Assault of a teenage girl in a residential children's home. The incident is subject to an ongoing police investigation at the time of the review. Learning themes include: managing the risk of harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) in residential settings; support for adoptive parents; support available for families where child to parent violence is a feature; child blaming language used by professionals; and placement sufficiency and impact on finding placements for children with complex needs. Recommendations include: the national working group reviewing the adoption support arrangements should take action to ensure that the needs of adopted children are addressed at key transition points such as when they move area or school; consider developing a pathway to support an effective professional response to child to parent violence; seek assurance that partner agencies have guidance which addresses victim blaming language and ensures that professionals record with the child in mind on the understanding that the child may one day ask to see their records; suggest to the National Panel that they consider concerns about the impact on children and young people of the cost and shortage of appropriate placements for traumatised children; when seeking placements for children the commissioning team should seek reassurance about harmful sexual behaviours; propose that the children's home develop a harmful sexual behaviours policy and systematic approach to keeping children safe from sexual harm; identify whether other LSCPR's have highlighted a lack of guidance within children's homes about HSB and whether this issue is currently being sufficiently addressed through Regulation 44 Visits.
      
 Title:  ‘Molly’: local child safeguarding practice review. LSCB: Stockport Safeguarding Children Partnership Author: Jane Wiffin Date of publication: 2023  This case review report was deposited by the publishing LSCB(s) with the national SCR repository, a partnership between the Association of Independent LSCB Chairs and the NSPCC.  This report is available online via the NSPCC Library Catalogue. Copyright of this report remains with the publishing LSCB(s) listed above.                           ‘Molly’ Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review Author Jane WiffinMay 2023The CSPR ProcessThe Stockport Safeguarding Children Partnership has undertaken a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR). It has identified about the professional involvement with a family where a teenage girl was assaulted in a residential children’s home.The incident is the subject of an on-going police investigation. Therefore the full review cannot be published until this has concluded.An independent lead reviewer worked with a panel of local managers and safeguarding leads and met with the professionals involved directly with the family prior to the assault. This provided the review with the opportunity to reflect on both the case and wider systems and practice in Stockport.The family were invited to meet with the lead reviewer and did so.Learning has been identified in the following areasHarmful sexual behaviour (HSB) and managing the risk of this in residential settingsLimited pre-emptive support for adoptive parents in managing stages of development for traumatised childrenLimited services and support available for families where child to parent violence is a featureChild blaming language used by professionalsIneffective information sharing between agenciesPlacement sufficiency and impact on finding placements for children with complex needsThe review made the following recommendations, and an action plan is being progressedNational action needs to be taken to ensure that the needs of adopted children are addressed at key transition points such as when they move area or school. In these circumstances unless they are already known to specialist services they will come into a new area as universal children without a very clear picture of their history or needs. This is very different for the systems and processes in place for those who are care experienced. This should be considered by the national working group reviewing the support arrangements for adoption support.The Stockport Children’s Partnership should consider developing a pathway to support an effective professional response to child to parent violence.Stockport Children’s Safeguarding Partnership should seek assurance that partner agencies have in place guidance regarding trauma informed recording, which addresses victim blaming language and ensures that professionals record with the child in mind. Understanding that the child may one day ask to see their records.This LCSPR is one of many nationally where there have been concerns about the impact on children and young people of the cost and shortage of appropriate placements for traumatised children. Stockport Safeguarding Children’s Partnership should suggest that this is something the National Panel could consider in terms of creating change for these children.When seeking placements for children the commissioning team in Stockport should seek reassurance about harmful sexual behaviours policy and systematic approach to keeping children safe from sexual harm from all settings.Stockport Children’s Partnership to propose that the children’s home develop a harmful sexual behaviours policy and systematic approach to keeping children safe from sexual harm.Stockport Children’s Partnership to propose that the children’s home develop guidance about trauma informed and non-victim blaming record keeping.The social worker for Molly to review how far the assertion that ‘Molly posed a risk to staff, visitors and other children’ has been incorporated into other case records, assessments, looked after reviewing materials and placement referrals and make sure these are amended.The Chair of Stockport Children’s Safeguarding Partnership should write to the national panel to find whether other LSCPR’s have highlighted a lack of guidance within children’s homes about HSB and whether this issue is currently being sufficiently addressed through Regulation 44 Visits.