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Roles & Responsibilities
What
is Safeguarding?
The Working Together document states
that, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is 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;
�and undertaking that role so as to
enable those children to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood
successfully.
How
can the GSCB ensure Safeguarding of Children and Young People?
The
involvement of various agencies through the Board ensures joint
multi-agency co-operation to discuss and implement policies
and procedures that aim to safeguard the welfare of Children
and Young People. The
GSCB must ensure that these arrangements are then monitored effectively
to bring about good outcomes for them.
In fact a key part of putting this into action is all about
providing Training
to professionals who work with or are involved with Children and Young
People.
The core objectives of the GSCB are set
out in section 14(1) of the Children Act 2004 as follows:
a) to co-ordinate what is done by each
person or body represented on the Board for the purposes of safeguarding
and promoting the welfare of children in the area of the authority; and,
b) to ensure the effectiveness of what
is done by each such person or body for that purpose.
The GSCB intends to fulfil its role in
such a way as to improve all five outcomes which are of importance to
children.
The key goal of the GSCB is in the
safeguarding and promoting of the welfare of children, including
protecting children from harm.
Whilst this core business is being made secure, the GSCB will go
beyond it to work to their wider remit, which includes preventative work
to avoid harm from occurring in the first place.
What
is the relationship of the GSCB with the wider arrangements to improve
outcomes for Children and Young People?
The
work of the GSCB fits within the wider context of children�s trust
arrangements that aim to improve the overall well being (i.e. the five
outcomes) for all children in the local area.
Whilst
the work of the
GSCB
contributes to the wider goals of improving the well being of all
children, it has a particular focus on aspects of the �staying safe�
outcome.
The
scope of the GSCB's role includes safeguarding and promoting the welfare
of children in the following three broad areas of activity?
1.
Activity that affects all children and aims to:
2.
Proactive Work that aims to target particular groups.
3.
Reactive work to protect children who are suffering or at risk of
suffering maltreatment
Is
the GSCB Accountable for operational work?
Whilst the GSCB has a role in
co-ordinating and ensuring the effectiveness of local individuals� and
organisations� work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children,
it is not accountable for their operational work. Each Board partner
retains their own existing lines of accountability for safeguarding and
promoting the welfare of children by their services. The LSCB does not
have a power to direct other organisations.
Extracts
of this page have been take from Chapter 3 of the
Working
Together to Safeguard Children
2005 document - Draft for public consultation.
Please
click on the link, for the full information regarding the GSCB's
functions etc.
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