Child Protection Guidance 2021

Part 4: Specific support needs and concerns 155 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 Version 1.0 September 2021 4.147 Reporting concerns. Anyone who sees a person physically punishing/assaulting their child can: • call the police on 101 • contact local authority social work • call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 (anonymously) who will report to police • as has always been the case, call 999 if a child or young person is in immediate danger Prompts in Appendix H may be useful for persons calling social work or police. 4.148 Child protection. Statutory agencies will progress an inter-agency referral discussion if there are concerns about significant harm or the risk of significant harm to a child. Part 3 of this Guidance outlines relevant considerations and steps in child protection processes. Part 2B outlines principles in multi-agency assessment. 4.149 Assessment and support. When concerns fall short of the significant harm threshold, this must not stop the provision of proportionate co‑ordinated support. General guidance and advice (such as hints and tips on coping with being a parent and Ready Steady Baby) are valuable preventative resources. However concerns relating to physical punishment of a child require assessment and proportionate response. This may include targeted and/or intensive support. All responses must be carefully recorded. Practitioners should be alert to any pattern of concern and the wider context of this incident. 4.150 Cultural competence. There may be some variation in personal, family, community or cultural attitudes to parenting, for example in relation to reasonable discipline. Sensitivity is essential alongside practitioners’ central focus on a child’s needs for protection from harm; and the needs of a family for support to reduce stress and associated risk. 4.151 A practice insight on this topic has been drafted to illustrate and explain key practice considerations, offer a resource, prompt reflection and signpost selected sources. It can be found in the Practice Insights supporting document alongside this Guidance. 4.152 Referral to the Reporter. Where there is an apparent need for compulsory measures, consideration should be given to referral to the Reporter. Restraint 4.153 ‘Restraint’ may be defined as an act carried outwith the purpose of restricting an individual’s movement, liberty and/or freedom to act independently. This may or may not involve the use of force. Restraint is to be distinguished from punishment in that it is for the purposes of protection, not discipline. Restraint does not require the use of physical force, or resistance by the person being restrained, and may include indirect acts of interference, for example removing someone’s walking frame to prevent them moving around (Equalities and Human Rights Commission 2019). 4.154 Restraint usually involves a parent, carer or professional making physical contact with a child, although there may be examples of indirect restraint for people with disabilities or young children which prevent access or egress. Restraint, if used inappropriately, excessively or harmfully, could result in a charge of assault being brought.

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