Care safeguarding systems
Absence of effective systems to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm, including failures in reporting suspected abuse.
342 items
1 source
11 inquiries
Source spread
Where this theme appears
Care safeguarding systems has been flagged across 1 independent accountability source:
342 inquiry recs
This theme has been identified in one data source. As more data is added, cross-references may emerge.
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Inquiry Recommendations (342) — showing 50 strongest matches
96 — Refuge provision and definition of places of safety
Recommendation: Consideration should be given to a possible provision for refuge for children and to a possible amendment of the definition of ‘places of safety’ (17.33).
Unknown
92 — Sheriff to resolve disputes on visits
Recommendation: Any dispute regarding visits by professionals to a child should be resolved by application to the Sheriff (17.30).
Unknown
90 — Sheriff to regulate access
Recommendation: The Sheriff should be empowered to regulate access to a child in a place of safety and should be obliged to consider that matter when the case first comes before him or her after the granting of the Order (17.26-27) …
Unknown
84 — Pilot scheme for enhanced safeguarder role
Recommendation: A pilot scheme should be run in order to try out an enhanced role of a safeguarder in cases of child protection before further consideration is given to the possible development of a Child’s Advocate (17.17).
Unknown
83 — Powers of curators ad litem
Recommendation: Where curators ad litem are appointed their specific powers should be stated in the interlocutor of their appointment (17.16).
Unknown
82 — Consider appointing a safeguarder
Recommendation: In every case when a child is removed under a Child Protection Order the appointment of a safeguarder must be considered at the time of the granting of the Order or if the appointment is not then made at any …
Unknown
81 — Sufficient supply of safeguarders
Recommendation: All local authorities should explore the sufficiency of their supply of persons able and willing to serve in the capacity of safeguarders and if that supply is deficient should take steps to recruit a greater number and arrange training for …
Unknown
80 — Independent person to protect child's interests
Recommendation: In all cases of Child Protection Orders there should be an opportunity for the appointment of an independent person with a role wider than that of the present safeguarder to protect the child’s interests (17.10-12).
Unknown
76 — Constable to intimate removal likewise
Recommendation: Correspondingly any constable or other person removing a child should give a like intimation to the Social Work Department (17.6).
Unknown
75 — Intimate removal to Social Work Department
Recommendation: Any Order authorising the removal of a child should require the person so authorised to intimate the removal and the whereabouts of the child to the appropriate Social Work Department (17.5).
Unknown
74 — Procedures to resolve welfare disputes
Recommendation: Procedures should be provided for the resolution of any disputes regarding the welfare of the child either by the Sheriff or by the Children’s Hearing, depending on which of them has last given directions regarding the child (17.4).
Unknown
73 — Sheriff powers where consents not given
Recommendation: Where consents are required for matters of the care of the child, for interviewing or for examination and parental consents are not forthcoming, specific powers should be obtained from the Sheriff (17.3).
Unknown
72 — Local authority obligations under section 20
Recommendation: When a child is removed under a Child Protection Order the local authority should be under the same obligations as are set out in Section 20(1) and (2) of the Act of 1968 (17.1-2).
Unknown
71 — Guidance on Interim Protection Orders
Recommendation: Guidance should be given on the matters to be considered before resort is had to an Interim Protection Order (16.46).
Unknown
70 — Intimation of Interim Protection Order application
Recommendation: The application for an Interim Protection Order should be intimated to the child and to the parent and they should be given an opportunity to object to it (16.45).
Unknown
69 — Interim Protection Orders
Recommendation: A procedure should be introduced for application to the Sheriff to obtain any of a wide range of Orders as may be appropriate in the circumstances either for purposes of investigation or for the immediate protection of a child pending …
Unknown
68 — No special forms on removal
Recommendation: No special forms need be required when a child is removed to a place of safety but where occasion permits the Reception into Care Forms should be completed as far as possible to reflect the information available (16.42).
Unknown
60 — Three day enforcement period
Recommendation: Child Protection Orders should be enforceable only within a period of three days only from the date of the grant (16.33).
Unknown
59 — Concealing child's address from parent
Recommendation: Where the address of the child or children should be concealed from the parent a specific Order should be made to that effect at the time of the grant of the Order with or without a limit on the period …
Unknown
58 — Supplementary Orders when Order granted
Recommendation: On the occasion of the grant of a Child Protection Order such authorisations or supplementary Orders as may be appropriate to the circumstances should also be granted (16.31).
Unknown
56 — Reporter's power to return the child
Recommendation: The Reporter’s existing power to have the child returned should continue but should be qualified in its exercise by the proviso that the return of the child would not expose the child to the risk of significant harm (16.29).
Unknown
55 — Immediate opportunity to vary or cancel
Recommendation: The child and his or her parent or guardian should have an immediate opportunity to have the Order varied or cancelled by the Sheriff (16.28).
Unknown
54 — Order to state its grounds
Recommendation: The Order should contain a brief statement of the grounds on which it was granted in addition to the other necessary details (16.27).
Unknown
53 — Written statement of grounds
Recommendation: At the time of making the application or within forty-eight hours thereafter a written statement of facts setting out the grounds for the perceived risk to the child should be prepared and presented to the Sheriff or JP (16.25) The …
Unknown
52 — Standard form of application
Recommendation: A simple standard form should be designed for applications for Child Protection Orders in Scotland (16.24).
Unknown
51 — Amend Criminal Procedure Act terminology
Recommendation: Consideration should be given to the possible amendment of Sections 14 and 323 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 so as to bring their terminology into accord with the revised provisions of Section 37(2) of the Act of 1968 …
Unknown
50 — No change to who may remove a child
Recommendation: No change should be made so far as concerns the definition of the persons who may remove a child to a place of safety (16.22).
Unknown
48 — Orders from Sheriff or JP
Recommendation: Child Protection Orders should be obtained either from a Sheriff or a JP but where the case is one of suspected sexual abuse the Order should if practicable be obtained from a Sheriff (16.20).
Unknown
47 — Two sources of evidence not necessary
Recommendation: Guidance should state for the avoidance of doubt that evidence from two or more separate sources is not a formal necessity for the obtaining of a Child Protection Order (16.19).
Unknown
46 — Standard of satisfaction for Sheriff or JP
Recommendation: The Sheriff or JP granting the Order must be satisfied on the whole material which is placed before him or her that there is reasonable cause to believe that the child is likely to suffer significant harm if the child …
Unknown
45 — Evidence sufficient to secure retention
Recommendation: Where there is a likelihood of harm continuing to the child if he or she is not retained in care the evidence for a Child Protection Order should be sufficient to give a reasonable expectation of securing such retention after …
Unknown
41 — New name for Place of Safety Order
Recommendation: To avoid confusion a name other than ‘Place of Safety Order’ or the corresponding English Order should be adopted and the title ‘Child Protection Order’ is used for convenience (16.13)
Unknown
40 — Removal as last resort
Recommendation: Removal of a child should be recognised as a course to be considered where no alternative exists and the urgency of the risk requires it (16.9). Caution must be exercised (16.10). The gravity of the threat has to be considered …
Unknown
37 — Rewrite section 37(2) removal power
Recommendation: Section 37(2) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 should be re-written so as expressly to empower removal of a child where the child is likely to suffer imminent and significant harm of any kind and the removal is necessary …
Unknown
28 — Local authority child abuse guidelines
Recommendation: All local authorities should have guidelines for the management of cases of child abuse consistent with and in the context of national guidelines (15.57).
Unknown
24 — Sheriff power to exclude suspected abuser
Recommendation: Consideration should be given to empowering a Sheriff to order a suspected abuser to be excluded from contact with a child where abuse is suspected (15.51).
Unknown
8 — Treat allegations seriously but test them
Recommendation: Where allegations are made by a child regarding sexual abuse those allegations should be treated seriously, should not necessarily be accepted as true but should be examined and tested by whatever means are available before they are used as the …
Unknown
7 — Keep an open mind when investigating
Recommendation: Those involved in investigating allegations of child sexual abuse must keep an open mind and not fall into the trap of confusing the taking of what a child says seriously with believing what the child has said (15.22).
Unknown
9 — Suspicion of Deliberate Harm Protocol and guidance
Recommendation: Protocol i. By 31 March 2027, NHS England must produce and distribute a one-page protocol setting out the steps to be taken by managers when concerns or suspicions are raised that a healthcare professional may have deliberately harmed a patient. …
Words of: Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, oral statement to the House of Commons, 15 September 2026 (text as published on GOV.UK)
Gov response: On the crucial issue of safeguarding, just as Lady Justice Thirlwall recommends, compulsory training, a new protocol, employment requirements. Madam Deputy Speaker, a revised NHS safeguarding framework was published in April 2026, but I have …
Response Unclear
4 — Safeguarding and contracts of employment
Recommendation: i. All Trusts must provide safeguarding training to all staff (appropriate to their role and expertise) and Board members, including Non-Executive Directors. This training should include how to deal with concerns and suspicions about deliberate harm caused by staff. ii. …
Words of: Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, oral statement to the House of Commons, 15 September 2026 (text as published on GOV.UK)
Gov response: On the crucial issue of safeguarding, just as Lady Justice Thirlwall recommends, compulsory training, a new protocol, employment requirements. Madam Deputy Speaker, a revised NHS safeguarding framework was published in April 2026, but I have …
Response Unclear
FR-20 — Age Verification Online
Recommendation: The Inquiry recommends (as originally stated in its The Internet Investigation Report, dated March 2020) that the UK government introduces legislation requiring providers of online services and social media platforms to implement more stringent age verification measures.
Words of: HM Government, Government response to the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (CP 844), presented to Parliament by the Home Secretary, May 2023
Gov response: We accept the need to protect children from harmful and age-inappropriate content. The Online Safety Bill requires all in-scope companies to assess whether their service is likely to be accessed by children and, if so, …
Accepted in part
104 — High risk countries list for travel orders
Recommendation: The Home Office should bring forward legislation providing for the establishment and maintenance by the National Crime Agency of a list of countries where children are considered to be at high risk of sexual abuse and exploitation from overseas offenders. …
Words of: HM Government, Government response to the Children Outside the UK phase 2 report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published by the Home Office, 21 January 2021
Gov response: 8. The Home Office fully accepts the Inquiry’s recommendation and will bring forward the necessary legislation to give effect to this recommendation when parliamentary time allows. To deliver on this recommendation, the Home Office has …
Accepted
No update 2+ yrs
103 — Ratify Lanzarote Convention
Recommendation: The Chair and Panel recommend that the UK government ratifies the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (the 'Lanzarote Convention') without further delay. They also recommend that ratification is followed, again …
No response yet
FR-12 — Pre-screening by Internet Providers
Recommendation: The Inquiry recommends that the UK government makes it mandatory for all regulated providers of search services and user-to-user services to pre-screen for known child sexual abuse material.
Words of: HM Government, Government response to the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (CP 844), presented to Parliament by the Home Secretary, May 2023
Gov response: We accept the need to hold companies to account for removing, reporting and limiting the spread of child sexual abuse material on their services. The UK’s world- leading Online Safety Bill will address this by …
Accepted in part
In progress
70 — Include clergy in position of trust definition
Recommendation: The government should amend Section 21 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 so as to include clergy within the definition of a position of trust. This would criminalise under s16-s20 sexual activity between clergy and a person aged 16-18, over …
Words of: Chris Philp MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, letter to Professor Alexis Jay OBE, Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, 31 October 2019, published by the Ministry of Justice on 4 November 2019
Gov response: I should first like to assure the Inquiry that the criminal law already provides a number of protections to deal with non-consensual and unwanted sexual activity and abuse. These offences rightly carry robust sentences to …
Noted
No update 2+ yrs
FR-11 — Extend Disclosure Regime Overseas
Recommendation: The Inquiry recommends (as originally stated in its Children Outside the United Kingdom Phase 2 Investigation Report, dated January 2020) that the UK government introduces legislation permitting the Disclosure and Barring Service to provide enhanced certificates with barred list checks …
Words of: HM Government, Government response to the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (CP 844), presented to Parliament by the Home Secretary, May 2023
Gov response: We accept the need to review whether disclosure arrangements can be further strengthened for those working with children overseas, and we will consider the scope of further strengthening the regime, taking into account the findings …
Accepted in part
In progress
FR-10 — Improve DBS Referral Compliance
Recommendation: The Inquiry recommends that the UK government takes steps to improve compliance by regulated activity providers with their statutory duty to refer concerns about the suitability of individuals to work with children to the Disclosure and Barring Service, including: all …
Words of: HM Government, Government response to the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (CP 844), presented to Parliament by the Home Secretary, May 2023
Gov response: We accept the need to improve compliance with statutory duties to inform the Disclosure and Barring Service about individuals who may pose a risk of harm to children. We will work with the relevant bodies …
Accepted in part
In progress
FR-9 — Greater Use of DBS
Recommendation: The Inquiry recommends that the UK government enables any person engaging an individual to work or volunteer with children on a frequent basis to check whether or not they have been barred by the Disclosure and Barring Service from working …
Words of: HM Government, Government response to the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (CP 844), presented to Parliament by the Home Secretary, May 2023
Gov response: We accept subject to further assessment of feasibility and impact, taking into account the findings of the Bailey Review of Disclosure and Barring Regime published in April 2023.
Accepted in part
In progress
64 — Welsh independent school standards update
Recommendation: The Welsh Government should: update the Independent School Standards as a matter of urgency; update the national minimum standards for boarding schools as a matter of urgency; legislate so that all residential special schools are judged against the quality standards …
No response yet
63 — Extend TRA jurisdiction to teaching assistants
Recommendation: The Department for Education should amend the Teachers' Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012 to bring all teaching assistants, learning support staff and cover supervisors within the misconduct jurisdiction of the Teaching Regulation Agency. The Department for Education and the Welsh Government …
No response yet