Wandsworth review

Practice standards to be updated to include nannies and au-pairs

Continue with Level 3 training on the ‘voice of the child’

The WSCP should consider clarifying the role/status of nannies/au-pairs in the safeguarding children agenda

Organise multiagency training to focus on the voice of the child in Domestic Abuse families

Children’s services to raise the profile of domestic abuse and make it clear that it doesn’t have to be between partners – it is anyone in the house. Information on posters about what to do if you are concerned about an adult or if you are a victim of domestic abuse yourself should be visible in the community. Information should be given on where to get help and support. Information on how and where to report any concerns such as a help line that you have about friends or family should be readily available

Department for Education to review the current guidance regarding employment of nannies/ au-pairs that protects them, children who may be in their care and their employers to reduce the risk of Modern Domestic Slavery through Domestic Servitude

Develop specific procedures to respond to parents who make continuous claims of child abuse

Train clinicians to recognise ‘disguised compliance’

Multi-agency domestic abuse procedures should consider the role of nannies/au-pairs in terms of their place in a domestic family home environment

Continue to improve multiagency working by continuing to establish close liaison eg; 8 weekly health visitor meetings with GP practices , social care liaison, Joint training

New regulations should be brought in to ensure that au-pairs and employers have DBS checks and are monitored to ensure their safety as well as the safety of the children in their care. New regulations should be brought in to ensure that all au-pairs need to be registered

Community Safety Partnership is to use the learning of this review to raise awareness of the risks of Modern Day Slavery through Domestic Servitude

In complex parental behaviour cases, consider a separate chronology to record the child’s voice

As nannies and au-pairs remain an unregulated, private family arrangement, consideration should be given to wider discussions across LSCB’s regarding their regulation and protection on a national and international level. Currently, no-one is looking after their interests or welfare and they remain very vulnerable to abuse and exploitation

Identify in training the need to be aware of professional manipulation by complex patients who have multiple vulnerability factors for abusing their children

Robust systems for sharing information should be in place between agencies and boroughs

To implement a robust awareness raising campaign and plan within the borough’s proposed new VAWG Strategy is to be overseen by a specific sub-group involving statutory stakeholders, schools and NGO’s

Review the threshold of case escalation

To ensure that the ‘voice of the child’ and the learning from this review is used to reinforce Level 3 Child Safeguarding Awareness Training for front line Professionals across the Partnership

Staff to be reminded of the fabricated illness procedures

To ensure that learning in respect of ‘Professional Curiosity’ from local and national SCR’s and DHR’s is cascaded to front line professionals and those bodies

Senior officers of the local South West command unit should arrange to debrief the officers involved to identify individual and wider safeguarding training needs across the command.

Embed ‘Think Family’ further across all services.