What is the threshold for significant harm?

What is the threshold for significant harm?

There is no statutory definition of significant harm. “Harm” is defined as: Ill treatment. The impairment of physical or mental health (including that suffered from seeing or hearing another person suffer ill treatment).

How do you define significant harm?

1. The Definition of Significant Harm

1. Harm means ill-treatment or impairment of health or development including for example impairment suffered from seeing or hearing the ill-treatment of another;*
2. Development means physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development;

Who decides whether a child is or may be suffering from significant harm?

local authority
Under section 47 of the Children Act 1989, where a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that a child (who lives or is found in their area) is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm, it has a duty to make such enquiries as it considers necessary to decide whether to take any action to safeguard or …

What are risk of harm indicators?

Signs in children or young people low weight for age and failure to thrive and develop. untreated physical problems, such as sores, serious nappy rash and urine scalds, dental decay. poor standards of hygiene, for example child or young person consistently unwashed. poor complexion and hair texture.

What are the 4 threshold levels?

The levels are depicted as follows:

• Level 1 Universal Services.
• Level 2 Early help for children with emerging problems.
• Level 3 Child in Need (section 17 Children Act 1989)
• Level 4 Statutory / Child Protection.

What is the threshold that justifies compulsory intervention in family life?

To justify compulsory intervention in a family’s life there must be something unusual – at least something more than the common-place human failure or inadequacy of parents. All agencies share responsibility for the protection of children but social services is the lead agency.

What is a Section 47?

A Section 47 enquiry means that CSC must carry out an investigation when they have ‘reasonable cause to suspect that a child who lives, or is found, in their area is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm’1. The aim is to decide whether any action should be taken to safeguard the child.

What happens with a section 47?

What should you avoid if a child makes a disclosure?

Don’t:

• promise confidentiality.
• ask leading or probing questions.
• investigate.
• repeatedly question or ask the girl to repeat the disclosure.
• discuss the disclosure with people who do not need to know.
• delay in reporting the disclosure to the Safeguarding team.