Partnership strategy to combat child neglect
Child protection bosses in Walsall are developing a strategy to safeguard youngsters in the town from parent/carer neglect during their early years, the most common form of abuse experienced by children in the town.
Severe lack of proper care for children has been highlighted as a priority for Walsall’s Safeguarding Partnership, a multi-agency body established in January 2021 to protect young people and families from the damage caused by neglect.
The council’s Child Neglect Strategy has formed a steering group to improve and develop awareness and training for all partners, helping them to detect and identify incidents of child abuse and poor care across the borough.
In a report to the council this week, Isabel Vanderheeren, Director of Early Help and Partnership, said: “We know that experience of neglect in childhood can have significant and long-term consequences, affecting many areas of a child’s development and their life into adulthood.
“The aim of the strategy is to ensure that all children have the right support, in the right place, at the right time, for as long as it is needed to enable them to be safe from harm, happy and learning well with self-belief, aspiration and support to be their best.
“Most parents want to meet the needs of their children, but at times need help to do so.
"Research shows that parents and caregivers who have support from family, friends, neighbours, and their communities are more likely to provide safe and healthy homes for their children.
"When parents lack this support or feel isolated, they may be more likely to make poor decisions that can lead to neglect."
Working with the steering group, children and young people identified the following principles that are key to supporting those who experience neglect:
Training: so everyone in Walsall understands what neglects means, understands the impact it has on children and the role they can play in preventing neglect or supporting children who experience it.
Seeing and hearing children: listening to children in every way possible by talking with them, listening to them and seeing them.
Taking action: children identified that having at least one adult or a network of adults that listen; that they can trust and that offer support is essential.
Ms Vanderheeren said: “The steering group is currently planning a practitioner ‘neglect matters’ event in May to continue to raise awareness, take stock on progress and refresh the action plan.
“Since it was launched, the strategy has continued to develop its training offer to deliver awareness, understanding and response to neglect.
"In the last 12 months it has focused on early years providers and the voluntary and community sector.
“In order to strengthen the work we are doing, we have secured partnership resources to recruit a neglect practice improvement coordinator.
"This post will be directly responsible for working across the partnership in developing a resource hub, training programmes and practice reflection sessions for practitioners.
“Partners have considered how the development of family hubs can provide opportunities for effective support to families to prevent child neglect, especially in those areas were we currently see low uptake of preventative programmes.”
The council’s Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee will provide an update on the strategy on Monday, March 13.
