Amendments

Changes made in light of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023.

Procedure revised following review.

Definition updated in light of the Marriage and Civil Partnership Act 2022.

Reinstated the West Mercia Police aand Children Services Protocol.

Regional Framework and Practice Guidance updated

Procedure updated.

HM Government statutory guidance on Forced Marriage updated.

New section on victim-blaming language added.

Procedure updated.

Procedure updated

Procedure updated

'A guide to online safety and gaming' added to Further information. 

Department for Education guidance for schools on mental health issues affecting pupils' attendance added to Further information.

Link to NSPCC advice on bullying and cyberbullying added to Further information.

CTU gateway email address updated.

Regional Framework and Practicec Guidance updated. 

Procedure reviewed and revised.

Section added on Children on Child Protection Plans who Move Abroad

Link to LGFL's 'Undressed' guide added.

'The right to choose' guidance link updated.

Online search recommendation from Keeping Children Safe in Education added in.

Added in information from Keeping Children Safe in Education on the impact of DA on chidren.

Added 'zero tolerance' approach to child-on-child sexual violence in schools and colleges (KCSIE 2022)

Link to Prevent Duty training added

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child infographic added.

Virginity testing and hymenoplasty guidance added.

Virginity testing and hymenoplasty guidance added.

Changed 'GDPR' to 'UK GDPR'

Changed 'GDPR' to 'UK GDPR'

Changed 'clinical commissioning group' to 'integrated care board'

Changed 'clinical commissioning group' to 'integrated care board'

Changed 'clinical commissioning groups' to 'integrated care boards'

Changed 'clinical commissioning groups' to 'integrated care boards'

Changed 'clinical commissioning groups' to 'integrated care boards'

Link added to 'Supporting Families: Early Health System guide

Procuedure updated

Amended 'peer-on-peer' to 'child-on-child' (KCSIE 2022)

Changed 'peer-on-peer' to 'child-on-child' (KCSIE 2022)

Amended 'peer-on-peer' to 'child-on-child' (KCSIE 2022)

Removed link to 'Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges' as has been withdrawn. Added link to part 5 of KCSIE.

Updated KCSIE to 2022

Updated KCSIE to 2022

Updated KCSIE to 2022

Updated KCSIE to 2022

Added 'seeing, hearing or experiencing' in relation to domestic abuse (KCSIE Sept 2022)

Added in County Lines Toolkit for Professionals link

Added in 'contractors' to 'School and educational establishments' (KCSIE Sept 2022)

Changes made in light of Keeping Children Safe in Education September 2022

Information on extending the definition of 'position of trust'.

New procedure

Procedure reviewed and updated.

Procedure reviewed and updated

Procedure updated

Added SWGfL support service link

Added GPs to the child healthcare practitioners title and removed the GPs section.

Sandwell Childrens Safeguarding Partnership Tackling Neglect Strategy 2022

Revised procedure Jan 2022

Added in line from KCSIE that staff should understand that even if there are no reports of peer-on-peer abuse in their school, this doesn’t mean it is not happening

Added that there may be different indicators for girls and boys, as per KCSIE.

Procedure updated

Updated link to KCSIE.

Procedure revised

Procedure re-written

Amends made as per Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021.

Minor revisions made to 'Protection and action to be taken'

Procedure reviewed and updated.

Procedure reviewed and updated.

Procedure reviewed and updated.

Statutory guidance on Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews added.

Added paragraph under 'Police' about indirect harm, as per Working Together amends in December 2020.

Amended title of procedure, in line with amends to Working Together in December 2020.

Revisions made in light of revised Working Together December 2020

Changes made in light of revised Working Together December 2020

Revised wording due to change in Keeping Children Safe in Education (honour-based violence to honour-based abuse)

Added two definitions - Working Together and Keeping Children Safe in Education

Added 'Education at home'

Added Upskirting

Added Operation Encompass

KCSIE 2020 amend

KCSIE 2020 amend

KCSIE 2020 amends

KCSIE amend

KCSIE amends

Amended procedure December 2020

Revised procedure December 2020

Revised Further information section

Revised procedure

New combined exploitation chapter.

Transfer of responsibility arrangements during Covid-19 removed. 

New section added.

The links to the resources at the end of the document have been updated. The link to support for children and their families returning from conflict zone has been removed, as local safeguarding arrangement should respond to vulnerabilities relating to returnees and their families.

Additional websites added.

Prevent officer and CTU WMCTU Gateway information added.

Procedure updated

Revised procedure

Revised procedure

Added Covid-19 arrangements.

Added Domestic Abuse Bill 2019 factsheets

Amended last paragraph to clarify that the notification should be sent to health and other partners.

Police Partnership intelligence forms updated.

Amended 'Children subject to a statutory order' to provide clarity.

Removed PPRC manual from further information section.

Revised as per Procedures group direction.

Added guidance for schools

Added 'Reducing the need for restraint and restrictive intervention'

Added 'Teaching online safety in schools'

Revised Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019

Revised Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019

Updated page reference for Keeping Children Safe in Education

Revised Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019.

Revised Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019

Revised Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019

Revised Keeping Children Safe in Education link

Updated Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019

Revised version uploaded, as per group's direction and Working Together 2018.

Revised as per group's direction.

Revised as per group's direction

Revised as per group's direction

Revised as per group direction

Title amended to include peer on peer abuse

Updated mandatory reporting requirements

Added related guidance

Taken out text 'absent' not being used in West Mercia.

Removed paragraph on the use of 'absent' in the different areas.

Corrected name of procedure

Changed WT 2015 to 2018

Added early years online safety considerations link.

Paragraph on live streaming added.

WT2018.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

WT2018 amend.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

Removal of 'LSCB'.

Under review

Under review

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

Section under review.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends.

WT2018 amends

WT2018 amends

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

MIND link added

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Removed old Ofsted report.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised as per procedures group direction.

New section.

New section.

New section

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Revised procedure as per procedures group direction.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procudure group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procedures group request.

Updated as per procuredure group request.

Home Office guidance link added: 'Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerabe adults: county lines'.

Added new definition of a bully (The Diana Award).

Updated information sharing link

Updated government guidance on information sharing (2018)

Updated government guidance on information sharing (2018)

Updated 'Seven golden rules to sharing information' and links to government guidance on information sharing (updated 2018).

Added Department of Education guidance: Approaches to preventing and tackling bullying

Updated Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018

Updated Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018

Updated Keeping Children Safe in Education (2018)

Updated Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018

Updated Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018

Updated Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018

Updating Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018.

Added link to national forms / DfE website.

Updated link to DVRIM website.

Updated link to current guidance in 'Protection and action to be taken'

Added Early Help Assessment (EHA) as an alternative to Common Assessment Framwork (CAF)

Addition to 'Duty to co-operate and refer'

Where a child or unborn baby has an allocated social worker and a professional has new or additional information this must be documented and passed without delay to the allocated social worker or case manager for consideration by children's social care.  In the event the allocated scial worker and/or case manager are unavailable the person holding information should follow the arrangements for passing on information to the relevant team.  As above, if it is outside of office hours the local authority children's social care emergency duty team/out of hours team should be contacted if the concern is high.  In emergencies, such as if a child is in immediate danger, the Police should be called for assistance.

• the child is no longer deemed at risk of significant harm due to becoming a Looked After Child (this decision could be made at a Review Conference or via formal correspondence with conference members (e.g. letter) dependant on local process)

Added 'health' to the list of agencies that should always attend strategy meetings

Added Yoti app for reporting explicit images into the further information section.

Changed 'sexting' to 'youth produced sexual imagery', as per UK Council for Child Internet Safety guidance

Changed 'sexting' to 'youth produced sexual imagery', as per UK Council for Child Internet Safety guidance

Changed 'sexting' to 'youth produced sexual imagery', as per UK Council for Child Internet Safety guidance

Changed 'sexting' to 'youth produced sexual imagery', as per UK Council for Child Internet Safety guidance

Added Department for Education guidance.

Added NICE guidance to end of section on Indicators.

Added NICE guidance to end of Definitions section.

Changed 2014 statutory guidance to 2017 statutory guidance

Changed the name and link of statutory guidance 2014 to updated guidance 2017

Updated statutory guidance from 2014 guidance to 2017 guidance.

Removed Solihull reference

Removed Solihull and changed 10 boards to nine

Changed text regarding review of West Mercia Police and Children's Servcies Protocol in 'Summary'