Safeguarding Children - Adult Services responsibilities in relation to children

Darlington Safeguarding Partnership is a joint partnership covering both child and adult safeguarding and its aim is to have a whole family approach to working and provide seamless support to families.

Everyone must be aware that in situations where there is a concern that an Adult at Risk is or could be being abused or neglected (including self-neglect) and there are children in the same household they too could be at risk.

Adult services and practitioners working with adults need to be competent in identifying the service users' or patient's role as a parent. They need to be able to consider the impact of the adult's condition and/or behaviour on:
•    A child's welfare and development;
•    Family functioning;
•    The adult's parenting capacity.

Where a practitioner working with adults has concerns about the parent's capacity to care for the child and considers that the child is likely to be harmed or is being harmed, they should immediately refer the child to the police or Children's Initial Advice Team [New Page], in accordance with their agency's child protection procedures.

Requests for information about a child, which are often made to health practitioners such as GPs or specialist services for mental health or substance misuse, by Darlington children's social care should be directed to the appropriate designated practitioner.

Adult Services, whether commissioning and/or provider organisations, should have designated safeguarding leads. The roles and responsibilities of designated safeguarding leads should be clear and accessible to all staff and made known to partner agencies to assist in the process of sharing information.