Devon Safeguarding Digest – April 2025

A simple graphic featuring the Devon SCP logo and the words Devon Safeguarding Digest April 2025

Welcome to the April Devon Safeguarding Digest. This regular update will help you stay up to speed with safeguarding news and local policy changes.

Safeguarding reviews silent on Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has published a report on deaths and serious harm of 53 children from Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage backgrounds. Findings include:

  • Limited Attention to Race & Ethnicity and impact of racial bias on decision-making.
  • Hesitancy to address racism, making the needs of these children invisible.
  • Failure to acknowledge race and racism, leaving children vulnerable.

The report contains a number of recommendations for local areas to better protect Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children who are at risk of harm. Recommendations include:

  • Acknowledging and Challenging Racism: leaders should ensure internal structures are in place to support practitioners to recognise, discuss and challenge internal and institutional racism.
  • Empowering Practitioners: creating conditions that empower practitioners to discuss race/identity with children & families. This includes building skills & confidence and opportunities for self-reflection to address their own biases.
  • Reviewing Local Strategies: Child Safeguarding Partnerships should review their local strategies and approaches to addressing race, racism, and racial bias in their work with Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage children.

The full “It’s Silent”: Race, racism and safeguarding children report is available to read on the government website.

 

Doctors back total ban on smacking children in England

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has called for a complete ban on smacking children in England. Smacking is currently illegal except for cases where it amounts to a ‘reasonable punishment’.

Smacking children has already been made fully illegal in Scotland and Wales in the last five years.

 

DfE publishes analysis of 2023-24 safeguarding children partnerships reports

The analysis looks largely at partnerships’ reported progress towards compliance with Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, as well as other recurring themes across partnerships.

Key decisions and actions taken by partnerships include:

  • the implementation of review recommendations
  • strategic planning
  • governance changes
  • resource allocation
  • audits
  • stakeholder engagement

Recurring themes in reporting include:

  • professional curiosity
  • understanding children’s experiences
  • multi-agency collaboration
  • neglect
  • exploitation
  • domestic abuse
  • parental factors
  • vulnerable cohorts

Strategic priorities that are consistently highlighted are:

  • neglect
  • exploitation
  • domestic abuse
  • child mental health.

The full Yearly Reports Analysis is available on the government website.


Top