Child protection

Framework of legislation and practice meant to prevent and protect children from abuse and harm

child-protection
child protective services
child protection policies
protection of children
child protection legislation

knowledge

cross-sector

Child protection is an essential knowledge of the following occupations:

Foster care support worker: Foster care support workers assist and support mentally or physically abused children to be legally separated from their parents. They help them to recover by placing them in appropriate families and making sure that the children welfare is a priority.
Child welfare worker: Child welfare workers provide early intervention and support to children and their families in order to improve their social and psychological functioning. They aim to maximise the family well-being and protect children from abuse and neglect. They advocate for children so that their rights are respected within and outside the family. They may assist single parents or find foster homes for abandoned or abused children.
Child day care worker: Child day care workers provide social services to children and their families in order to improve their social and psychological functioning. They aim to maximise family’s well-being by caring of children during the day.
Youth offending team worker: Youth offending team workers support young offenders by preventing them from reoffending, counselling them for behavioural changes, referring them to agencies that provide housing, helping them back into education, involving them in constructive activities, visiting them when located in secure institutions and assessing future risks.
Child care coordinator: Child care coordinators organise child care services, activities and events after the school hours and during school hoildays. They assist in the development of children by implementing care programmes. Child care coordinators also entertain children and maintain a safe environment for the children.
Child day care centre manager: Child day care centre managers provide social services to children and their families. They supervise and support child care workers and manage the childcare facilities. Child day care centre managers have the responsibility for strategic and operational leadership and management of staff teams and resources within and or across child care services.

Child protection is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this knowledge may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Social worker: Social workers are practice-based professionals who promote social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. They interact with individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities in order to provide various forms of therapy and counselling, group work, and community work. Social workers guide people to use services to claim benefits, access community resources, find jobs and training, obtain legal advice or deal with other local authority departments.
Social care worker: Social care workers provide support and help people with care services. They help people to live full and valued lives in the community. They assist babies, young children, adolescents, adults and older adults.They attend to the psychological, social, emotional and physical needs of service users. They work in a large variety of settings with individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities.
Social services manager: Social services managers have the responsibility for strategic and operational leadership and management of staff teams and resources within and or across social services. They are responsible for the implementation of legislation and policies relating to, for example, decisions about vulnerable people. They promote social work and social care values and ethics, equality and diversity, and relevant codes guiding practice. They are responsible for liaising with other professionals in criminal justice, education and health. They can be responsible for contributing to local and national policy development.

References

1. Child protection – ESCO