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This report highlights key learnings from a child abuse case review, emphasizing the importance of robust protection plans, recognizing domestic abuse, involving absent fathers, and maintaining core group focus. Actions taken include revising safeguarding procedures and enhancing domestic abuse guidance. Next steps involve further review and audit for improvement.
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Prepared by: Hannah Hogg NSCB Development Manager August 2014 Learning and Improvement No. 2 – GN13
Background • GN was a 22 month old child who suffered a serious physical injury and abuse a few weeks after moving into Nottinghamshire from another area. • Two people were convicted in relation to the abuse - one for sexual assault and one for neglect.
Key Learning (1) • The need to strengthen core group working and to produce robust detailed child protection plans in order to be able to challenge behaviour when families are resistant to working with professionals. • The need to maintain the focus and momentum of core group working even when key staff are absent. • The importance of recognising and assessing domestic abuse and its impact upon children. • The importance of recognising the role of fathers and other significant adults after separation. Absent fathers need to be included in assessments and appropriate contact arrangements need to be put in place.
Key Learning (2) • The importance of recognising the circumstances in which the rule of optimism can develop, including from first impressions. Professionals need to develop an appropriate mind-set based on reflection and analysis. • The need to ensure that the transfer in of a child subject to a child protection plan is subject to an assessment including the child’s new circumstances, rather than an over reliance on historical information.
Actions Taken – Core Groups • The revised NSCB Safeguarding Children Procedures include a specific Safeguarding Guide on effective core group working. • A Learning and Improvement Bulletin focusing on effective core group working will follow in due course. • The NSCB maintains an interest in core group working and will continue to monitor its effectiveness.
Actions taken – Domestic Abuse • The NSCB multi-agency practice guidance relating to domestic abuse is currently being revised and will be re-launched in November 2014. The guidance will address the importance of recognising and assessing domestic abuse and its impact upon children. It will also highlight the importance of assessing relationships and contact arrangements with absent parents or carers post separation. • A specific Learning and Improvement Bulletin will be published focusing on the new guidance.
Other Actions Taken • The NSCB continues to strengthen its connectivity with the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Executive. • The NSCB Learning and Development subgroup will be considering how cognitive influence and human bias can be incorporated into core multi-agency training. • The learning from the review continues to be disseminated via multi-agency briefings and presentations.
Next Steps • Multi-agency practice guidance around domestic abuse to be reviewed and published in November 2014. • The NSCB multi-agency subgroup is to conduct a multi-agency audit around responses to domestic abuse and report its findings to the Board in March 2015.
Questions • How does this learning impact on our area of work? • Are there any issues we need to consider in relation to our practice?
