HaltonSafeguarding Children Board Online Procedures

Pan Cheshire Exploitation Screening tool and accompanying practice example have been added.

A flowchart has been added summarising the process to be followed when a agency refers a concern to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).

This guidance has been reviewed throughout and extensively updated. It provides guidance for all professionals on the nature of Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB) and explains the importance of assessing and responding to children who are subject to HSB and children who display HSB separately.

This new guidance contains advice for practitioners on how to identify and respond to concerns in relation to Child Sexual Abuse in the family.

This new guidance is for anyone who may encounter a woman or girl who conceals the fact that they are pregnant, or where a professional has a suspicion that a pregnancy is being concealed or denied. It covers Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington. Professionals working in Cheshire East should continue to refer to the Cheshire East Concealed Pregnancy Policy.

This chapter has been updated to include a link to the most recent DfE guidance on the Care of Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Child Victims of Modern Slavery: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities.

This guidance has been updated to include a link to the National Crime Agency report County Lines Gang Violence, Exploitation and Drug Supply (2016). Further text has been added to Section 1, Definition to describe how Organised Criminal Groups criminally exploit young people and use them to distribute money and illegal drugs along 'county lines'. 

This new guidance reinforces the importance of ensuring children are at the centre of safeguarding interventions and that practitioners make sure their voices are heard.

This guidance explains the importance of making routine enquiries regarding any dogs in the household whenever professionals are working with children and families.  It then goes on to look at what action is required when a child is injured by a dog and / or when there are concerns that a dog in the household may be dangerous or prohibited.

This updated guidance provides a framework for the investigation and care of families after an unexpected death of an infant or child.

The revised Pan Cheshire Joint Protocol for Children and Young People who Run Away or go Missing from Home or Care has been added to the procedures. The new protocol incorporates the revised College of Policing definition of Missing and local learning since the 2015 Protocol.

The Pan Cheshire Sexual Exploitation Operating Protocol (2017 – 2019) has been updated to reflect the revised definition of CSE published by the DfE in February 2017.

This guidance has been updated to include information on the recently introduced 'outcome 21'. When young people are voluntarily sending/sharing sexual images or content, Outcome 21 can be used by Police forces to record that a crime has been committed but that it is not considered to be in the public interest to take criminal action. A link has also been added to recently draft Cheshire Police Guidance for Police Officers and Staff when Dealing with Reports of Sexting.

Further detail has been added in the Risks, Indicators and Issues sections, to reflect relevant points from the 'Protocol on the handling of 'so-called' Honour Based Violence/Abuse and Forced Marriage Offences between the National Police Chief's Council and the Crown Prosecution' (November 2016). In Further Information, links have been added to Multi-Agency practice guidelines: Handling cases of forced marriage 2014 and to how to Apply for a forced marriage protection order (GOV.UK).

This chapter has been reviewed, and further detail added in line with the 'Protocol on the handling of 'so-called' Honour Based Violence/Abuse and Forced Marriage Offences between the National Police Chiefs' Council and the Crown Prosecution Service' (November 2016). Links have also been added to Forced Marriage Guidance (Home Office) - information and practice guidelines for professional protecting, advising and supporting victims and to SafeLives Dash risk checklist for the identification of high risk cases of domestic abuse, stalking and 'honour'-based violence.

A link has been added to the new Pan Cheshire Safeguarding Trafficked Children Protocol – Multi Agency Strategy (2017 – 2019) which provides guidance to all professionals and volunteers to safeguarding children who are abused and neglected by adults who are trafficking them within, into and out of the UK in order for the purposes of exploitation.

The Modern Slavery Strategy sets outs the approach which we taken across Cheshire to work collectively and collaboratively to prevent, identify, disrupt, stop and eradicate modern slavery in all its forms.

This guidance has been reviewed throughout and updated as required. Links have been added to the Cheshire Constabulary Internet Based Resources Guide which contains details of many useful websites covering safeguarding issues. Details have also been added in relation to Training for Staff in Secondary and Primary Schools on Tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools which is being delivered in Cheshire by Stonewall. See Local Information for further details.

Links have been added to the 'Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2016 to 2020 (Home Office, 2016), and the 'Information Guide: Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (APVA)'.

Section 5, Issues has been updated to include a link to the GOV.UK website to report online material promoting terrorism or extremism.

This practice guidance has been developed to support professionals to recognise and response to women and girls who are at risk of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or who have undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).