About the consultation
The Department for Education's consultation proposed reforms to help and child protection arrangements in England, including new Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs), changes to safeguarding partnership arrangements, and updated approaches to child sexual exploitation, extra-familial harm and support for children and families.
See the consultation on the DfE website
Our response
RCPCH welcomed many of the proposed changes, particularly the stronger emphasis on hearing and responding to the voices of children and families, improving multi-agency working and strengthening accountability across safeguarding systems.
In our response, we called for:
- A stronger rights-based approach that ensures children's views meaningfully influence safeguarding decisions and service design
- Greater recognition of child health as a core safeguarding responsibility, with health outcomes embedded throughout the framework
- Mandatory access to consultant paediatric expertise when child protection medical assessments are being considered within MACPTs
- Improved support for vulnerable groups, including disabled children, children in care, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, refugees, and children experiencing exploitation
- Stronger recognition of health inequalities and their impact on children's safety, wellbeing and life chances
- Greater national consistency in safeguarding practice, including a clearer and more standardised framework for Local Authority Designated Officers (LADOs).
We also highlighted the importance of ensuring that safeguarding reforms are implemented in a way that promotes equality, reduces inequalities and improves outcomes for all children and young people.