---

---

Welcome to SafeguardingChildren.co.uk

"Working to protect children from harm"

Welcome to the web site of the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board (NYSCB).

We believe that keeping children and young people safe is everybody's business.

With this in mind our website brings together information for children and young people, information for their families and information for anyone who works with them. It also provides an overview of the responsibilities, structure and work of North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board.

Using the website

Please use the menu headings to the left of the page to access the section of the site most relevant to you. You may, of course, also explore other areas of the website.

NEWS

News!! The North Yorkshire Child Protection Register is replaced by ICS

Many people will have heard of the Child Protection Register, often referred to in the media as the 'at risk register'. This is a record held by local authorities of children who have suffered significant harm and who are likely to suffer further harm if they do not have a child protection plan to help keep them safe.

Different agencies work with the child and their family to help make the child safe without the need for a child protection plan. At this point the name of the child is removed from the register. Having the child's name on the register is intended to make it easier for professionals coming into contact with the child to know that protection is in place.

As part of the development of the Integrated Children’s System (ICS), the government has decided that there is no need for local authorities to keep a separate Child Protection Register. The Integrated Children's System will include all of the functions of the Child Protection Register. Once ICS has been introduced and tested in North Yorkshire, the Child Protection Register will be phased out.

The tasks previously performed by the Child Protection Register remain a part of the ICS. All procedures to help keep children safe and to respond to situations when there is concern that a child may have suffered significant harm remain the same, including:

• The duty of the local authority to investigate concerns that a child has suffered or may suffer significant harm
• The requirement for an assessment of the child's needs
• The decision whether or not to hold a child protection conference
• The opportunity for parents to contribute to plans to keep their children safe.
• The duty of the Local Authority to review such plans regularly

However the language used will change.

GUIDANCE ON CHANGES IN TERMINOLOGY FROM

1ST APRIL 2008

A Government publication 'Working Together to Protect Children' (2006) requires that all Local Authorities discontinue use of the Child Protection Register by 31 March 2008 at the latest. This means that the terminology will change in all documents and meetings regarding Child Protection Conferences. The leaflets and information relating to conferences which are provided to parents and children will also be altered in due course to reflect the new terms.

INTEGRATED CHILDREN’S SYSTEM (ICS) is used by Children's Social Care staff.

It has been developed by the Government as a single approach to working with children and their families who need a service and is based on an understanding of children’s developmental needs, and their parents’ capacities to respond to those needs in the context of their families and communities. This approach is underpinned by an electronic system which features a working case record for each child receiving a service from North Yorkshire Children's Social Care (formerly Children's Social Services).

The system will also allow social workers to check if a child has a child protection plan themselves instead of telephoning the Children's Social Care Central Database. Other agencies will continue to check whether or not a child has a child protection plan by telephoning the Children's Social Care Central Database on the same telephone number previously used for the Child Protection Register.

ICS is intended to strengthen the processes for protecting children and assist better information sharing.