Responding to the Neglect of 0-11 year olds (Level 3)

Course Description

This one-day course will enable multi-agency professionals to develop their knowledge base and skills in the use of a variety of evidence based, analytical assessment tools and frameworks to evaluate risks to the unborn child and throughout their early years in terms of neglectful care and to use specific intervention strategies to safeguard and promote the child’s development.

Participants will understand that the process of assessment, analysis and intervention has to be within the child’s developmental timeframe so that, with positive changes to their care, they can recover from neglect and thrive. This training can act as the update or refresher required for Level 3 compliance with the requirements of statutory or professional organisations.

Intended Audience

The training will meet the continuing developmental needs of multi-agency professionals working with children, young people and/or their parents/carers and who could potentially contribute to assessing, planning, intervening, and evaluating the needs of an unborn child or young person and parenting capacity where there are safeguarding/child protection concerns. This may include staff who complete section 47 enquiries, GPs, mental health staff (adult and CAMHS), child psychologists, child psychotherapists, adult learning disability staff, designated person (including child minders/ foster carers), police, health professionals working in substance misuse services, youth offending team staff, sexual health staff, school nurses, social workers, health visitors, all children’s nurses, midwives, child psychologists, obstetricians, all paediatricians, Designated/Safeguarding leads within a school, college, early years and childcare settings, organisation or agency and those who work with complex cases co-ordinate assessments of children in need. 

Learning Outcomes

Name the key elements of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly neglect strategy and their roles and responsibilities within this.

Recognise the different types of neglect.

Understand the legislation and guidance that underpins neglect.

Be able to recognise the risks to unborn children and when it becomes a safeguarding concern.

Describe how the brain develops pre-birth, after birth and recognise the importance of early support for children who experience neglect and abuse.

Understand the importance of the voice of the child and assessment tools available to strengthen approaches to neglect of children.

Recognise the effects of neglect on children with disabilities which otherwise can be mistaken for other conditions.

Recognise how parental neglect in the early years of children can impact on their development

Understand the meaning of disorganised attachment and links to neglect

Contribute to the assessment, intervention, and review of neglect cases.

Use the Strengthening Families Framework to assess and identify risk and protective factors, strengths, further areas for assessment and historic factors which may identify transgenerational neglect.

Recognise the use of the risk assessment toolkit and approach such as the Graded Care Profile

Apply the resilience/vulnerability matrix to analyse the lived experience of a child who is living with adversity, and the protective factors required to promote their resilience.

Feel confident in applying models and tools to assess parental capacity to change, and to review/monitor that change over time, particularly for families who have experienced transgenerational neglect.

Be aware of the local and national picture in relation to neglect of children up to the age of 12 years old.

Explain the impact of personal and professional values and beliefs when working with issues of neglect.

Establish mechanisms through supervision and peer support to embed learning into practice.