Neglect strategy 'will help improve children's safety'

Work on a new child neglect strategy will help improve the situation for children in the Channel Islands, a report says.

The 2020 annual report by the islands' Safeguarding Children's Partnership has focused on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and how children's safety was to be improved in longer term.

It said the year's achievements included a multi-agency audit to "develop practice in identifying and addressing harmful sexual behaviours".

It also said the new neglect strategy had "been finalised and will shortly be launched", ensuring "that professionals, the public and politicians and committees are aware and have knowledge of the impact that neglect can have".

According to the report, partnership chairwoman Sarah Elliot said the Covid pandemic, while bringing challenges, had "also brought opportunities to strengthen partnership working".

It added that, for 2021, partners were continuing to build on the "sharp focus" the pandemic had encouraged, highlighting "the importance of effective multi-agency working to ensure vulnerable children and families can continue to be protected".

It also said an adult safeguarding partnership was formed to "enable a more joined-up approach for families and vulnerable adults as well as focussing multi-agency attention on specific areas of risk".

The report also noted a slight decrease in children on the child protection register.

It said in 2020, taking into account registrations and de-registrations, there were a total of 139 children on the register at any point during the year, compared to 144 in 2019.

It added that police continued to be the main agency for child referrals, with the education sector making the next highest level of referrals, but there had been an increase in reports "from other agencies".