Children's Needs – Parenting Capacity - Digital Education Resource ...

10 Children’s Needs – Parenting Capacity appropriate arrangements are in place for the immediate care of dependentchildren; the best interests and safety of children are always considered inarrangements for children to visit patients in hospital; and the safety and welfare of dependent children are taken into account whenclinicians consider granting leave of absence for parents with a mentaldisorder.(Department of Health 2008)Improving child protection and reforming frontline social work practice isa priority for the Government. Although past governments were committed toprotecting children, statistical returns on the numbers of children subject to a childprotection plan continue to increase suggesting more needs to be done (Departmentfor Education 2009 and 2010a). At March 2010 39,100 children were subject to achild protection plan, an increase of 5,000 (15%) from the 2008-09 figures (Munro2011, p.25). Three principles underpinned the recent review of child protectionwhich the Government asked Professor Munro to undertake: ‘early intervention;trusting professionals and removing bureaucracy so they can spend more of their time onthe frontline; and greater transparency and accountability’ (Munro 2010, p.44).The Children Act 2004 placed statutory duties on local agencies to makearrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the course ofdischarging their normal functions. Ensuring effective inter-agency working is akey responsibility of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs). LSCBs shouldensure that agencies demonstrate good collaboration and co-ordination in caseswhich require input from both children’s and adults’ services. Services for adultsinclude GPs and hospitals, learning disability and mental health teams, drug actionteams and domestic violence forums.A survey of the organisations responsible for safeguarding and promoting thewelfare of children under section 11 of the Children Act 2004 suggested thatalthough significant progress has been made, two-thirds of organisations did not yethave all the key arrangements in place (MORI 2009). The Government’s statutoryguidance Working Together to Safeguard Children makes clear that safeguarding andpromoting the welfare of children ‘depends on effective joint working between agenciesand professionals that have different roles and expertise’ (HM Government 2010a,p.31, paragraph 1.12).Adult mental health services – including those providing general adult andcommunity, forensic, psychotherapy, alcohol and substance misuse and learningdisability services – have a responsibility in safeguarding children when theybecome aware of, or identify, a child at risk of harm.(HM Government 2010a, p.65, paragraph 2.102)