Safe adults

1. Your responsibilites

What is a safe adult?

Young people are surrounded by those who have a statutory duty to keep them safe and protected from harm. Despite this, children and young people may not disclose abuse for a multitude of reasons - acting in a manner that encourages trust can empower children to open up to safe adults. 

Become a trusted adult:

Young people identify key qualities in trusted adults; good-listeners, trust-worthy, non-judgmental, respectful. Trusted adults are people who hold the best interests of children in mind, and want was is best for them. These adults act in a safe way, they do not ask children to keep secrets, make them feel guilty or threaten young people. 

Children should have a range of trusted adults, in which they build a safe network. This network allows young people scope to talk to different people about different things. Trusted adults want to help when a child is opening up about things they are finding difficult, this might not always be a disclose of abuse, but could involve personal worries and difficulties navigating new situations.

As a trusted adult, it is important to give children time, and space, to express themselves

Your responsibilities:

As a Medics & Me volunteer, and a medical student, you are in the position of a safe adult. The children and young people that you work with may consider you a trusted adult, and confide in you about challenges they are experiencing, including disclosures of abuse. Equally, through the course of your mentoring, you may become concerned that there is a risk of harm to your mentee, even if they do not explicitly tell you. 

In both instances, it is your duty as a safe adult to escalate your concerns. By completing this training, you will learn how to do this within Medics & Me, and take steps to solidify your understanding of safeguarding and your role as a safe adult. 

References

Safer Schools UK - Trusted Adult Learning Package

2. Governance relating to children and young people

1989 - The Children Act:

• First piece of legislation that covered child protection in the UK
• Outlines what local authorities and the courts should do to protect the welfare of children and charges local authorities with the duty to investigate.

1996 - The Education Act:

• Addressed the need for statutory education guidance.
• Covered compulsory school ages, and responsibilities of the local authority to provide education.

2000 - Murder of Victoria Climbie

2002 - The Education Act (Renewal):

• Set out requirements for educational facilities that would lay the groundwork for safeguarding the welfare of the children
• Stipulates that anyone working with children to share their concerns when it relates to a child's safety.  

2002 - Introduction of the CRB check (Now DBS).

2004 - The Children Act:

• Builds on the 1989 Act, after the Victoria Climbie inquiry 
• Aims to improve and integrate children's services by promoting early intervention, and better delivery of child protective services.

2006 - Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act:

• Key piece of legislation for businesses when recruiting new staff and volunteers, developing a centralised vetting process.

2008 - Children & Young Persons Act:

• Both schools and local authorities must designate a member of staff to promote and care for the welfare of children and young people.
• It required local authorities to pay a bursary to children in care so they can undertake higher education.

2008 - Murder of Peter Connelly (Baby P)

2014 - The Children & Families Act:

• Created a new system to support families.
• Reformed children's residential care to make sure homes are safe and secure.

2017 - The Children & Social Work Act:

• Created to improve the welfare of looked-after children and regulate social workers.
• Promoted safeguarding of children by providing relationship guidance and the necessary teaching of sex ed. in schools.

2018 - Working Together to Safeguard Children:

• Aimed to help those working in safeguarding agencies to understand what is needed to promote the welfare of children.

2022 - Keeping Children Safe in Education:

• An annual guidance document for schools and colleges in regard to their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

2024 - Mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse consultation:

• In February 2024, a mandatory reporting duty was confirmed. 
• It will become a legal requirement for individuals in regulated activity relating to children in England to report it if they know a child is being sexually abused.

References

Duties to report child abuse in England, 2024

NSPCC History of child protection UK

3. Outcomes of Reporting

In the following section you will read case reports of various child protection failings which have made the media.

1. Victoria Climbié

2. Baby P

3. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

4. Star Hobson

5. Kaylea Titford

These cases span approximately 2 decades, demonstrating that safeguarding is still going wrong and there are still lessons to be learnt.

4. Case Studies

Victoria Climbie - 2000:

Victoria Climbie was born in Abobo, Côte d’Ivoire, and was sent by her parents to live with her great-aunt in London when she was 8. She traveled to England to experience a better education and quality of life than she could have had in Africa. Instead, she suffered months of neglect and physical abuse, before passing away from from severe organ failure in Feb 2000.

Her great-aunt, and her boyfriend were arrested for her murder. At the time of her death, Victoria had over 128 injuries. 

In 2001, an inquiry was launched and by 2003, 108 recommendations were made at the outcome of the investigation. The conclusion stated that Victoria's death was preventable, had agencies worked in a joined-up way. It further stated that although the Children's Act 1989 was sound, it had gaps, thus the Children's Act 2004 was produced to amend the 1989 act.

Baby P - 2007:

Peter Connolly was a 17-month-old boy who was killed after suffering months of abuse at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and a lodger. Before his death, Peter had been visited 60 times by the local authorities, and 10 agencies were involved with him and his family. 8 months before his death, Peter was placed on a child at risk register. 

After his death in August 2007, an inquiry looked into the practices of those agencies, whose insufficient actions had failed to protect him. Key failings were identified, including a lack of professional curiosity, openness and transparency; failure to protect siblings, poor response by local authorities, and a lack of awareness of who was caring for Peter.

The outcome of this investigation lead to the creation of the 'working together to safeguard children' document in 2010, and the set up of the governments Social Work Task-force. 

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes - 2020:

Arthur was a six year old boy who died in June 2020 at the hands of his father's girlfriend. His father was also jailed for manslaughter. Arthur had been placed in his father's care as his mother had been arrested for murder herself.

Despite family members repeatedly reporting concerns around bruising on Arthur, in April 2020, it was decided no further investigation was needed.

It was found that Arthur wasn't individually nor independently heard, and that professionals' opinions of his father as a "protective factor" was never challenged. Additionally, no one considered any risk that could be posed by his father's girlfriend.

Finally the proper pathways were not followed in relation to suspected child abuse, meaning that concerns went unchecked.

Star Hobson - 2020:

Star was a 16-month old toddler, who was murdered by her mother's partner in September 2020. Her mother was also charged with causing her death.

Social workers visited Star at her family home on multiple occasions following concerns from friends and family, including her father who submitted photos. Her grandfather also had a video showing bruising to Star's face which was sent to the police who were unable to make contact with the family.

People that were concerned about Star were not listened to and solitary visits were insufficient to build a picture of what life was like for Star.

Domestic abuse was known about between her mother and her girlfriend but this wasn't considered in assessments.

Kaylea Titford - 2020:

Kaylea was a 16 year old girl with Spina Bifida who lived in Wales with her parents. Kaylea used a wheelchair and was dependent on others for her care as she had limited mobility. 

Kaylea died in October 2020 and had not been seen by a medical professional for the previous 9 months - since January 2020. 

By the time of her death she had a BMI of 70 and was found in appalling conditions surrounded by human waste and maggots. She had been bedbound - despite previously being an outgoing active teenager with a talent for wheelchair basketball - throughout the COVID lockdown.

Her parents were charged with neglect in 2023.

A safeguarding review is underway following the investigation into her parents. Likely recommendations surely will cover the impact of COVID on vulnerable children and safeguarding, as well as the monitoring of medically vulnerable children by health professionals.

This list is not exhaustive and there are certainly other cases that have made the news and also others that haven't, but this is a selection to show you how child protection can go wrong, and why we should never be complacent.

References:

Unit Law - Remembering Victoria Climbie

Virtual College - Serious Case Review Baby P

Trafford Council - Summary of the National Review into the Murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson

UK Goverrnment - Increased Sentencing for Kaylea Titford's Parents

BBC News - Kaylea Titford': Parents jailed