This chapter has been updated to reflect local and national guidance.

This chapter has been updated to link to the digital referral system for Reporting Modern Slavery, and a link has been added in Further Information to the statutory guidance Modern Slavery: how to identify and support victims has been added to the manual in July 2018. This guidance replaces Duty to Notify the Home Office of potential victims of modern slavery:

• Victims of modern slavery: frontline staff guidance;
• Victims of modern slavery: competent authority guidance.

• Child Sexual Exploitation - A Framework for Professionals Working with Children who Experience, or are at Risk of, Sexual Exploitation;
• Children whose Behaviour Indicates a Lack of Parental Control;
• Children's Homes Protocol - Knowsley.

• Serious Case Review Process Practice Guidance.

This chapter has been amended to highlight that any settlement or agreement for a person to resign must not prevent a referral to the DBS to consider whether to add the individual to the barred list. It is an offence to fail to make a referral without good reason (see Resignations and Settlement Agreements). Note also teachers should be reported to the teachers Regulating Agency, (see Referral to DBS or Regulatory Body).

When a child is known to social services and is a Looked After Child or on a Child Protection Plan, basic information about that plan is shared securely with the NHS. If that child attends an NHS unscheduled care setting, such as an emergency department or a minor injury unit:

• The health team is alerted that they are on a plan and has access to the contact details for the Social Care team;
• The Social Care team is automatically notified that the child has attended; and
• Both parties can see details of the child's previous 25 visits to unscheduled care settings in England.

This procedure is concerned with children arriving into the UK:

• Alone;
• In the care of adults who, whilst they may be their carers, have no Parental Responsibility for them;
• In the care of adults who have no documents to demonstrate a relationship with the child;
• In the care of agents.

This is a broad cohort of children, and it may include (but is not limited to) children who have been subject to trafficking and/or modern slavery, and/or may have been exposed to the additional risks of commercial, sexual or domestic exploitation. It may also include children who have been trafficked internally within the UK.

Part 1 of this chapter covers issues which will apply across this cohort.

This broad ranging and strategic chapter recognises key issues and themes across a range of safeguarding concerns around sexual and criminal exploitations – including radicalisation. The protocol highlights the use of the Multi-agency Child Exploitation meeting (MACE) to reduce harm to children who experience this. The chapter also establishes the aims and purpose of the protocol, together with a set of principles and describes the roles of the agencies in MACE.

This chapter links to the Children's Services Manual; links to:

• North West ADCS Pre-care and Care Proceedings - Notification and Transfer across Local Authority Boundaries Procedure;
• North West Children in Need Moving across Local Authority Boundaries Procedures: and,
• North West Notification and Transfer of Children Subject of Child Protection Plans across Local Authority Boundaries Procedure, have all been updated.

This chapter has been updated to add a new section Further Information which provides additional material and guidance:

• DfE, Child abuse concerns: guide for practitioners (2015);
• Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse;
• Barnardos - Child Sexual Exploitation – resources and research on CSE;
• Child sexual exploitation: Practice Tool (2017);
• Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation: Progress Report - gives an update on action the government is taking to deal with child sexual exploitation (2017);
• Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation: A Resource Pack for Councils includes case studies; Child Sexual Abuse – The Children's Commissioner.

This Chapter has been updated by adding a link to 'GOV.UK, Domestic abuse: a resource for health professionals (2017)'. This resource aims to support continuing improvement in the response from health and care services and allied healthcare partners. Note it replaces the 'DoH Handbook for health professionals (2005)' and 'Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual for Health Care Professionals (2006)' and 'Improving Safety, Reducing Harm: CYP and DV – a toolkit (2010)'.

The benefits of owning pets are well established. Having a pet can have physical and emotional benefits for a child as well as teaching them about responsibility and caring for living creatures. However, a number of children of different ages have been seriously injured or have died from attacks by dogs in recent years.

Young babies are particularly vulnerable to abuse, and early assessment, intervention and support work carried out during the antenatal period can help minimise any potential risk of harm. This procedure sets out how to respond to concerns for unborn babies, with an emphasis on clear and regular communication between professionals working with the woman, the father / partner and the family.

It is part of the Child Death Overview Panel's role to review information on all child deaths and make appropriate recommendations where appropriate. This chapter is provided to assist all professionals in giving consistent advice and messages to parents with regard to sleeping arrangements for young children.

This chapter has been amended by adding an Appendix to the 'Children's Safeguarding Services – Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub Operational Procedures'. This substantial guide provides comprehensive information on:

• The roles of staff;
• The interface with Early Help and Children's Social Care;
• The processes within MASH, including prioritising work and actions;
• Initiating section 47 Enquiries; Dispute Resolution procedures; and
• A range of appendices highlighting key 'pathways' etc.

Working agreements are commonly used by social workers and other professionals when working with families, to promote safeguarding for children. It is highlighted that whilst these are useful tools, they are more effective in some scenarios than others and the chapter highlights key principles for drawing them up.

This chapter provides links to recommended ADCS regional procedures for transferring children and families across local authority boundaries.

Please note new keywords for:

• Child Trafficking Advocate;
• Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order;
• Slavery and Trafficking Risk Order.

This Knowsley Council and KSCP guidance provides information about sexual exploitation, the roles and responsibilities of relevant agencies and the procedures practitioners should follow to ensure the safety and well-being of children and young people who it is suspected have been sexually exploited.

The chapter emphasises the importance multi-agency working and provides relevant additional reading and tools to assist decision-making.

This new chapter relates to all children's homes operating in Knowsley where there is a concern with the home, such that requires improvement with regard to its standards in safeguarding, caring and working with children.

The Protocol reflects the Director's role and responsibility for children in the Borough of Knowsley and identifies three levels of concerns.

The Protocol identifies key stages and processes for improvement and a matrix that highlights the thresholds/scenarios that reflect the levels of concern. Work on improvement is overseen by the Strategic Care Homes Governance group.

This document describes the process for the 'step-up' of families from Early Help, Level 3 family support services (Family First 0-18 Service) to Children's Social Care.

The 'step-down' of families from Child in Need support to Early Help Level 3 family support services (Family First 0-18 Service) and partners providing Level 2 family support (such as Schools and Health) from Children's Social Care.

This chapter, (developed on a multi-agency basis), recognises the concern that exists with regard to children and young people who are used, through whatever means, to engage in criminal activity by other young people or adults who are able to coerce them to do so. The young people involved may not identify themselves as being 'exploited' as such, but it is clearly to their detriment that they do so.

This chapter has been updated by updating the 'Pan Cheshire/Merseyside Child Exploitation Multi Agency Strategy to 2014 – 17'. Additionally, information has been added in 'Preventing Sexual Exploitation' with regard to 'The Serious Crime Act  (2015)' (which makes it an offence of sexual communication with a child) and the Child Sex Offender Review (CSOR) Disclosure Scheme (designed to provide members of the public with a formal mechanism to ask for disclosure about people they are concerned about, who have unsupervised access to children and may therefore pose a risk).

A section on Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPO) and the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) has been added (see Section 4.1, Domestic Violence Protection Orders and Section 4.2, Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme ('Clare's Law')). With DVPOs, a perpetrator can be banned with immediate effect from returning to a residence and from having contact with the victim for up to 28 days.

This chapter has replaced a number of previously existing chapters around child protection assessments and conferences. It seeks to establish, through 14 standards, clear practice expectations and requirements for all practitioners working in this area. The chapter also includes a dispute resolution process to enable concerns and differences between professionals to be dealt with outside of the 'escalation procedure' and includes a proforma.

This is a comprehensive chapter which deals with inappropriate and harmful sexual behaviour, drawing upon research and practice. Research has identified this behaviour has received poor attention and priority on a multi-agency basis and there has been a low reaction when there has been resistance by the young person and/or family. This is an area where all agencies working with children need to ensure there is a carefully and balanced response with regard to 'experimentation', 'inappropriate' and 'harmful' behaviours – and also acknowledges that this itself is sometimes difficult to judge.

• Immediate Protection;
• Strategy Discussions/Meetings;
• Section 47 Enquiries;
• Investigative Interview of a Child;
• Medical Examination of a Child;
• The Outcome of Section 47 Enquiries;
• The Initial Child Protection Conference;
• Involving the Child and Family Members;
• Chairing the Child Protection Conference;
• Actions and Decisions for the Child Protection Conference;
• The Outline Child Protection Plan;
• The Role of the Lead Social Worker and their Supervisor;
• The Core Group;
• The Child Protection Plan;
• The Child Protection Review Conference;
• Child Death Overview Panel - Operational Procedures;
• Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood (for Children aged 2 to 18).