Wokingham

The Wokingham Local Safeguarding Children’s Board along with services from across Berkshire are ensuring they are putting children first after new procedures for people who work with children were launched across the county on Wednesday (20 September).

The new procedures aim to ensure all children are kept safe and are fully compliant with the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance (2006) and the Children’s Act (2004). Wokingham District Council led the work on behalf of the six unitary authorities in Berkshire and all six are now signed up to the procedures.

Wendy Woodcock, corporate head of Wokingham children’s services, said: “These new procedures make child protection and broader safeguarding of children everyone’s concern. There is a strong emphasis on multi-disciplinary working and information sharing, and stricter timescales for moving through the child protection procedures. The new procedures very much outline clear processes for everyone who works or comes into contact with children and their families. I welcome these changes, which fully support the ambitions of the district’s children and young people’s plan”.

Cllr Frank Browne, executive member for Wokingham children’s services, said: “ One of our priorities in our children and young people’s plan, which has been developed in conjunction with our partners, is to ensure children stay safe. We aim to prevent and protect children and young people from harm and neglect. These procedures will go a long way to ensuring this will happen and the document sets out step by step the procedures that we all need to follow. The way in which children are kept safe will be the same across the county by all health and social care professionals.”

The procedures offer a step by step guide to what someone should do if they are concerned about the welfare of a child, as well as ensuring all agencies and organisations delivering services to families in Berkshire understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to child protection.

The new procedures will be available across Berkshire from October 1 through each local council’s child protection co-ordinator. The new procedures for the Wokingham district will also be available on www.wokingham.gov.uk from October 1.

Wokingham District Council