Guidance on the Duty to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children

Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 places a statutory duty on key people and bodies to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The statutory guidance on the duty, which was first issued in 2005, has been updated. The revised version was published in April 2007.

Part one of the guidance sets out the arrangements that are likely to be common to all or most of the agencies concerned. Part two deals with implementation in each particular agency to which the section 11 duty applies.

These arrangements require all agencies to have:

• Senior management commitment to the importance of safeguarding and promoting children's welfare
  
  
• A clear statement of the agency's responsibilities towards children, available for all staff
  
  
• A clear line of accountability within the organisation for work on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
  
  
• Service development that takes account of the need to safeguard and promote welfare, and is informed, where appropriate, by the views of children and families
  
  
• Training on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children for all staff working with, or in contact with, children and families
  
  
• Safe recruitment procedures in place
  
  
• Effective inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
  
  
• Effective information sharing

The guidance on the duty to cooperate is part of an interlocking set of guidance on the Children Act 2004.