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This chapter
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Key Inter-agency Contact Points
Public inquiries in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK (London Borough of Greenwich and Greenwich Health Authority 1987, Cleveland Report 1988, Fife Report 1992 and Clyde Report 1992), and research studies (DoH 1995) into the operation and effectiveness of child protection systems have found that agencies need to share information and co-operate with each other in planning and delivering help and services to vulnerable children to be effective. Circular SWSG 14/97 (Annex C) assigns to inter-agency Child Protection Committees (CPCs) a role in the production of local procedures to assist agencies in working together.
Many different professionals in statutory agencies and other organisations have contact with children at risk of harm - these include social workers, medical, dental and nursing staff and other health professionals, teachers, educational and clinical psychologists, communityeducation workers, the Children's Reporter, Procurators Fiscal, the police, staff of voluntary organisations and the Armed Services. (Annex D describes the special arrangements for child protection in relation to service families.) Local authorities have a legal duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need in their area and this responsibility is carried out by the department with responsibility for social work services. Education, health services, the police and other departments and agencies also have significant responsibilities for the protection of children. Some children will need protection through action under local child protection procedures, Children's Hearings or Courts. Many others will need other forms of help and support on a voluntary basis from a range of agencies, and in particular education, social work and health services.
The Child Protection Committee should ensure that advice across agencies is available locally. All agencies should have ready access to advice from social work services about child protection, local procedures and family support services. Social work services in turn may need advice from medical, nursing and child and adolescentmental health services.
Promoting Local Co-operation - The Role of Child Protection Committees
Co-operation in child protection is underpinned by joint agency procedures prepared by local inter-agency Child Protection Committees (CPCs), who monitor and regularly review local inter-agency child protection procedures, and help different agencies improve understanding of each other's roles and functions in child protection. Representatives of CPCs regularly meet with The Scottish Executive to discuss child protection policy and implementation issues.
Circular No SWSG 14/97 (reproduced at Annex C) provides guidance on the following matters in relation to CPCs:
In response to the Kent Children's Safeguard Review (SO 1997) the Government accepted the recommendation that the role of CPCs should be reviewed. This is being taken forward in 1999. Re-organisation of local government in 1997 increased the number of local CPCs and Authority Reporters with whom Health Boards must liaise. When the Health Board relates to several CPCs it may be appropriate for the designated nurse/doctor formally to delegate responsibility for some CPCs to named professionals from local Trusts.