Child Protection Guidance 2021

Part 2A: Roles and responsibilities for child protection 44 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 Version 1.0 September 2021 2.38 Specific supervision for practitioners may be required in relation to the knowledge and skills required in the conduct of, for example, inter-agency referral discussions or Joint Investigative Interviews (JII), or in the development of specific assessment, therapeutic or management skills. 2.39 Support and supervision should provide a safe and confidential environment for discussion and reflection on the knowledge and skills informing the task, the teamwork required, and the impact of the work and engagement of each practitioner with their role. 2.40 Support and supervision should include conversations about how to continually seek the child’s view, and how to ensure that, having listened to these views, practitioners keep doing what is working, or do something different where it isn’t. 2.41 Support and supervision for practitioners may be provided within a group or team environment or in an individual setting. Some areas value inter-agency support and review in complex protection work. Informal peer supervision and support can complement formal support structures. 2.42 Whatever the model, practitioners need support to develop knowledge and skills to think analytically, critically and reflectively. They also need to be able to inform their judgement through inter-agency collaboration, and through sufficient knowledge of current research and evidence. 2.43 Support should help to ensure that: • practice is consistent with legal requirements, organisational policies and procedures • practice is underpinned by the values and core principles of GIRFEC • practitioners understand their roles and responsibilities, and the boundaries of their authority • practice is evidence-informed • practitioners develop skills in critical reflection about their own assumptions and values • the training and development needs of practitioners and supervisors are identified • there is structured discussion of child protection concerns, assessment and action • information sharing and recording is reviewed • there is reflection on the skills required for practitioners to engage effectively with children and their families • there is reasoned consideration of counter views, options and probable outcomes • there is reflection on teamwork and individual work impact 2.44 The following section outlines the roles and responsibilities of public services and other community services. Single-Agency Responsibilities for Child Protection 2.45 All services and professional bodies should have clear policies in place for identifying, sharing and acting upon concerns about risk of harm to a child or children. 2.46 Each practitioner remains accountable for their own practice and must adhere to their own professional guidelines, standards and codes of professional conduct. Practitioners at all levels in all services, including Third Sector and private sector services, should have information, advice and training to make them aware of potential risks to children; and to support their knowledge and confidence about steps they might take to keep children safe.