Child Protection Procedures - East Ayrshire Council

(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
Information taken by Reception on possible child protection referrals
that are not open for assessment with child care should be passed to
Reception Services social worker/team leader for initial screening
before passing to Duty Children and Families Team Leader.
The responsible Social Worker will record the referral details on the
appropriate form and check departmental records (including the
Criminal Justice Team and Community Care Teams as appropriate)
to see if the family is already known.
The responsible Social Worker will contact the Child Protection
Register both local and central to determine if the child is on the
Child Protection Register
The Team Leader will decide if a formal investigation should be
undertaken and will indicate whether checks with agencies at this
stage are required with or without the parents knowledge or consent.
Referrals on allocated cases should be taken by the allocated social
worker unless he/she is not available, then their Team Leader or the
Duty Children and Families Team Leader should be contacted. The
Duty Children and Families Team Leader should liaise with the Team
Leader for the allocated case. If he/she is not available then the Duty
Children and Families Leader should assume responsibility for the
investigation.
If the child has been killed or seriously injured or if ‘organised’ abuse
is suspected, the Team Leader will inform the Director of Education
and Social Services and/or the Head of Social Work and/or the
Principal Officer (Children, Families and Criminal Justice).
(i)
(j)
(k)
(l)
In consultation with a Team Leader the responsible Social Worker
and their line manager will take any immediate action necessary to
secure urgent medical treatment or to remove the child from
imminent harm.
The Team Leader will liaise with the Police and, where appropriate
and practicable, arrange a planning meeting. There should however
be no unnecessary delay in initiating an investigation if arranging a
planning meeting is proving difficult.
Where joint interviews are agreed to be appropriate, these will be
conducted as prescribed in Section 8, Paragraph 8.2
Parents will always be informed prior to the child being interviewed,
unless there is a demonstrable risk to the child of further harm. The
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