Features

Health visitor advice: 'Make safeguarding everyone's business'

In a new series of columns penned by senior health visitors, Rachel Costis, operational manager for public health nursing at Swindon Borough Council, sets out key safeguarding lessons from two recent child deaths: Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson

In 2021, the tragic deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes (aged six) and Star Hobson (aged 16 months) became known to the public. Arthur and Star were killed by people who should have been caring for them. In line with national practice for serious and complex cases, their deaths were jointly reviewed by the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, which found:

‘Safeguarding is everyone's business,’ the Government has stated, but for this to work, we need to put together different pieces of the jigsaw to understand what life is like for the child. Early years practitioners are vital members of the multi-agency team and often have key insight, but it is often not easy to see how important that insight is without the bigger picture. The review recognised the need for national multi-agency practice standards for child protection and guidance for professionals. Until these are published, here are some essential areas of best practice you can implement now:

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