Birmingham case review

[Guest]

Please read this review, frightening stuff, not sure of the link but I'm sure someone will add it

[HappyMaz]

Here's the link, courtesy of Rea via twitter.

[Guest]

Thank u,

[Fredbear]

This is so so dreadful. More failures, poor management and more children suffering.

[finleysmaid]

Thanks for the link . i have had a brief run through and this quote struck me

 

Effective recruitment processes that move beyond a focus on CRB checks

to an exploration of motivation and value base. This will give a clear

message to potential staff that abuse will not be tolerated.

 

Just wondering what everyone does to ensure this happens?

[Wildflowers]

Informal conversations during a walk. My interviews are not formal so I get to know them better.

[Guest]

I'm worry about the impact on us all - my setting has a hallway leading to the toilet - there is no way we can let children go alone and no way that we can be more open with the area no way that more than one staff can go with a child .......that's a possible low grading from Ofsted as they will obviously have to action some points to strengthen procedure again as a result of this.....the report is just appalling

[finleysmaid]

I'm worry about the impact on us all - my setting has a hallway leading to the toilet - there is no way we can let children go alone and no way that we can be more open with the area no way that more than one staff can go with a child .......that's a possible low grading from Ofsted as they will obviously have to action some points to strengthen procedure again as a result of this.....the report is just appalling

Have you thought about having a baby monitor in the loos so that you can hear what's going on?

[narnia]

That's a great idea Finleysmaid. I think there is something for all of us to learn from this report ( even though I have only skimmed through it so far).....one of the main ones seems to be that if you have a concern, act on it, follow it up and follow it up again.

[Guest]

It wasn't just management, it was a whole range of professionals from ofsted to social care the college he attended. It is a learning curve for us all. No matter how robust we are ( and we must be) an abuser will find a way. So very sad

[HappyMaz]

So many things leap out at me in the report. What I find breathtaking is that the perpetrator stated clearly that he didn't abuse in his first student placement because the rules were very clear! Also, that although mobile phones were not allowed in the rooms, they were kept in jacket pockets in the kitchen and that on the day of the major offence, he simply popped into the kitchen to pick up his phone on his way back in from the garden.

 

To me, this speaks volumes about the need to make sure everyone is aware of the rules of the setting regarding safeguarding, and that policies are robust and fit for purpose and that potential gaps and loopholes are identified and plugged. What is the point of having a mobile phone policy that is designed to keep phones out of rooms if they are left unattended and unaccounted for so that an individual can so easily flout the rules without challenge?

[Guest]

The thing is with phones is they re small and can be kept hidden so easily in pockets, it is about keeping the safe guarding policy and procedures alive, workable and on top of the agenda just as finsleymaid said

[flowlow]

Thanks for sharing this. It is very sad and a huge reminder of the responsibility we all carry to keep safeguarding alive.

 

I do worry as in my local area it is now not clear who will be 'doing' the safeguarding training. I find this very concerning the big implication here was a lack of communication and knowledge. I used to know that my local safeguarding board was responsible for all training and that they knew their stuff. Due to cut backs they are no longer doing this training (although they were standing in until someone else came forward to 'take over' the training') but it is unclear who is taking over. I also don't think the safer recruitment training is 'high enough profile' I am still trying to track down someone in this area to do this training and will have to join a waiting list to do it even when I find who is now doing it. The courses can be months and months apart. Although I am very thorough with safeguarding and feel we are very robust with practice with lack of access to this training I think there are clear and concerning implications for the sector in general.

[wellerkaren]

Thank you for the sign post, will have a little read later.

[Guest]

Thank you Finleysmaid - just purchased - great plan

[Guest]

MAZ: What I find breathtaking is that the perpetrator stated clearly that he didn't abuse in his first student placement because the rules were very clear!

 

ABSOLUTELY agree Maz - Never mind 'rules' - abuse of children is illegal!!!! - he would have known this even without his training and yet still went on to abuse

 

 

I'm aghast at the title page tbh 'Working together to safeguard children' - it would seem that communication wasn't happening across agency/nursery enough, including follow ups - still so much to learn. That poor child :-(

[Guest]

3.17 There may be the potential for early years development workers to increase their visibility within settings so that staff can route concerns about safeguarding

practice through them.

will be interested to see how this is going to be responded to given the cut backs; Hopefully it may kick start LA involvement as a whole again :-)

[Rea]

I hadn't read that far gijgrrbreadman, we don't see the DWs very often and when we do they tend to be there to tell us new forms to fill in, new requirements to fulfil, always demands! They nagged me 3 yrs for a business plan then didn't read it! The last safeguarding day I did was aimed at managers but it was mostly about forms, which department to phone for which concern, nothing about signs, recruitment, managing staff or the other ways to keep children safe. The council are planning to hold information days to pass on lessons learnt from the review. I just hope they hold themselves to account rather than pass more responsibility onto us, it always strikes me that for every cock up the council make we, the settings with no cock Ups make most changes! They really pee me off!

[Stargrower]

This scares me witless. I am responsible (as we all are) for the safety and wellbeing of little children who don't have the skills to tell us what is happening in their lives. What if I make an unintentional mistake, or, despite years of experience, something just doesn't occur to me and I put a child at risk? This kind of report makes me doubt myself and my judgements.

[Rea]

Your gut will tell you and being scared of failing will keep you fresh to the potential risks. We are all human and all fallible as individuals, which is where we should be able to count on the organisations who are there specifically to guide us through the next steps.

Birmingham Council isn't the only one to fail in this way, but it seems to be making rather a habit of it. I just hope they pull themselves together and take a good look at the internal machine first instead of farming out problems to settings who haven't had concerns raised.

[Guest]

Lea authority staff is being cut back , how much influence or guidance will they have probably very little as they will be thin on the ground and only looking at inadequate settings, dangerous ground I feel

[SueJ]

This is an awful case and no matter how many times the phrase "working together" is bandied about it still doesn't seem to be happening.

 

My LA and LSCB had a real blitz on safeguarding cpd and now the lead for safeguarding and child protection has to undertake Level 3 multi-agency safeguarding training, allegations management training and safer recruitment training - and guess what we have to pay for it and staff cover (4 days training in total delivered in separate units).

 

These days as well as the undeniably important job of safeguarding the children I believe that you also have to safeguard your staff and if you are the senior honcho yourself. As has already been suggested we have a baby monitor that links the main hall to the loos - even though the loos are immediately outside the main hall and visible (if nothing else it helps us make sure no small children are trying to fill the sinks with a view to flooding the toilets )

 

I have a strict "no mobiles" policy (apart from the setting mobile as we are a no landline church hall", a strict computer use (inc. social networking etc. policy) and although it might seem a bit "sledgehammer to crack a nut" I also have a "company searches" policy - recommended as good practice in a template employee handbook provided by my payroll company. I would hope never to have to use this and have worked with most of my staff for over 10 years (some of my staff are also relatives - Mum and daughter - we are a family firm). However you have to be realistic and the staff team that you "know and love now" might not always stay the same so it is a case of putting things into place for "all eventualities".

 

The company search is not just about mobile phones it also covers other unpleasant workplace eventualities. If it helps the wording for the company search bit starts of like so:

 

Search procedure

XXX setting reserves the right to search an employee or any of an employee’s property held on the setting’s premises at any time, if senior management of XXX setting has reasonable grounds to believe that its alcohol and drug abuse policy is being or has been infringed, or that an employee has committed a criminal offence, or that an employee has a mobile phone in their personal possession (without permission) whilst children are in attendance at the setting.

 

Where an employee is required to submit to a search, the following procedure will be used:

a) The search will be conducted in a private room.

b) The employee may be accompanied by a colleague provided that the colleague is available without unreasonable delay.

c) The search will be conducted by a senior manager. The employee may request that the person conducting the search is of the same sex as him/herself.

d) The search will be witnessed by another member of the management team. The employee may request that the witness is of the same sex as him/herself.

e) An employee who unreasonably refuses to allow a Company search will be subject to disciplinary action.

f) Where an employee is found to be in possession of prohibited substances or there is evidence to suggest that he/she has committed a criminal offence, or is found to have a mobile phone in their personal possession (without permission) whilst children are in attendance at the setting he/she will be suspended on full pay pending a further investigation, which may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal.

g) The Company reserves the right to inform the police of any suspicion it may have with regard to the use of controlled drugs by any of its employees on Company premises or with regard to any other criminal offence.

This was put in place last year following the Baby P serious case review and my staff team were not only not offended they felt it helped to protect them and protect the setting in the event of future staff, work placement and/or apprentice changes

[Guest]

We wouldn't think twice at a security search in my other job (supermarket)

They are randomly or if a cause for concern you are ear marked for a search .