Revised safeguarding guidance published by Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D

Bexley SHIELD, Bexley’s Safeguarding Partnership for Children and Young People, has revised its document   Effective Support for Children, Young People and Families in Bexley, first published in 2017.  The main change is the addition of a directory of Bexley services in Appendix 1.

The document gives shared multi-agency guidance to help practitioners working with children, young people and their families to provide additional and early help, intensive and specialist support. It emphasises the importance of making sure children, young people and their families get the right support at the earliest opportunity, with the aim of ensuring that problems do not escalate. It promotes the importance of consultation and advice between professionals including consultation with social workers in the MASH.

Effective Support for Children, Young People and Families in Bexley explains the criteria for providing help to children, young people, families and carers.  It should be considered as the local ‘threshold document’ required by statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children 2018  and be read in parallel to that guidance.