30th
Oct
How safeguarding has changed in the years – Savile and Co would never get close to kids now
Posted by Mark Raw in Childcare Industry Harmony Childrens Services
I am trying to keep a healthy distance from the whole Jimmy Savile, and no doubt others, scandal as there has been so much on it already and no doubt more to be said in later weeks as hopefully all of it comes out in to the open.
It was, it seems, somewhat a quietly acknowledged fact that this behaviour occurs/ed at this level of unquestioned celebrity status and more so was allowed to continue without checks. All except the ill feeling he caused to the Children in Need producers, who have saved numerous children, from this county and maybe others from his evil actions and life long damage caused.
A good I read shows the time line of how child protection and what is now know as Safeguarding has developed, but it should have shown its real roots in the first prosecution though the Cruelty to Animals Act where it all started. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20093812
It discusses the effects of post mortems of different events, the most significant was the Ian Huntley murders where he was able to play a very week system to his advantage by just moving to a different region and even when questioned but not charged several times it was never flagged up. Thankfully we now have the soft evidence section on the enhanced CRB’s we receive where this type of information is flagged up that helps us now look further past the person at interview and what their references have to see.
At Harmony we carry out CRB’s on everyone who may come into contact with the young people placed in our care, this goes from myself as MD through to our maintenance team. I have also no issue with checking out external visitor from Reg 33’s even though they can provide extensive evidence themselves.
My major concern still remains, like any national check, it is only as good as the day the check was made. However, recently, I have learnt though some communications with senior staff within West Yorkshire Police that they have the ability to inform myself if any staff member is questioned arrested or charged, thus making our own reliance on staff informing ourselves as part of our routine supervision system more robust. We can inform them, before they inform us. Not a bad belt and braces approach. It is about finding out all the information you need without becoming too paranoid and over questioning everything to the point of losing the whole reason of why you were looking in the first place.
25th
Oct
4 in a row for Harmony House
Posted by Mark Raw in Childcare Industry Harmony Childrens Services Ofsted News
I am very proud to be able to say that Ofsted carried out an unannounced interim inspection on the morning of Monday 22nd October and came to a conclusion that we still deserve our “GOOD” rating and that we were demonstrating “good progression” with the home and with the children in our care.
Once again a big thank you to our Home Manager Julie and to all the staff and young people for helping achieve this recent praising endorsement by Ofsted.
Once the formal letter has been published I will share the link to it with you all in our Ofsted Section.
I’ve just read on Children and Young people Now web site about the Directors of Children’s Services have launched an inquiry into the purpose of the care system, as part of plans to radically improve provision for looked-after children across the country. http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1075093/adcs-launch-inquiry-care?utm_content=&utm_campaign=241012_Daily&utm_source=Children%20%26%20Young%20People%20Now&utm_medium=adestra_email&utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cypnow.co.uk%2Fcyp%2Fnews%2F1075093%2Fadcs-launch-inquiry-care
That looks like an interesting read.
Mark