This page lists links to current and closed consulations with a safeguarding children theme.
Drugs: Our Community, Your Say - A Consultation Paper (25 July 2007)
This consultation aimed to provide an open debate on drugs by engaging with everyone who has a contribution to make, from professionals through to those with everyday experience. It called on communities, families, experts and current and ex-drug users to let the Home Office know what they think can be done.
Closed 19 October 2007
Time to Talk (6 September 2007)
This consultation regarded how children’s services could be improved during the next 10 years. It will help shape the Government’s Children’s Plan. The plan will set out how, the Government, parents, the voluntary sector and schools can work together better to ensure that every child gets the best start in life and the support they need to fulfil their potential, be happy, healthy and safe. The DCSF asked anyone with an interest in making things better for children, young people and families what they think needs to be done to achieve it.
Closed 19 October 2007
Review of Implementation of Guidance on Handling Allegations of Abuse Against Those Who Work With Children and Young People
This consultation was part of the review of implementation of guidance on handling allegations of abuse against those working with children and young people. The review covers guidance contained within Ch5 of Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education and Paras 6.20-6.30 and Appendix 5 of Working Together to Safeguard Children. The consultation document seeked evidence on how effective implementation of the guidance has been and the impact this has had, and areas of less good practice, non-compliance and/or issues with the guidance itself. It also asked questions on more specific areas such as confidentiality, online allegations, and false or malicious allegations.
Closed 23 October 2007
Staying Safe
This consultation aimed to raise awareness of issues around children’s safety, including how to strike a balance between keeping children safe and allowing them to grow, explore and enjoy their childhoods. It summarises what is already being done nationally and locally to keep children and young people safe and seeked views on proposals for new actions to reinforce and complement what is already in place.
Staying Safe includes proposals to:
- Launch a public education campaign to improve the public’s ability to identify and report concerns about children’s safety, and raise awareness of the need to take responsibility for safeguarding children and young people;
- Launch a new communications campaign to encourage parents to let their children play outside in safe environments and take part safely in positive activities;
- Launch a new national safeguarding awards scheme to celebrate success and highlight individual contributions to improving children and young people’s safety;
- Carry out a research study into the best PSHE materials for teaching about safety, helping teachers to identify which resources will be most helpful for their particular school; and
- Extend anti-bullying policies and training used in schools to other settings, including children’s homes, extended school services, FE colleges, youth groups.
Closed 31 October 2007
Staying Safe Consultation
The Staying Safe cross-government strategy, launched for consultation in July 2007 and was about all aspects of children and young people's safety - bullying, accident prevention, protection from abuse and neglect, protection from crime - and involved all those working with children and young people, whether in schools, colleges, local authorities, work placement providers, police, health, youth work, probation, play/leisure activities etc.
The government organised nine regional events for practitioners to come together to discuss the wider issues about children's safety, as well as the specific proposals in the consultation document.
LSCB chairs were encouraged to nominate between 5 and 10 people with a view to having between 70 and 80 practitioners at each event.
Closed 31 October 2007
Maternal and child nutrition: consultation on the draft guidance (11 July 2007)
Consultation on the draft guidance for midwives, health visitors, pharmacists and other primary care services to improve the nutrition of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and children in low income households. This consultation took place between Wednesday 11 July and Wednesday 8 August 2007.
Closed 8 August 2007
Safeguarding Children who may have been Trafficked (13 July 2007)
This draft practice guidance aims to provide the most up to date best practice in safeguarding children who may have been trafficked. It explains how to spot the victims of child trafficking and give them the help and long-term support they need to escape the cycle of exploitation and abuse. It has advice for a wide range of professionals - from immigration officials to social workers - as well as for communities. It clearly describes the best actions to take if a child is suspected of being trafficked and the important steps that need to be taken to ensure they don't fall back into the hands of the traffickers.
It is supplementary to the Government’s statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (HMG 2006).
Closed 16 August 2007
Mental wellbeing of children in primary education - consultation on synopsis of the evidence (13 July 2007)
Guidance on promoting the mental wellbeing of children in primary education using whole school approaches and targeted activities It is aimed at teachers, school support staff and school governors. It is also aimed at others working with - or responsible for - children and young people. This includes professionals with a public health remit working within the NHS, local authorities (in particular, school and children's advisory services) and the wider public, private, voluntary and community sectors.
This is a synopsis of the evidence collated by NICE so far. This will be used by the Institute's public health intervention advisory committee (PHIAC) to develop its recommendations. This synopsis comprises the executive summaries of the reviews of the evidence of effectiveness and cost effectiveness.
Closed 10 August 2007
Barring Consultation: Implementing the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and the Northern Ireland Order 2007 (22 June 2007)
This was a consultation on the barring policy and processes, including the list of automatic barring offences, under the new vetting and barring scheme to be introduced by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. The scheme comes into force in Autumn 2008.
Closed 14 September 2007
