COVID-19 Information for Partners
Darlington Safeguarding Partnership recognises that COVID-19 is putting increasing pressures on services providing support to children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Safeguarding continues to be a priority, however the Statutory Safeguarding Partners recognise that we will all have to work a little differently in relation to our Statutory Safeguarding duties and responsibilities to safeguard children and vulnerable adults in Darlington.
Partnership working is vital during this current time and multi-agency safeguarding arrangements will continue as usual, however agencies are to be mindful that this may be undertaken in a different way whilst trying to avoid as much face to face contact as possible.
Further information on how we are working together to safeguard children and vulnerable adults in Darlington are outlined below:
Partnership Briefing documents
Darlington Safeguarding Partnership has developed briefing documents to keep you up to date with interim safeguarding arrangements.
March 2021; Adult Safeguarding Insight Project. Read the findings and discussion here
December 2020; Supporting vulnerable children and families during COVID-19. Read the Practice Briefing here
Additional information from partner agencies and National Guidance are also provided below:
Partner Information
Due to the evolving situation with Covid-19, partner agencies have provided the following information on what they have implemented during COVID-19:
Darlington Borough Council
Community Support Hub
Darlington Borough Council has launched a support HUB open seven days a week, to help those people in the borough most affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. You can call the HUB on 01325 405000. Find out more about the Hub [external link]
County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT)
Business Continuity Plan for Safeguarding
Safeguarding Children contact details
Business Continuity Plan - LAC IHA assessments
Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC)
Harrogate and District Foundation Trust (HDFT)
Prioritisation of face to face visits
Update on safeguarding arrangements - 17th April 2020
Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust (TEWV)
Tees, Esk and Wear Valley provide regular briefing updates for partners, if you would like to request a copy, contact DSP@darlington.gov.uk
National Probation Service (NPS)
Young Minds
Coronavirus-Impact on young people with mental health needs
Additional Guidance
Homelessness - contact details
Covid-19- Guidance for Professionals when a person is not following guidelines on self-isolation.
NHS England Guidance safeguarding children and adults in virtual consultations
You will find below links to a number of guidance documents to support you during COVID-19 situation for both child and adult safeguarding.
COVID-19 guidance for Children's Social Care Services [external link]
Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Guidance on vulnerable children and young people [external link]
The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has published a practice briefing on supporting vulnerable children and families during Covid 19 (Dec 2020)
NSPCC - Coronavirus: Safeguarding and Child Protection [external link] You can find additional safeguarding resources and guidance, including briefing documents to help you to continue to safeguard young people during the pandemic.
The Government have now published guidance for Local Authorities on easements to the Care Act during the current Covid-19 situation.
The guidance sets out how Local Authorities can use the new Care Act easements, created under the Coronavirus Act 2020, to ensure the best possible care for people in our society during this exceptional period.
Details on Safeguarding can be found under Annex D.
Care Act easement - guidance for local authorities [external link]
Responding to COVID-19 - the ethical framework for adult social care [external link]
Guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19 [external link]
Coronavirus (COVID-19) additional guidance [external link]
Local Government Association - COVID-19 Good Council Practice [external link]
Department of Health and Social Care - The Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA) and deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) during the Coronavirus (Covid 19) Pandemic
Department of Health and Social Care - Liberty Protection Safeguards Implementation Newsletter July 2020 [PDF document]
NSPCC-Guidance on Child Sexual Abuse [PDF document]
HM Government Leaflet- Covid-19 Safeguarding is everyone's business [PDF document]
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) - Coronavirus (COVID-19) Advice for social care [external link]