responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. |
Members of the Safeguarding Partnership Board Sub Groups ensure their respective service areas read and understand the procedures. |
Line Managers will check during induction that the procedures have been accessed and read by staff. Training on the procedures can be requested from the SPB free of charge. Each time workers identify suspected abuse and neglect; they are required to use the procedures with guidance from line managers. |
|
|
Assessment |
Jun-19 |
Safeguarding Partnership Board |
Jun-19 |
Social Workers undertaking child and family assessments following Children's Hub triage and progression for statutory social work involvement. |
During induction, GOJ staff are asked to read and understand the Assessment procedures along with the Social Work Practice Standards. |
Line Managers Quality Assure and sign off all Child and Family Assessments and must ensure the Assessment procedures are followed in supervision of social work staff. |
|
|
Child Protection Plans |
Oct-19 |
Safeguarding Partnership Board |
Oct-19 |
Social workers, Managers and Independent Reviewing Officers responsible for chairing Child Protection Conferences. |
Members of the Safeguarding Partnership Board Sub Groups ensure their respective service areas read and understand the procedures. |
Line Managers Quality Assure and sign off all reports for Child Protection Conferences and must ensure the Child Protection Plans procedures are followed in supervision of social work staff. |
|
|
Child Protection Conferences |
Oct-19 |
Safeguarding Partnership Board |
Oct-19 |
Social workers, Managers and Independent Reviewing Officers responsible for chairing Child Protection Conferences use the procedures. Partner agencies can also use the procedures to ask for a child protection conference. |
Members of the Safeguarding Partnership Board Sub Groups ensure their respective service areas read and understand the procedures. |
The Manager of the Independent Reviewing Officer Service will check that the Child Protection Conferences adhere to the procedures. |
|
|
Children's Social Care Service Practice Standards |
Aug-21 |
Group Director for Children's Social Care |
Aug-21 |
All Social Workers and qualified social work managers working in Children's Social Care Services. |
All Social Care staff are trained internally on use of the standards and all staff have a copy of / link to the standards. |
Manager's sign off on pieces of work to ensure compliance with the standards. Routine Internal Audit work looks at compliance with practice standards as the measure of their use. |
|