I work with Children & Young People

Warwickshire Contextual Safeguarding Meetings

Contextual Safeguarding involves keeping children safe outside of their homes. It can include child exploitation and other forms of harm. WSCP is looking to develop a network of champions to support us in these areas and act as leads within organisations. Champions will receive free training opportunities, networking, and access to resources. WSCP asks each organisation (service area within larger organisations) to have a Contextual Safeguarding Champion. The purpose of the Contextual Safeguarding Champion role is to:

• Be a key contact for staff within an organisation/department to go to for support and advice in relation to contextual safeguarding and extra familial harm.

• Be a key contact for WSCP to share updates, resources and examples of good practice.

• To raise awareness, disseminate resources and information in relation to contextual safeguarding and extra familial harm within their organisation.

• To be curious about missing episodes where these are identified alongside other contextual safeguarding and extra familial harm indicators.

For further information, please see the leaflet in the link below.

Contextual Safeguarding Champion

The link to the Contextual Safeguarding Meeting Referral Form is below:

Link to Contextual Safeguarding Meeting Referral Form

If you would like to become a Contextual Safeguarding Champion, please complete the referral form below.

Link to Contextual Safeguarding Champions Referral Form

Further information on exploitation can be found here:

Child Exploitation

Could You Spot Child Exploitation?

Child Exploitation Awareness Day 2024

Child Accident Prevention

Many accidents are a part of growing up and children need to explore and experiment within their environments. Minor accidents can be part of an active, healthy childhood.

However, did you know that accidents are the leading cause of death and serious injury in children and young people. Sadly, many of these accidents can be prevented and the solution is often something that can become part of a daily routine.

For some children involved in serious accidents, the outcome can have a lasting impact on their health and alter the course of their lives forever. Furthermore, the family and friends around the child can experience trauma, pain and guilt that can last for years, if not a lifetime.

What might make a child more at risk of an accidental injury?

Children can be at a greater than average risk of injury from accidents if they:

Are under the age of 5 years (under-5s are more likely to be injured by accidents within the home).
Are over the age of 11 (over-11s are more likely to be injured in accidents relating to roads and traffic).
Have a disability or impairment (physical or learning).
Live within a family on a low income.
Live in a single parent household.
Live in accommodation which potentially puts the more at risk, including factors such as multiple occupied housing and social and privately rented housing.

What can professionals do?

Professionals can make a real difference to child safety and even save lives by doing something that might seem small, such as speaking about a particular issue or educating parents and carers they are working with about risks inside or outside the home where accidents may happen.

Below is a selection resources that can be shared with parents and carers and used to support professionals to have conversations to highlight the risks of accidents occurring in and out of the home:

+ - Burns and Scalds Click to collapse

Did you know?

95% of all childhood burns and scalds happen at home. Most are caused in the day-to-day situations that many parents don’t anticipate, like children reaching a hot drink or grabbing hair straighteners.
Young children don’t automatically pull away from something that’s burning them.

Safe from burns fact sheet*

Burns and scalds

+ - Choking, Strangulation, and Suffocation Click to collapse

Did you know?

Each day around 40 under-5s are rushed to hospital after choking on something or swallowing something dangerous. Food is the most likely cause, but small objects and toys can also be risky for young children.
30 babies and toddlers have died from blind cord strangulation in the last 15 years.
Asphyxia (which also includes choking and strangulation) is the third most common cause of child accident deaths in the UK. Most of these accidents happen to children under 5.

Choking, strangulation, and suffocation fact sheet*

Choking

Strangulation

Suffocation

+ - Dogs Click to collapse

Did you know?

Because of the heights of children and dogs, children are more likely to be bitten on the head and face area (76 per cent bites to lips, nose, or cheeks), and therefore suffer more serious, life-threatening injuries than adults who are bitten (10 per cent bites to head or neck)
Any breed of dog can pose a risk of causing an injury to a person, however there are four breeds currently outlawed in the UK, these include: Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, DogoArgentino and Fila Brasileiro.
Any dog with even the mildest temperament can bite in any given situation and children are often bitten by dogs they know within their own home or those of family members and friends

Dogs and Children: CAPT's top tips to keep them safe and happy together

Child safety around dogs - Fact Sheet

Your dog and a new baby - Fact Sheet

+ - Falls Click to collapse

Did you know?

Every day, 45 children under five are admitted to hospital following a serious fall. Stumbles are to be expected, but more serious falls which lead to head injuries can have a lifelong impact.
Falls are one of the most common causes of childhood accidents.
Falls are also a serious risk for older children. Each year, around 27,000 children aged 5-14 are admitted to hospital after a fall.

Free from falls fact sheet*

Falls

+ - Fire Safety Click to collapse

Did you know?

Last year, 215 people lost their lives due to a fire at home. Many of these tragedies could have been prevented.
You are 8 times more likely to die from a fire if you don't have a working smoke alarm in your house.
The simplest and most effective way to prevent death and injury from house fires is to have a working smoke alarm on every level of the home.

Fire safe families fact sheet*

Fire safety

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) provide free safe and well visits (previously called a home fire safety check) to help people stay safe and reduce the risk of fire in the home.

During the visit WFRS will provide fire safety advice, check that smoke alarms are working and replace/install new ones if needed.
If you would like to apply for a safe and well visit or would like further information on fire safety, visit: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/firesafety

+ - Poisoning Click to collapse

Did you know?

Child-resistant tops and strip and blister packs for tablets help to slow children down but they are not childproof.
Swallowing medicines, like everyday painkillers that you might keep in your handbag or bedside cabinet, is the most common way for children to be poisoned.
The detergent capsules and concentrated liquids under the kitchen sink can harm children too – they can cause accidental poisoning but also squirt into the eyes and cause damage. The capsules come in boxes that aren’t child-resistant.

Prevent poisoning fact sheet*

Poisoning

E-Cigarettes

+ - Road Safety Click to collapse

Did you know?

More than half of serious accidents happen between 3pm and 7pm, coinciding with after-school hours.
Children find it difficult judging the speed and distance of traffic until they’re at least 8 years old.
Accidents peak around age 12 when children are starting to make independent journeys, such as walking to school alone.
Children and young people are 3.5 times more likely to die if hit by a car doing between 30-40 mph.

Safe around roads fact sheet*

In car safety

Pedestrian safety

+ - Staying Safe around Water Click to collapse

Did you know?

A drowning child can’t speak or control their arms. They slip quietly under the water.
At home, younger children are most likely to drown in the bath or garden pond.
Babies drown silently in as little as 5 cm of water.
Older children can still get into difficulties when swimming in open water, beaches and public swimming pools. They may over-estimate how strong a swimmer they are or under-estimate risks in the sea or open water.

Watch out in water fact sheet*

Drowning

+ - Ice Safety Click to collapse

Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service are urging people to take extra care while walking or playing near frozen bodies of water. Whilst the lake or body of water may look frozen, it may not be solid enough to hold any weight and in situations involving pets, where people go in to rescue them, or children who may not see the dangers present, the situation can quickly change.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service are encouraging parents and carers to talk to children about the dangers of frozen bodies of water and why it is important for them to stay safe to avoid tragedy.

“Our advice is to keep away from frozen water and enjoy the winter weather safely.”

Read the full statement here

The following article contains helpful advice for site managers on how to avoid ice related injury - RoSPA Advice

Further Child Accident Prevention Information

Further information regarding child accident prevention and signposting to expert advice is available via the following links:

Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT)

NHS - Children’s Health

*All fact sheets have been translated into Urdu, Bengali, Panjabi, Polish and Arabic and can be accessed HERE.

Easy read resources: coroners inquests for people with a learning disability and family carers

The ‘Stop People with a Learning Disability Dying Too Young group’ have published easy to read resources about coroners and inquests for people with a learning disability. These resources have been made available to help people with learning disabilities and family carers to better understand the role of coroners and purpose of an inquest:

Safer Sleep

Safer Sleep for babies saves lives!

Although sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is now very rare, over 200 babies still die every year.

The work to promote safer sleep for babies arose after studies found that deaths might have been prevented if parents, carers and wider family members had an increased awareness of safer sleep guidelines.

+ - What is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome? Click to collapse

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) – sometimes known as "cot death" – is the sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby.

+ - What causes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome? Click to collapse

The exact cause of SIDS is unknown, but babies who die of SIDS are thought to have problems in the way they respond to certain stresses and how they regulate their heart rate, breathing and temperature.

+ - How can the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome be reduced? Click to collapse

Many professionals who work with families believe that safer sleep is a conversation that only Health Visitors should be having with new parents and carers, however, whether you work in social care, housing or the police, your role is crucial when it comes to identifying and responding to the risks of SIDS.

By all professionals playing their part and talking to families and supporting them with understanding how to avoid the specific risks for their baby, they can help to reduce the number of babies dying of SIDS.

To help professionals in identify where babies are most at risk of SIDS, and for advice on steps that can be taken to prevent this, the following guide and reference card has been developed for professionals from all agencies to use when working with new parents and carers of babies:

Remember: Don’t forget Dad!

Dads often have a key role in the care of their baby, in some cases they are the primary carer. It is therefore crucial they understand how to reduce the risk of SIDS and sleep their baby safely.

A recent survey commissioned by The Lullaby Trust has found that less than a third of dads are being given information on the basic steps they can take to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

Research also showed that the bulk of information and support offered to new parents was aimed primarily at mothers, and therefore health teams in conjunction with Berkshire West and East Berkshire CCG’s developed the following short film for new dads as part of the Lift the Baby campaign:

The Lullaby Trust

The Lullaby Trust are a national charity who provide lifesaving advice to help parents, carers and professionals reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and provide a support service for families who experience the sudden loss of a baby or young child.

Below are some quick guides for professionals, parents and carers, however a range of further resources are available to access via the Lullaby Trust’s website to support the promotion of safer sleep for babies:

For learning from local safeguarding reviews see:

* The Safer Sleep Guide for Practitioners has been developed with thanks to Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership and Nottingham City Safeguarding Children Partnership

'Jades HARP' A multi-agency reflective learning tool kit for responding to child deaths

Jades HARP is a multi-agency reflective learning tool kit for ensuring the right response for parents is engaged when a sudden and unexpected death occurs in infancy and childhood. This has been developed in Memory of Jade Louise Scarrott.

The toolkit is a part of Coventry and Warwickshire's practitioner reflective toolkits to help us all engage with our reflective role in learning from death. With the help of Jade's mother and local services, this toolkit has been produced for all services involved in 'Sudden and Unexpected Deaths' to reflect on their involvement and contribution.