The National Child Protection Guidance has recently been updated, revised and published by the Scottish Government to replace the previous 2014 version.
The safety and wellbeing of babies, children and young people is of paramount importance – and child protection is a vitally important aspect of your role as a frontline childcare professional.
The National Child Protection Guidance outlines how we should all work together with parents, families and communities to prevent harm and to protect children from abuse and neglect - everyone has a role in protecting children from harm.
An extract from the National Child Protection Guidance states:
“Our ambition and aspiration is that all children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected. This requires a consistent approach to care and protection. This guidance is not an end point but an important step in realising this goal.”
As a professional childminder, you should ensure you are familiar with the latest version of the Child Protection guidance and that your child protection policies and procedures are up-to-date and accurate.
READ the new national Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021
What has changed in the National Child Protection Guidance?
All elements and sections of the guidance have been revised and supplemented, to ensure that the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is interwoven throughout.
In addition, there a number of sections within the document that have been significantly reviewed and updated, and we wanted to draw your attention to them:
- Part 1: The context for child protection; including a focus on support to prevent harm.
- Part 2A: Roles and responsibilities for child protection; single-agency and collaborative responsibilities.
- Part 2B: Approach to multi-agency assessment in child protection; interagency principles.
- Part 3: Identifying and responding to concerns about children; consistent expectations in protective processes.
- Part 4: Specific support needs and concerns; intersecting considerations.
- Appendices: references and sources, and a list of legislation, with signposts to resources and research.
As an additional help, childminders should
refer to page six of the guidance document to access direct links to the sections that have changed.
READ the updated National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021.