It’s National Safeguarding Week (14-18 November 2022)
The week aims to raise awareness of safeguarding children and adults at risk.
Safeguarding is everybody’s business and everyone has a role to play.
It is something we take very seriously as an inspectorate and which informs our work.
What is CIW’s role in safeguarding?
We work closely with local authorities who have the lead for safeguarding, and if we receive concerns we do refer to safeguarding as appropriate.
Joint Inspection of Child Protection Arrangements (JICPA)
Along with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) and Estyn, we will be resuming the JICPA joint inspectorate programme through 2023–24.
This will be a system-wide review of child protection in each regional safeguarding board area, evaluating the quality of practice, decision making and multi-agency arrangements. Our focus will be on protecting children aged 11 and under at risk of abuse and neglect.
This builds on previous pilot JICPAs undertaken in Neath Port Talbot County Borough in June 2021 and Newport City Council in December 2019.
Concerns
Concerns are an important source of information for us that inform our inspection and enforcement processes.
If you have immediate concerns about someone’s safety and well-being, you should report this to your local authority.
However, if you have concerns about the quality of a care service in Wales, please call us on 0300 7900 126, email ciw@gov.wales or submit your concern using our online form.
Feedback
We don’t just encourage concerns about poor or unsuitable care – we welcome all types of feedback, both good and bad. Perhaps you work in a care service and want to share an example of good practice in relation to safeguarding? Maybe your relative lives in a care home, or your child has attended a childcare or play service, and has received excellent care. Please let us know using our feedback forms.
Wales Safeguarding Procedures and Safeguarding Training Standards
The Wales Safeguarding Procedures (External link) detail the essential roles and responsibilities for practitioners to ensure that they safeguard children and adults who are at risk of abuse and neglect.
Today the Wales Safeguarding Procedures group has launched the National Safeguarding Training, Learning and Development Standards (External link), as part of National Safeguarding Week.
These standards have been developed over the last 18 months and are aligned to the Wales Safeguarding Procedures. The standards set out the expectations for knowledge, skills, attitudes and values for people working with adults and children who may be at risk of abuse, harm or neglect.