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Key Constituent Agencies
Leeds Social Services

2004/5
Social Services continues to fulfil its statutory duties in child protection through the work of the children and families social work teams based in the areas and hospitals, supported by staff from many other parts of the Department e.g. Family Resource Centres, family aides, residential resources, foster carers, the Therapeutic Social Work Team and specialist child protection workers.
In addition, Social Services is charged with undertaking a number of activities on behalf of the ACPC through staff at the Child Protection Register and in the Child Protection Section.
2003/4 has seen a very substantial increase in enquiries being made of the Child Protection Register. This does not reflect an increase in child protection cases within the city, but rather two new areas of inter-agency liaison. The police now make enquiries of the Child Protection Register re all domestic violence incidents coming to their attention where a child is involved in the household. The second area of increase is where agencies wish to satisfy themselves about any possible child protection concerns involving staff employed in posts allowing access to children or directly involved in the care of children.
It is anticipated that this is likely to be a continuing area of concern, particularly in the light of possible recommendations following the Bichard Enquiry, and one where Social Services, together with ACPC, will need to consider the resources needed for this area of work.
Numbers of Child Protection Conferences being held in Leeds and numbers of children being placed on the Child Protection Register have shown no significant variations in the last year. The smaller numbers on the Register compared with four years ago, when they were at a peak, has allowed Social Services to direct some social work time into providing family support services, thus preventing future family crisis.
The Child Protection Section is involved in all cases involving allegations of abuse concerning professionals or those in positions of power or trust in the community. In these cases inter-agency strategy meetings are always held chaired by a member of the section on behalf of the ACPC, to co-ordinate criminal, child protection and any disciplinary enquiries.
Two other areas of development in the last year will continue to be taken forward in 2004/5. The increasing incidence of child pornography on the internet was highlighted in 2003 by Operation Ore, which received much publicity nationally and locally. This Operation led by the Police, led to significant numbers of referrals to Social Services to undertake assessments where children had been identified in a household where an adult was charged with accessing child pornography.
The wide variety of child protection cases and family situations where social workers are required to undertake assessments has led to the production of a Specialist Assessment Guidelines Pack to augment work undertaken through the Assessment Framework. This will be published and launched in Summer 2005 and added to as appropriate.
 
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