Joint inspections to focus on child neglect

Ofsted, the CQC and police and probation inspectorates will begin a new round of targeted inspections next month

Children’s services and partner agencies will be inspected on their joint responses to child neglect, it has been announced.

Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, HMI constabulary and HMI probation will start the joint targeted inspections in six areas next month.

Inspectors will evaluate how risks to children living with neglect are prevented and reduced, and assess whether they are receiving the right help and protection. They will also gauge whether the impact of neglect on children is reduced by local agency involvement.

The inspections will focus on the experiences of children aged 7-15 who are at risk of exploitation or show challenging behaviours in adolescence.

Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s chief inspector, said: “Identifying signs of neglect in middle childhood and adolescence can be very complex, as children at this age experienced and respond to neglect differently from younger children. However, at any age, the impact of childhood neglect can be lifelong.

“It’s crucial that local partner agencies understand the long-term effects of neglect and recognise the need for early and appropriate intervention.”

The focus on child neglect is the latest in a series of joint targeted inspections on area responses to specific issues. Previous inspection programmes have focused on domestic abuse and child sexual exploitation.

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4 Responses to Joint inspections to focus on child neglect

  1. londonboy April 19, 2017 at 1:00 pm #

    I’m very interested to know what neglect they will focus on – parental neglect, social neglect, clinical neglect?

    Are LAs to ‘take the hit’ for social neglect ( failure to resource children’s services )

    and

    CCGs to take the hit for clinical neglect (failure to fund clinical services for children – particularly for disabled children and children’s mental health services?)

    or

    Are parents ‘to take the hit’ – so lots more pretty inhumane for all CP processes needed?

    • Danielle Garnett April 19, 2017 at 3:22 pm #

      Inspections are necessary ( in my opinion) when children are at potential risk of neglect. All professionals are required to keep their skills and knowledge up to date and avoidance of desensitising is paramount.

      • londonboy April 20, 2017 at 9:41 am #

        I don’t work is social work but I’ve met many parents whose own mental health has been affected trying to get to the root of a child’s extreme difficulties as the child enters adolescence.

        S17 support has all but disappeared so CS turn to s47 investigations as a crisis measure. These, if carried out with little sensitivity, can in themselves destroy the fragile family support networks so crucial for these children. In extreme cases children can be removed from families however because of very poor linkage with health support within care, the child does not get the right clinical support and in fact things get worse for the child until they are ‘lost’ to the prison system or left for ‘adult services’ at aged 18.

        Avoidance of desensitising is indeed paramount.

  2. londonboy April 20, 2017 at 9:57 am #

    Every child is ‘ at potential risk of neglect’ and every child is potentially capable of being well supported in my view. Hyper-vigilance around what might happen is neither here nor there – what is happening is a lot more relevant.