National guidance for child protection - revised: consultation
Consultation on a revised version of the National Guidance for Child Protection to ensure it is consistent with the legislative and policy framework and current practice developments. The current version of the National Guidance for Child Protection was published in 2014.
Annex A: Consultation questions
Q1: Advice and Accessibility – This guidance seeks to provide advice to local partnerships and agencies to inform the development of local guidance, and has been structured in sections that are intended to be standalone and accessible to practitioners seeking advice on particular aspects of practice.
a) In your view, does the guidance fulfil these objectives?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) If you do not think the guidance fully fulfills these objectives, or if any sections are not sufficiently standalone please explain your view and suggest how improvements could be made.
Q2: Legislative and Policy Development – This revised guidance seeks to reflect legislative and policy developments since 2014 and include relevant learning from practice and research.
a) Are you aware of any additional legislative or policy developments, research or practice that should be included?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) If so please provide further details.
Q3: GIRFEC Practice Model – Our aim is to ensure that the guidance is fully integrated with the language and core components of the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) practice model.
a) Do you think the revised National Guidance for child protection is integrated with the GIRFEC practice model?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) Please explain your answer.
Q4: Practices and Processes – Part 3 seeks to accurately and proportionately describe the practice and processes critical in the protection of children.
a) Are there any practices or processes that are not fully or clearly described in the guidance?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) If so, please state which processes/practices are not fully or clearly described and suggest how the description could be improved.
Q5: Assessment Section – A new section of this National Guidance (Assessment part 2b) provides advice about child protection assessment practice.
a) Is this section sufficiently clear and does it cover all of the aspects you would expect?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) If No or To Some Extent, please suggest how this section could be improved.
Q6: Description of child protection processes and procedure – This National Guidance covers the consideration, assessment, planning and actions that are required, when there are concerns that a child may be at risk of harm. It also provides direction where child protection procedures are initiated. This is when Police, Social Work or Health determine that a child may have been abused or may be at risk of significant harm and an Inter-agency Referral Discussion (IRD) will take place.
a) Are the processes and procedures that lead to and follow IRD clearly described within the Guidance?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) Please provide additional comments.
Q7: Integration of health guidance – We have integrated previously separate guidance for health practitioners into the revised guidance and more clearly defined the key role of health in protecting children at risk of harm from abuse or neglect.
Do you have any comments on specific aspects for health practitioners?
Q8: Neglect – The draft National Guidance defines 'neglect' as child abuse, where it:
"Consists in persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child's health or development. There can also be single instances of neglectful behaviour that cause significant harm. Neglect can arise in the context of systemic stresses such as poverty and is an indicator of support needs."
a) Do you agree with this definition?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) Please provide additional comments.
Q9: Neglect – Recognising that it is a complex area we also include some discussion about whether neglect should be defined as abuse where it is "a consequence of systemic stresses such as poverty."
a) Do you agree with this approach?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) Please provide additional comments.
Q10: Pre-birth assessment and support – Part 4 of the National Guidance sets out the context in which action is required to keep an unborn baby safe. Part 3 sets out the processes for this.
a) Do these parts of the guidance clearly and fully set out the context and processes?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) If answering To Some Extent or No, please detail why.
Q11: Specific areas of concern (Part 4)
a) Do all sections of Part 4 of the National Guidance address the specific areas of concern appropriately?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) Please let us know any sections you do not think address the specific area of concern appropriately and suggest how these could be improved.
Q12: Implementation – The Scottish Government considers that Chief Officer Groups and local Child Protection Committees, supported by Child Protection Committees Scotland, the Scottish Government and a range of other partners, are the key fora for implementation of this Guidance.
a) Do you agree or disagree?
Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree, Don't Know
b) Please explain your answer.
Q13: COVID-19 – During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been necessary to adapt practice to ensure continuity of child protection processes. Learning from the pandemic and examples of best practice will be incorporated into the National Guidance.
a) Are there adapted processes that you would like to see continued?
Yes, To Some Extent, No, Don't Know
b) Please provide further information
Q14: Do you have any further comments on the National Guidance?
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