United Kingdom
The legislation underpinning safeguarding children is found in the Children’s Acts 1989 and 2004. The 1989 Act sets out the local authorities’ duties to promote and safeguard the welfare of children in need (section 17) and the duty to make enquiries in certain circumstance to determine what action if any is necessary to safeguard or promote a child’s welfare (section 47).
The Children’s Act 2004 section 11 sets out the statutory partners which have a duty to cooperate in safeguarding and promoting; including police, clinical commissioning groups and district authorities (including their housing, homelessness and environmental health roles).
The health and safety of vulnerable residents, including children, is a factor to be considered when taking action in respect of housing conditions under the Housing Act 2004 Part 1.
Safeguarding children is everyone’s business, so it is important that housing organisations have clear policies and procedures to support staff to raise their concerns.
For more information and help on safeguarding children, see: NSPCC. More information on duties relating to children, care leavers and safeguarding can be found in the Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities.
Ireland
Since the Children First Guidance was first published in 1999, organisations working with children, have had an overall corporate responsibility to safeguard children using their services. The guidance sets out the best practice which organisations should adhere to in order to keep children safe.
The Children First Act 2015 introduces statutory obligations for organisations providing services to children, as defined in that Act, to:
- Keep children safe from harm while availing of those services
- Carry out a risk assessment
- Prepare and publish a Child Safeguarding Statement.
