Guidance for adults who work with children and young people
Guidance for Safe Working Practice for adults who work with children and young people
Download the guidance sheet 312.74 KB 
Contents
- Introduction
- Definitions
- Underpinning Principles
- How to use this document
- Context
- Unsuitability
- Duty of Care
- Confidentiality
- Making a Professional Judgement
- Power and Positions of Trust
- Propriety and Behaviour
- Dress and Appearance
- Personal Living Space
- Gifts, Rewards and Favouritism
- Infatuations
- Communication with Children & Young People, Including the use of technology
- Social Contact
- Sexual Contact
- Physical Contact
- Other Activities That Require Physical Contact
- Behaviour Management
- Use of Control and Physical Intervention
- Children and Young People in Distress
- Intimate Care
- Personal Care
- First Aid and Administration of Medication
- One to One Situations
- Home Visits
- Transporting Children and Young People
- Trips and Outings
- Photography and videos
- Access to Inappropriate Images and Internet Usage
- Whistleblowing
- Sharing Concerns and Recording Incidents
- Footnotes
This guidance is based upon the document ‘Guidance for Safe Working Practice for the Protection of Children and Adults in Education Settings, which was last updated by the national network of Investigation and Referral Support Co-ordinators (IRSC Network) document in September 2006.
The material in this Guidance is copyright to the IRSC Network. Extracts from this material may be reproduced for non-commercial and training purposes provided that the IRSC and AMA network is acknowledged as the source.
Introduction
The Children Act 2004, through the Stay Safe outcome of the Every Child Matters Change for Children programme, places a duty on organisations and individuals (including paid practitioners and volunteers) to safeguard and promote the well-being of children. The vast majority of adults who work with children act professionally and aim to provide a safe and supportive environment, which secures the well-being and very best outcomes for children and young people in their care.
It is recognised that achieving this aim is not always straightforward and sometimes tensions and misunderstandings can occur. The behaviour of practitioners can give rise to allegations of abuse being made against them. Allegations may be genuine, malicious or misplaced. They may arise from differing perceptions of the same event, but when they occur, they are inevitably distressing and difficult for all concerned.
Some concerns have been raised about the potential vulnerability of adults working with children and young people. There is a need for clearer advice about what constitutes illegal behaviour and what might be considered as misconduct. This document has been produced in response to these concerns and provides practical guidance about which behaviours constitute safe practice and which behaviours should be avoided.
This document seeks to ensure that the duty to promote and safeguard the wellbeing of children is achieved, in this context, by raising awareness of illegal, unsafe and inappropriate behaviour. It is hoped that it will also assist adults to monitor their own standards and practice.
Whilst every attempt has been made to cover a wide range of situations, it is recognised that this guidance cannot cover all eventualities. There may be times when professional judgements are made in situations not covered by this document, or which directly contravene the guidance given by their employer. It is expected that in these circumstances adults will always advise their senior colleagues of the justification for any such action already taken or proposed.
It is also recognised that not all adults who work with children and young people work as paid or contracted employees. The principles and guidance outlined in this document still apply and should be followed by an adult whose work brings them into contact with children and young people.
Practitioners, volunteers and their managers should be familiar with, and know how to access, Tameside Safeguarding Children Board’s (TSCB) Safeguarding Children Framework and the TSCB Procedure for Managing Allegations against Adults who Work with Children & Young People.
If you have a concern about actual significant harm to a child or young person, or the risk of significant harm, then you should immediately activate your own agency safeguarding children or child protection procedures, use the TSCB Safeguarding Children Framework and make a referral to Children’s Social Care. If a child or young person is in immediate danger then contact the Police on 999.
