Safeguarding and working with children policy

Family Journeys is a child-centred organisation. This means that all our services will be provided and decisions will be made, with the view to providing an outcome that aligns with the child’s best interests. In order to ensure this translates into practice we will: 

• Take a child led approach to designing and delivering our services, 

• Get to know children, listen to them, involve them and take their views seriously, 

• Ensure all children are supported when exercising their rights, with regard to the age, maturity, competency and individual needs of each child.  

• Respect parents’ rights and responsibilities and support them to act in children’s best interests, to listen to their children, and take their views seriously; we understand that when parents are in distress this can be difficult for them to do so. 

• Consider a child’s safety and wellbeing when taking action, and  
• Collaborate with other agencies supporting children, to create the best possible supports and services to meet their needs. 

Other relevant policies: Confidentiality; Domestic Abuse; Working with Parents

1. The Rights of the Child 

Family Journeys recognises and fully supports the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and works to uphold children’s rights in practice for children of all ages. We acknowledge that many children need adults to advocate for their rights when decisions are being made about them, in their families, courts, children’s hearings, in other services and institutions, and society.  We respect all rights equally. In our services, these rights have particular resonance: 

Article 3 best interests of the child When adults make decisions, they should think about how their decisions will affect children. All adults should do what is best for children.	We will: Support parents to think about the best interests of the child in their co-parenting decisions Get to know children so that we can understand what is in their best interests – and understand this may be different for each sibling Share our views on what will be in the child’s best interests with courts, child welfare reporters, and children’s hearings when reporting to them.
Article 9 keeping families together Children whose parents don’t live together should stay in contact with both parents unless this might harm the child.	We will: Support parents (and kinship carers) to discuss and agree on co-parenting after separation or divorce Support children to express their views on how best to stay in contact with both parents
Article 10 contact with parents across countries If a child lives in a different country than their parents, support child and parents to travel so that they can stay in contact and be together.	We will: Understand the challenges of child contact when one parent lives abroad, and be flexible in how we deliver services to account for this Find creative ways to support contact when one parent lives abroad, using technology and other methods that suit the age and ability of the child
Article 11 protection from kidnapping held abroad by a parent when the other parent does not agree.	We will: Be alert to the potential for parents to attempt to abscond with their child during contact (or to prevent another parent from gaining access) Assess flight risk when we undertake safety planning (see policy on Domestic Abuse)
Article 12 respect for children’s views Children have the right to give their opinions freely on issues that affect them. Adults should listen and take children seriously.	We will: Use resources designed for working directly with children, to get to know them and listen to them Establish good practice for all staff in all services for listening to children Support children to self-advocate, and advocate for them when necessary, to ensure families, courts, hearings, other services, and institutions hear their views
Article 13 sharing thoughts freely Children have the right to share freely with others what they learn, think and feel, by talking, drawing, writing, or in any other way	We will: Seek to understand and create a wider understanding of the emotional challenges of family break up for children Work with children to explore emotions and provide support for them to process and recover emotionally Support parents to understand and respond to children’s feelings
Article 15 setting up or joining groups Children can join or set up groups or organisations, and they can meet with others	We will: Seek and try to sustain dedicated resources for working with children in groups, such as support groups, advocacy groups, or child-led activities
Article 16 protection of privacy Every child has the right to privacy. The law must protect children’s privacy, family, home, communications, and reputation	We will: Maintain separate child records for every child which are confidential to the child Respect children’s decisions on when and how to share information, whenever they are competent to do so (except where there is a risk of harm to the child or another person)
Article 17 access to information Children have the right to get information	We will: Respect children’s rights to access information Ensure that information on all our services is available in child-friendly formats
Article 18 responsibility of parents Parents are the main people responsible for bringing up a child. Parents and guardians should always consider what is best for that child. Where a child has both parents, both of them should be responsible for bringing up the child.	We will: Support both parents equally to co-parent and arrive at decisions on how they approach family life after breaking up When parents cannot agree, share what we believe to be the child’s best interests in any proceedings initiated by either parent Promote positive parenting and provide opportunities for parents to learn skills and knowledge to support their parenting
Article 19 protection from violence Children must be protected from violence, abuse, and being neglected by anyone who looks after them.	We will: Maintain policies, procedures, and good practice in child protection and domestic abuse Train staff in working effectively to identify abuse Support children and parents who have experienced abuse in a trauma-informed approach
Article 23 children with disabilities Every child with a disability should enjoy the best possible life in society.	We will: Provide inclusive environments and resources for children of all abilities Recognise and support children and their parents when children have specific needs related to a disability, and offer flexible support and services, by training staff and getting to know the child’s specific needs, which may include physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or conditions such as autistic spectrum disorder
Article 30 minority culture, language and religion Children have the right to use their own language, culture, and religion.	We will: Ensure our environments and resources reflect the diversity of races, cultures, languages, and religions Support families using translation services where necessary to enable their full participation
Article 31 right to play Every child has the right to rest, relax, play, and to take part in cultural and creative activities.	We will: Create positive play environments within all venues we use as contact centres Promote the importance of play as a means of self-expression, self-care, and recovery for children
Article 36 protection from exploitation Children have the right to be protected from all kinds of exploitation (being taken advantage of)	We will: Train all staff to be aware of the potential for parents to exploit children during a family breakup by using them or influencing them against the other parent in ways that distort the child’s view of both parents and causes them distress Raise awareness in parents, professionals, and policymakers of the importance of protecting children from parental exploitation against another parent or other family members, and enable children to recover from the distress of this, where it has occurred

2. Child Protection and Safeguarding 

Child protection means to prevent, and respond to harm, in the many ways it occurs: 

• Physical injury caused by others 

• Inappropriate punishment: physical or emotional (including gaslighting, social isolation, etc) 

• Sexual abuse or exploitation 

• Emotional abuse 

• Physical neglect 

• Manipulation or exploitation by a parent to meet their own emotional needs, to the detriment of the child’s emotional needs 

• Racial abuse 

• Cultural practices that may be physically or emotionally harmful, such as male/female circumcision or forced marriage 

• Exposure to parental behaviours such as violence, drug or alcohol abuse 

• Experience of significant mental or emotional distress without appropriate support 

• Harmful social behaviours (e.g. bullying, inappropriate relationships, substance use, crime, online harm) 

This list is illustrative. There are many ways children experience harm, which may not be obvious, but which may come to our attention due to: 

• Changes in the child’s appearance, mood, or behaviour 

• Acting in ways that are inconsistent with age or stage of development 

• Things the child says or does that are unusual 

• Direct information from the child 

• Direct information from a parent, carer, family member, or other person that knows the child. 

Our services follow national standards for all professionals working with children: 

1. We ensure children get the help they need, when they need it 

2. We take timely and effective action to protect children 

3. We listen to and respect children 

4. We share information about children when it is necessary to protect them 

5. We assess needs and risks and collaborate with other agencies’ plans 

6. We ensure all staff (paid and voluntary) understand their role in keeping children safe 

7. We work in partnership to protect children 

8. We are accountable for how we work, and our effectiveness 

2.1 Roles and responsibilities 

In recruitment and HR: 

• All staff (paid and voluntary) are appointed after an enhanced disclosure check 

• A minimum of two references are followed up before appointment 

• All staff (paid and voluntary) are taught about our child protection policies and procedures during induction and in mandatory training 

• Staff checks and mandatory training are refreshed at regular intervals (every two years) 

• Disclosure Scotland (and any other relevant regulator) is notified if a scheme member is subject to disciplinary or criminal proceedings that may lead to disqualification from working with children 

All staff (paid and voluntary) have a duty to ensure the safety and protection of children by: 

• Attending mandatory child protection training 

• Following safety and child plans 

• Being alert to signs a child needs support, suffering neglect, being abused, or at risk 

• Explaining to children their rights to privacy and confidentiality except where the child is at risk of harm 

• Establishing safe, supportive environments for children in our services 

• Being aware of their responsibility to pass on information to the designated child protection co-ordinator within Family Journeys, or directly to the Police or Duty Social Work Team in the local authority area 

• Recording child information accurately in the child’s record, so that signs which may appear less significant can be understood as a pattern of more significant behaviour 

• Listening to children, and following up on concerns with senior staff 

• Ensuring any child protection concerns are logged and reported on our Child Protection Incident and Concern form and shared with management for decision making. 

• Attend mandatory Support and Supervision with their line management and bring concerns about a child’s wellbeing to the reflection discussions. 

Service Managers and staff in the role of Child Protection Co-ordinator must: 

• Monitor and develop good practice in child protection 

• Review case notes and follow up on staff or child concerns 

• Advise front line staff raising concerns, and debrief staff following investigations or other action 

• Direct and support practitioners to share information with other agencies (the Police, Social Work, or regulatory bodies) regarding child welfare and protection concerns, and lead on any further action within Family Journeys. 

• Ensure full paperwork is completed and uploaded to the child’s record. 

The role of Child Protection Co-ordinator is an “on duty” role shared between senior staff over 7 days, at any time when our services are in operation. 

2.2 Procedures and organisational learning 

Our procedures and practice will be reviewed as a minimum every two years or after each child protection incident, to ensure ongoing organisational learning using anonymised information. Relationship Scotland also provide Child Protection guidance and policy across the network. This Family Journeys document is in addition to the guidance from Relationship Scotland. 

3. Getting it Right for Every Child 

1. GIRFEC – Getting It Right for Every Child) 

Family Journeys follow the national GIRFEC framework. We use the SHANARRI indicators: Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Active, Respected, Responsible, and Included, to monitor and record a child’s wellbeing using our database management system. New ‘Children’s Wellbeing Outcomes’ were introduced in April 2024. Specific outcomes attempt to focus on the needs of the child that we can support improvements in across wellbeing measures within our services at Family Journeys. There will be other outcomes that our work contribute to that are not detailed below. 

Safe	Child experiences consistent and positive contact with parents/siblings/carers.
Healthy	Child has their emotional and developmental needs met Child experience improved family relationships Child experiences a reduction in impact of trauma/bereavement/loss
Achieving
Nurtured	Child experiences love, emotional warmth, and attachment Child has a well developed sense of identity and belonging
Active	Child is positively engaged in play
Respected	Child is involved in the planning and decision making process
Responsible
Included	Child is listened to and has views taken seriously

To enable us to work effectively with children, Family Journeys: 

• Provide child-friendly information on our role, how we work, and how children make choices within our process, 

• Explain to children their rights clearly in an age-appropriate way, 

• Provide advice directly to the child in their own right, where children have sufficient experience and understanding to engage with the resources, and after a parent has consented to them receiving it and shown a willingness to explain to the child why it is being given to them, and  

• Ensure all staff working with children to support their engagement are trained and use play-based or youth work approaches and have an understanding of child development, attachment and the neurological changes children experience as a result of growing up, as well as trauma and adversity. 

3.2 GIRFEC and parents 

Where parents are unwilling to work with Family Journeys to facilitate a children’s rights-based approach, we will: 

• Provide information to both parents on children’s rights, 

• Proceed with a child-led process if the child wants to do so and is capable of deciding to do so. However, we accept that in many situations’ children rely on parental co-operation to enable their choices, 

• Proceed with a child-led process if one parent consents to this, where it appears to be in the best interests of the child to do so. However, if the parent living at home does not consent and does not co-operate with their child’s engagement, it is unlikely we can proceed, 

• Set clear guidelines for parents about language, behaviour, attempts to co-opt the child to their point of view, or use the child to relay information. Where we see this, we will intervene on behalf of the child, and 

• Support the child, and refer them to other agencies for support, to process their own emotions and trauma, and provide advice and assistance to parents to enable them to do this. 

3.3 Getting all our policies and practice right for every child 

All our policies apply to children’s experience of our services, including: 

• Our complaints procedures, which will be communicated to, and open to children to use 

• Our equality and diversity policy 

• Our policy on confidentiality and GDPR 

• Our monitoring and evaluation activities 

4. Trauma-informed practice in solution-focused services 

The solution-focused context is important to our trauma-informed practice – when we recognise and acknowledge that a child has experienced trauma, we must not become problem-focused.  

Our role is: 

4.1 Solution-focused services 

Staff in solution-focused services practice a high level of self-care to avoid burn out and retain the energy and optimism required when working in situations with a high degree of conflict and challenge. 

There are three features of solution-focused services in Family Journeys. 

4.2 Recognising trauma 

We recognise that children’s experiences are complex and multi-layered. Family and community contexts are different and each child is unique (meaning that two siblings may respond differently to the same experience).  

We wish to avoid the blanket assumption that all children will experience trauma following a family break up. However, most children will experience strong feelings of anger, shame, rejection, fear, loneliness, sadness, or sometimes, relief. Where parents can prepare children for their separation, communicate positively, manage co-parenting in the best interests of the child, and share the process of nurturing and supporting the child to process these feelings, the child may cope reasonably well with the upsetting transition from one united family to a family functioning with parents living apart. We also support families where parents have never been in a significant relationship and find themselves getting to know each other as indivudals as well as parents. When we talk about family we refer to the extended meaning of family which may include grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles that the child views as important people in their upbringing and childhood. Any conflict between family members that have brought them to Family Journeys can result in a trauma response for either/both child and family member, and therefore impacts on the child. We will work with children experiencing these feelings sensitively, with honesty, and recognising these feelings are hard for them. 

Some children will experience trauma: 

Post-traumatic distress may occur when children have experienced specific incidents they found frightening, such as rows, unexplained incidents such as a parent moving out without any warning or explanation, violence or abuse, or the breakdown of one parent unable to cope with the separation.  

Developmental trauma may occur when they experience a period of distress or disruption when the child’s brain is developing the most. During early childhood, brain development is fast and children are continually absorbing information from their environment like a sponge. Conflict, sadness, loss, or anger within the family impacts on children’s development. This may be seen in the child’s behaviour, emotional regulation, attachment, or overall development. 

Relational trauma refers to the disruption to the most important family relationships to the child. These relationships are the foundations for the child’s sense of identity, core beliefs, and life scripts – the basis of an internal working model which they use to make sense of themselves and their wider world. When the child’s foundation for developing relationships has been disrupted, they can become insecure and fragile. 

4.3 Our response to trauma 

We recognise that effective work to enable children to progress from their experiences of difficult feelings or trauma towards healthy more resilient childhoods takes time and resources. For all children we are committed to continue to offer supports for as long at that child may need it. In this context, we will: 

• Give children time and space, and familiar consistent staff, so they have the opportunity to express their feelings safely; 

• Assess the impact of trauma on children, gather children’s views and report this to courts, parents, or other professionals where we believe that decisions made concerning children may exacerbate or prolong their trauma (for example, by forcing arrangements that give the child insufficient time to prepare or adjust to parental expectations). 

4.4 Supporting recovery from trauma 

Within the time and resources we have available, and our charitable purposes, we will: 

• Work with parents to recognise and respond to the child, using a child led, solution-focused approach building on strengths, developing resilience, and reinforcing that children can thrive with support; 

• Collaborate and partner with a range of organisations to ensure children can access the support they need, when they need it; 

• Give children opportunities to learn how to “do” and “be in” positive relationships, through groups and other opportunities, with familiar trusted staff, and how to express their wants and needs to parents and others. 

Operational Procedures 

Key roles 

Getting to Know Children 

3.Listening to children and relating their views and needs 

4. Children in mediation 

Mediation is often short term, focused work, usually initiated by one parent or both. Mediation is governed by national codes of conduct and is carried out by qualified and regulated mediators.  

Sometimes, mediation may focus on “adult” themes and decisions in the parental relationship. It is not always the case that child involvement will be appropriate, and, in some cases, parents may not want this anyway. 

Because mediation is short term, there is less opportunity to spend time building relationships with children before involving them. However, mediations may occur when families use other services, such as Family Connections, as families progress towards co-parenting without third sector support. We may therefore know the children through these services. 

5.Children in Family Connections (child contact) 

6. Tools and resources for working with children

Tools and resources are introduced through training: 

Tool	Purpose	Process/ procedures
Play-based child consultation	To establish the child’s needs and views about meeting the parent that they no longer live with. Each child would have their own consultation. If siblings come together, they still get their own personal time.	The Children’s Worker explains our approach to the parent who lives at home with the child  The Children’s Worker meets the child (1-4 sessions, as needed). The Children’s Worker reports on the child’s views/needs in the child’s file on Oasis. The CW may make enquiries about other services the child is involved with. If contact is to proceed, the Children’s Worker  makes a Child’s Plan. The Regional Manager identifies the key worker taking the Child’s Plan forward. The Regional Manager and Children’s Worker collaborate on getting preparation sessions for parents and child underway.
Family Plan	This establishes the parent’s role and responsibilities. The parent living at home has a plan to prepare children for contact and support the child following contact when they may be unsettled. The parent not living at home also has a plan and responsibilities during the contact.	The Regional Manager and Parent Worker collaborate, preparing  sessions for parents. They identify a key worker to be the parent’s main contact for making the plan and following it in the sessions.
Child Contact	Child contact sessions use: DARA and Safety Plan Child’s Plan Family Plan And the scheduling tool to ensure space is booked in ways that keep parents safe from each other when this is necessary.	The Children’s Worker will ensure that each staff member at the centre is aware of the family’s needs and manage space and time effectively to reduce risk and ensure fun.  All staff will complete case notes to ensure that if new information emerges that would impact on safety, this is recorded and flagged for review by the Children’s Worker
Review / exit	Report template Parent interview template (and/or SurveyMonkey) implemented at the end or after the settling period. Parent/child legacy tools: Genograms Lifestory Letters Photostories	The review and exit process triggers: Reports to Sheriffs and Solicitors Emotional responses from all clients if their expectations could not be met or our decision on the best interests of the child is that our service cannot be delivered. Potentially positive responses if the service is progressing to the next stage / ongoing service. The Regional Manager and Children’s Worker: Records the views of parents or child Reports as required Arranges for progression into other services or outward referrals Plans and supports “positive endings” whenever possible Key workers contribute or lead, as appropriate

7. General principles 

• Although in most of our services, the parents are our first point of contact, children are our primary consideration.   In most cases, children benefit from safe contact with both parents. This supports healthy psychosocial development, a sense of belong in and their lifelong ability to engage positively in relationships. 
• High-conflict separation is damaging to children. Our role is not to blame or to judge, but to support and facilitate both parents to have a safe relationship with their child. 
• To facilitate stronger parent-child relationships, we need to build relationships with children and their parents. Parents’ rights, responsibilities, and caregiving roles, put them in the driving seat of change, for the benefit of their children.