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Includes eligibility, appeals, tax credits and Universal Credit

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Boarding information and support to help your child to have a continuous and stable education.

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You may be able to get up to 5 payments to help with the cost of living if you're getting certain benefits or tax credits.

You do not need to apply. If you're eligible, you'll be paid automatically in the same way you usually get your benefit or tax credits. This includes if you're found to be eligible at a later date.

If you have had a message asking you to apply or contact someone about the payment, this might be a scam.

These payments are not taxable and will not affect the benefits or tax credits you get.

Low income benefits and tax credits Cost of Living Payment

You may be entitled to up to 3 Cost of Living Payments of £301, £300 and £299 if you get any of the following benefits or tax credits on certain dates:

income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)

income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Income Support

Pension Credit

Universal Credit

Child Tax Credit

Working Tax Credit

The payment will be made separately from your benefit payments.

You will not get a payment if you are only getting New Style ESA, contributory ESA, or New Style JSA.

If you have a joint claim on the qualifying dates, a single payment of £301, £300 and £299 will be sent using the same payment method used between these dates, if you're eligible.

£301 Cost of Living Payment eligibility

Universal Credit

You are eligible for the first Cost of Living Payment of £301 if you were entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of Universal Credit for an assessment period that ended in the period 26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023.

Income-based JSA, income-based ESA, Income Support and Pension Credit

You are eligible for the first Cost of Living Payment of £301 if you were entitled to a payment (or later found to be entitled to a payment) of income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Income Support or Pension Credit for any day in the period 26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023.

You are also eligible if you are entitled to one of these benefits for any day during this period but you do not receive a benefit payment because your entitlement is between 1 penny and 9 pence.

Tax credits

You are eligible for the first Cost of Living Payment of £301 if you received a payment of tax credits for any day in the period 26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023, or you are later found to have been entitled to a payment for this period.

£300 and £299 Cost of Living Payments

This guidance will be updated with the qualifying dates for the £300 and £299 Cost of Living Payments when they have been announced.

When you will not be eligible: 'Nil awards'

You will not be eligible for the Cost of Living Payment if your benefit is reduced to £0 for the qualifying period. This is sometimes called a 'nil award'.

Reasons your benefit may be reduced to £0 include:

you got more than one payment of earnings in your Universal Credit assessment period

your or your partner's earnings went up

your or your partner's savings went up

you started getting another benefit

you got a 'sanction' because you did not do something you agreed in your claimant commitment

You may still be eligible for a Cost of Living Payment if your benefit is reduced to £0 and one of the following applies:

money was taken off your benefit for other reasons, such as payments of rent to your landlord or for money that you owe

you had a hardship payment because you could not pay for rent, heating, food or hygiene needs

When you'll be paid

If you're entitled, you will get:

£301 paid between 25 April 2023 and 17 May 2023 for most people on DWP benefits

£301 paid between 2 and 9 May 2023 for most people on tax credits and no other low income benefits

£300 paid during autumn 2023 for most people

£299 paid during spring 2024 for most people

If you're getting both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, you will receive a Cost of Living Payment for Child Tax Credit only, which will be paid by HMRC.

If you're getting tax credits from HMRC and a low income benefit from DWP, you cannot get a Cost of Living Payment from both HMRC and DWP. You will usually be paid by DWP only.

Your payment might come later, for example if you're awarded a qualifying benefit at a later date or you change the account your benefit or tax credits are paid into. You will still be paid the Cost of Living Payment automatically.

If you have received a Cost of Living Payment, but we later find that you were not eligible for it, you may have to pay it back.

This guidance will be updated with the payment dates before each payment starts.

Find out how to report a missing £301 Cost of Living Payment for a low income benefit or tax credits

The £301 payment for people on low income benefits and tax credits was paid between 25 April 2023 and 17 May 2023 for most people.

If you think you should have had the £301 payment, but you cannot see it in your bank, building society or credit union account, you can report a missing Cost of Living Payment.

If you have already reported a missing payment, you do not need report it again. We will reply to you as soon as we can.

You do not need to contact us about future Cost of Living Payments. You'll be paid automatically if you're entitled.
Report a missing Cost of Living Payment
Disability Cost of Living Payment

You may be entitled to a Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 if you're getting any of any of the following benefits:

Attendance Allowance

Constant Attendance Allowance

Disability Living Allowance for adults

Disability Living Allowance for children

Personal Independence Payment

Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland)

Child Disability Payment (in Scotland)

Armed Forces Independence Payment

War Pension Mobility Supplement

You must have received a payment (or later receive a payment) of one of these benefits for 1 April 2023 to get the Disability Cost of Living Payment.

If you were getting a qualifying benefit from the Ministry of Defence and a qualifying benefit from DWP, you will get a Disability Cost of Living Payment from DWP only.

If you receive a Disability Cost of Living Payment, but we later find that you were not eligible for it, you may have to pay it back.

When you'll be paid

Most people will be paid the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment automatically between 20 June 2023 and 4 July 2023.

You will be able to report a missing Disability Cost of Living Payment from 5 July 2023. Do not contact us before then as we will not be able to take any action.

Payments will be made to people who were getting a qualifying disability benefit from DWP before payments to people who were getting a qualifying benefit from the Ministry of Defence.

Your payment might come later, for example if you're awarded a qualifying benefit at a later date or you change the account your benefit is paid into. You will still be paid the Cost of Living Payment automatically.

Pensioner Cost of Living Payment

If you're entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2023 to 2024, you will get an extra £150 or £300 paid with your normal payment from November 2023.

The full amount of Winter Fuel Payment (including the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment) you will get for winter 2023 to 2024 depends on when you were born and your circumstances during the qualifying dates.

You can get a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2023 to 2024 if you were born before 25 September 1957.

This guidance will be updated with the qualifying dates for the payment when they are published.

You will be sent a letter in October or November telling you how much Winter Fuel Payment you'll get if you're eligible.

2022 Cost of Living Payments

This guidance is about Cost of Living Payments being made in 2023 and 2024. You can read about the Cost of Living Payments in 2022 in separate guidance.

Other help

Find out what other benefits and financial support you might be able to get to help with your living costs.

Use an independent benefits calculator to find out what benefits you could get.

You may be able to get other kinds of support, including:

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Guidance on getting extra payments to help with the cost of living if you're entitled to certain benefits or tax credits.

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Research report looking at the development of the local offer, as part of the special educational needs and disability (SEND) pathfinder.

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An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a way of getting your child specific support at school. Legally, local authorities must provide the support in a child's EHCP.

Children should get an EHCP if Special Educational Needs (SEN) support cannot meet their needs. Most children who have an EHCP:

have SEN support first

need to show how SEN support is not enough for them

Parents and carers can apply to the local authority for an EHCP needs assessment. This is easier if the school supports you.

If the school does not support you, you can still apply to the local authority. You do not need a report from an educational psychologist to do this.

What's in an EHCP

An EHCP is a legal document. It is sometimes called an EHC Plan.

It covers:

your child's needs

the benefit or difference the support should make to your child (outcomes)

the support that your local authority must provide (provision)

This could be because your child needs support with:

reading, writing and numbers

talking and listening

social skills and emotions

physical skills

Support (provision)

The Children and Families Act 2014 says that special educational provision is anything that "educates or trains" your child.

For example:

speech and language therapy

physiotherapy

occupational therapy

cognitive behavioral therapy

support from a trained emotional learning support assistant to do group play

a laptop with voice control software and training on how to use it

Example EHC plans, including outcomes (Council for Disabled Children)
Asking for an assessment and your rights

First, find out if the school agrees that your child needs an assessment. You can still apply to the local authority without them if you need to.

Find out if the school agrees that your child needs an assessment

Talk to your child's teacher and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO). Say why you think your child needs an EHCP. For example, your child:

needs more support than school can give through SEN support

is not making expected progress

is not able to take part in the social parts of play and school

needs to go to a different school that can meet their needs

If your teacher and SENCO do not think that your child needs an EHC assessment, you can write to the:

head teacher

school governor responsible for SEN

If this does not work, you can apply directly to your local authority.

You can apply directly to your local authority

If the school will not support you, you can still apply by writing to your local authority.
Model letter: Making a request for an EHC needs assessment (IPSEA)
Search your local authority's website to find out who to contact to "request an EHC needs assessment". This will usually be the SEN team.
Find your local authority (GOV.UK)
Your local authority must say if they will assess your child

Legally, your local authority must assess your child if all the following apply:

you ask for an assessment

your child has or may have special educational needs and

may benefit from an EHCP

This is in the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years (GOV.UK).

Complain if your local authority does not respond within 6 weeks

If your local authority does not respond within 6 weeks, you should write to complain.
Template letter: Complaining when your local authority does not respond before the 6-week time limit (IPSEA)
Saying that SEN support is not enough for your child

If your child has been getting SEN support, write to the school about how your child is not meeting their SEN goals.

For example:

"We've had 3 meetings where we've set targets and made plans. But my child still is not meeting their targets. We said that we'd look at these if they were not being met.

"We've had advice from the speech and language therapist and educational psychologist, but I think my child needs an EHC needs assessment to get more support."

Include information from your:

SEN review meetings

any other agreements

parts of your child's developmental history that explain the difficulties they are having at school

Model letter: complaining when your child is not getting enough SEN support (IPSEA)
Asking the local authority for an assessment without the school

You can apply directly to the local authority for an EHC needs assessment:

You can still apply even if the school does not support you.

You do not need a report from an educational psychologist to apply.

For example, your child may still need the support in an EHCP even if their academic performance is average.
Template letter asking your local authority for an EHC assessment (IPSEA) Asking for an EHC assessment (GOV.UK) Asking for an EHC needs assessment (IPSEA)
Delays to EHCP needs assessments

Legally, local authorities must do EHC needs assessments even if this is hard for them.

Local authorities must do this within 20 weeks. This starts when you ask for an assessment if your child is eligible. If they are going to take longer than 20 weeks, they must consult you.

If your local authority thinks your child is not eligible for an assessment, they must say why.

If there are delays to your child's EHCP assessment, ask your local authority to explain why.

Contact your Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS) if they do not give you an explanation. Look on your local authority's website.
Find your local authority (GOV.UK)
Before the assessment

If your child is getting SEN support, collect anything that shows your child is not making expected progress. Keep the original documents and send copies.

For example:

referrals to doctors, occupational therapy or speech and language therapists

letters or reports from health professionals, including any you've paid for

a report by an educational psychologist

notes on meetings you have had with teachers on how your child is not meeting their SEN outcomes

your child's school record, which should include school reports and any SEN support records

Model letter: Asking for a copy of a child's school record (IPSEA)
What happens in an EHC needs assessment

Most assessments include a:

headteacher

doctor

educational psychologist

Another professional may come too. For example, a social worker. Your child's views are also important.
What happens in an EHC needs assessment (IPSEA)
After the assessment

If you do not get an EHCP

You can appeal if your local authority assesses your child but decides not to give them an EHC plan. A rejection is sometimes called a 'non-statutory' EHCP.
EHCP declined, appeals and SEND tribunal
You get an EHCP

If your local authority agrees that your child needs an EHC plan, they will prepare a draft plan and send you a copy to review. Throughout the process, they must include both:

your views

your child's views, unless your child is not able to share them

Your local authority should give you 15 days to comment on the draft EHCP. Your feedback is sometimes called 'representations'.
What an EHC plan contains (IPSEA) Example EHC plans, including outcomes (Council for Disabled Children)
Saying you do not agree with the draft EHCP

The draft plan is where you can make suggestions, correct any mistakes or challenge any recommendations you disagree with. You can say if you do not think the draft plan will help your child to meet their agreed outcomes. You should also say why you think this.

Annual reviews

Your child's EHCP must have a formal annual review within 12 months of the final plan or the last review. The annual review is a way you can raise concerns or suggest changes if you're not happy with the content of an EHC plan.
EHCP reviews Model letter: Complaining when the LA has not completed an annual review (IPSEA)
Your mental health

Being a parent can be hard. Looking after your mental health and wellbeing is important. Everyone manages their mental health differently.

If you need support, here are some things you could try:
Managing your mental health Support groups for parents
Sleep Right, for parents and carers of disabled children who want to improve their child's sleep

Last reviewed by Scope on:

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Apply for an EHCP | Disability charity Scope UK

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Guide for parents of disabled children applying for an education, health and care EHC plan if you do not have an educational psychologist report.

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Applies to England

This consultation has concluded

Download the full outcome

Ref: DFE-00116-2016 PDF, 312 KB, 14 pages

Detail of outcome

Original consultation

Summary

We're seeking views on draft guidance about how schools should respond to requests regarding wraparound and holiday childcare.

This consultation ran from

Consultation description

This draft guidance concerns how local-authority-maintained schools, academies and free schools should respond to:

parents who ask their child's school to establish wraparound and/or holiday childcare

childcare providers who ask to use school facilities for wraparound and/or holiday childcare at times when the school isn't using them

'Wraparound childcare' is childcare that schools provide outside of normal school hours, such as breakfast clubs or after school.

This guidance will help you understand how to comply with the law or explain what our policies mean in practice. You do not have to follow it.

Documents

Ref: DFE-00304-2015 PDF, 475 KB, 11 pages

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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We're seeking views on draft guidance about how schools should respond to requests regarding wraparound and holiday childcare.

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I’m Colm Price from the Welsh Veterans Partnership. I’m introducing myself to use you as your link to WVP. The WVP has a strong working partnership with welfare teams from the Welsh Body of regiments and have worked closely with your predecessors.  WVP is a housing and wellbeing charity promoting the whole of life approach. You can find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/welshveteran or our Twitter @welshveterans Currently I have two live sites one in Cardiff & the other in Newport. All brand new homes with affordable rent and assured tenancy. If there’s anyone stepping off or on your wiz list that would like to return home to either of those cities please let me know. Best of luck in your new role Kind regards  Colm Price Coordinator Welsh Veterans Partnership Mobile: 07378 639383Email: Admin@welshveteranspartnership.org

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I’m Colm Price from the Welsh Veterans Partnership. I’m introducing myself to use you as your link to WVP. The WVP has a strong working partnership with welfare teams from the Welsh Body of regiments and have worked closely with your predecessors.  WVP is a housing and wellbeing charity promoting the whole of life approach. You can find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/welshveteran or our Twitter @welshveterans Currently I have two live sites one in Cardiff & the other in Newport. All brand new homes with affordable rent and assured tenancy. If there’s anyone stepping off or on your wiz list that would like to return home to either of those cities please let me know. Best of luck in your new role Kind regards  Colm Price Coordinator Welsh Veterans Partnership Mobile: 07378 639383Email: Admin@welshveteranspartnership.org

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Hub of Hope - Mental Health Support Network provided by Chasing the Stigma

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Chasing the Stigma (CTS) has launched the Hub of Hope - a national mental health database, bringing help and support together in one place, with a focus on grassroots organisations.

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Multi-agency Practice Principles for responding to child exploitation and extra-familial harm

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The Tackling Child Exploitation (TCE) Programme improves strategic responses to child exploitation and extra-familial harm across England

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For National Stalking Awareness Week (NSAW) this year, our theme is 'Standing Against Stalking: Supporting Young People'. We focused on stalking amongst young people from the ages of 16 to 24.

In our line of work, we are finding that an increasing number of 16- to 24-year-olds are contacting our Helpline to seek support in how to deal with such unwanted behaviours, as often, this can be an incredibly difficult and anxious time for them, leading to adverse mental health outcomes, and impacting their education and social life. This year we explored young people's experiences of stalking and the awareness of potential stalking behaviours.

Briefing

Thank you to all that took part in our survey in March 2023; the data has contributed towards a briefing which can downloaded here: Standing Against Stalking Briefing

Conference

We held an online conference on Tuesday 25th April with discussions about the Impact of stalking on young people, advocacy and education.

For any press enquiries, please contact [email protected] or call us on 07747 611 308.

For further information, please contact [email protected]

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For National Stalking Awareness Week (NSAW) this year, our theme is 'Standing Against Stalking: Supporting Young People'. We focused on stalking amongst young people from the ages of 16 to 24.

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All agencies have a responsibility to act on concerns around neglect or suspected neglect and to ensure professionals are confident in the identification, assessment and response to neglect at the earliest signs. This framework is designed to highlight best practice and tools that can help in our recognition of and response to neglect and aims to:

1. To develop an increased understanding, common language, and a shared narrative of neglect across the partnership. We will measure this by monitoring attendance at Neglect and GCP2 courses and promoting training using the SVPP website.

2. Increase and embed the use of the GCP2 as a tool to assess parenting capacity and target support. We will measure this by monitoring the number of GCP2s being completed in the county.

3. Improve our response to early signs of neglect. We will measure this by monitoring referrals from key agencies and tracking of GCP2s being used at an early help level, and the use of ESAs in relation to concerns about neglect.

What is neglect? +

The neglect of children can happen when their parents or carers fail to meet the basic physical and/or emotional needs of the children they are responsible for. It is an overarching term that can cover many different aspects.

Neglect may be a deliberate act (commission) or more commonly happens because the parent is unable to put the needs of the child first (omission). Despite the reason, the impact on the child's health, development and wellbeing can be severe. All children and young people need food, clothing, warmth, love and attention, in order to grow and develop. ( Neglect: Steve's story | Childline)

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) defines neglect as:

'The persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child's health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to:

1. Provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment);

2. Protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger;

3. Ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate care- givers);

4. Ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.

It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child's basic emotional needs.'

Neglect also includes the failure to ensure access to education or to look after a child because the carer is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. As well as a failure or an inability to:

Why should we be worried about neglect? What is the impact of neglect? +

Childhood neglect can have significant and long-term effects on children physically, behaviourally, educationally, and psychologically. Abuse can stunt the physical development of a child's brain which can impact on a child's emotional development and lead to mental health issues, low self-esteem, and alcohol/substance misuse in later life. It can also mean that children are more vulnerable to other types of harm such as criminal and/or sexual exploitation.

People who are emotionally neglected as children can grow up to have poor attachment to any care giver and become adults who may not know how to regulate their own emotions.

Research shows the most common effects of childhood neglect in adulthood include:

post-traumatic stress disorder

depression

emotional unavailability

increasing likelihood for an eating disorder

shunning intimate relationships

feeling deeply, personally flawed

feeling empty

poor self-discipline

guilt and shame

difficulty in managing emotions which may present as unpredictability, anger or aggressive behaviours

difficulty trusting others or relying upon anyone else

Adults who have experienced childhood emotional neglect may become parents who neglect their own children. Not having a positive, emotionally available role model, or never having learned the importance of their own emotions, they may not know how to nurture emotions in their children.

Listen to the podcast to find out about Recognising and responding to child neglect
InBrief: The Science of Neglect (video) Protecting children from neglect | NSPCC Learning Understanding child brain development | NSPCC Learning
Neglect can also go unrecognised in adolescents: Understanding Adolescent Neglect: Troubled Teens | The Children's Society (childrenssociety.org.uk)

What is educational neglect? +

There is no statutory definition of educational neglect however, many reports over the years have found links between neglect and poor school attendance. It can happen when parents do not ensure that their children receive an efficient full-time education, suitable to their age, ability and aptitude, their special educational needs if relevant and attend school regularly.

This may be through:

persistent failure to send children to school or provide a suitable education,

failure to engage with professionals and act on support to improve,

Prosecution / legal intervention has failed including parenting orders / At least one court intervention which fails to improve attendance

Lack of support for education and little improvement over time

Repeated / chronic / persistent / severe absences, parent or guardian are notified by the school about the issue, and then fail to remedy the situation. Parental passivity.

The amount of school absences and attendance levels are identified as seriously impeding their development

Educational neglect in older children and young people can overlap with truancy, and youth crime and exploitation. Parents can sometimes be seen to give up on getting their young person to school as it is too difficult, or they may fear their children's behaviour around school refusal.

Educational neglect may occur simultaneously or sequentially with other forms of neglect and abuse. One study examined substantiated neglect and abuse investigations and found several examples of educational neglect co-occurring with:

Educational neglect impacts on children and young people in many ways. Poor school attendance is well proven to have an overall impact on educational outcomes and overall life chances. Pupils who do not attend school when school is open (unco-ordinated absences) are likely to see a decline in their academic achievement and pupils from low-income households see a larger negative effect from each day of absence.

Attending an educational setting also plays a key link in safeguarding pupils.

What is medical neglect? +

Medical neglect can happen when parents do not enable access to appropriate medical care. This may be through:

Neglect of the medical needs of a child has been a theme in a number of case reviews locally and nationally:

SCR Hakeem (Birmingham, 2022) : this case relates to the death of a 7-year-old boy with asthma who died from an asthma attack, in the context of chronic childhood neglect and parental substance misuse.

Key learning from this case highlighted that:

"There was confusion by professionals around significant harm thresholds for neglect where a child has a chronic medical condition that is being poorly managed by a parent."

and that "Professionals need to become more aware of the correlation between poor parental management of medication for children with chronic health conditions such as asthma and
wider childhood neglect."

SCR Child LW (Lancashire, 2021) : this case relates to the death of a 17-year-old child with Diabetes Mellitus Type 1, in the context of adolescent neglect and impact of adverse childhood experiences. Learning from this case is relevant for other adolescents with chronic medical conditions. It also highlighted that:

"Parental support in situations where an adolescent is dealing with a life-threatening condition is essential"

and that "Was not brought" policies should be in place for all health providers with clear guidance around how to respond and when to contact children social care for additional support where medical neglect is suspected."

'Was not brought' is how we should record children missing medical appointments, rather than 'did not attend'. This short video shows why this is important - Rethinking 'did not attend'

Clearly recording and tracking missed appointments is essential to helping to identify medical neglect.

What else do case reviews tell us about neglect? +

Neglect is a prevalent theme in case reviews nationally, even if this is not the main factor of abuse identified in the case (neglect was present in 74% of the 166 reviews carried out between 2017-2019). The key learning from case reviews both in Wiltshire and nationally highlight that professionals from all agencies must be able to:

Read the NSPCC Thematic summary of learning from case reviews relating to neglect for more information about what case reviews have told us.

Wiltshire SCR Family M highlighted the lack of a local neglect tool available to support professionals in assessing concerns about neglect. The introduction of the GCP2 in Wiltshire was the response to this learning.

Swindon CSPR Bella and Ben identified that "Professionals in universal and some specialist services are not routinely identifying and responding to the early signs of neglect, recognising parents seeking help and the need for early help support to stop neglect becoming pervasive."

A summary of the learning from this review can be found in Practice briefing Bella and Ben

What are the signs or indicators of neglect? +

Having one of the signs listed below does not necessarily mean a child is being neglected. But if you notice multiple signs that are persistent, this may indicate a child is at risk of harm. Children and young people who are neglected might have:
Poor Appearance and Hygiene

being concerningly odorous or dirty

being hungry or not given money for food

having unwashed clothes

having the wrong clothing, such as no warm clothes in winter

having frequent and untreated nappy rash in infants.

Health and Development Problems

anaemia

body issues, such as poor muscle tone or prominent joints

medical or dental issues

missed medical appointments, such as for vaccinations

not given the correct medicines

poor language or social skills

regular illness or infections

repeated accidental injuries, often caused by lack of supervision

skin issues, such as sores, rashes, flea bites, scabies or ringworm

thin or swollen tummy

tiredness

untreated injuries

weight or growth issues/ failing to meet their expected developmental milestones

Housing and Family Issues Change in Behaviour

becoming clingy

becoming aggressive

being withdrawn, depressed or anxious

changes in eating habits

displaying obsessive behaviour

finding it hard to concentrate or take part in activities

missing school

showing signs of self-harm

using drugs or alcohol

Neglect is also Child Abuse: Know All About It | NSPCC
Also consider parental risk factors - such as non-engagement with services, domestic violence or abuse, substance misuse, mental health needs, or learning disability.

Why can it be hard to identify and respond to neglect? +

The final analysis of case reviews report identified the following practice issues NSPCC learning-for-the-future-final-analysis-serious-case-reviews-2017-2019-caspar-briefing.pdf).

Evidence of professional's normalisation of neglect and struggling to identify long term neglect - this meant children were living with neglect for a long period of time

Professionals not wanting to further stigmatise parents by identifying neglect where a family is experiencing severe poverty

Unwillingness to challenge parents perceived as 'difficult to work with' for fear of alienating them

Professional optimism (wanting to think parents are doing the best job possible to keep professional relationship/communication) can contribute to an unwillingness to name neglect

Information exchange - inadequate information sharing leads to no coherent overview of daily lived experience of the child and level of neglect being experienced

Dealing with difference - gaps in the cultural competence of practitioners

Patterns of disengagement and withdrawal from services - children being 'hidden in plain sight' exacerbated by a lack of professional challenge to parental accounts

Neglect may have been occurring for a while before the impact of this is seen in a child, which is why responding to early signs or early concerns about neglect is critical.

Neglect can also be harder to detect if:

When a child has a learning disability or other complex needs the professionals can sometimes over empathise with the parent resulting in neglect of the child going undetected. A recent local CSPR also found that:

"There is a tendency that professionals attribute developmental delay as an inevitable part of a child's disability, rather than either caused by, or exacerbated by neglect and poor parenting. This leads to a response, which focusses on the child and their need for services to bring about improvements, rather than focusses on parenting, positive attachments the child's environment and the parents need for support." ( CSPR Bella and Ben)

More information about safeguarding chidlren with disabilities can be found here:
Safeguarding children with disabilities - learning from a local case review Safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children | NSPCC Learning
What tools can help me identify or assess levels of neglect? +

The Graded Care Profile 2 (GCP2) Tool is used by professionals in Wiltshire to identify and assess levels of neglect. It is an NSPCC evidence-based tool and is used on license by over 85 local authority areas nationally.

Professionals MUST attend the one-day course to have access to and use the tool. You can apply for a course using the following link Wiltshire Safeguarding Vulnerable People Partnership (SVPP) - Courses (wiltshiresvpp.org.uk)

The GCP2 helps:

Research has found that the tool helps professionals communicate concerns to families to bring about positive change: Reflections from interviews with parents assessed with the Graded Care Profile 2 | Research in Practice. The tool can be most effective when used as part of early support and a Wiltshire audit identified the following benefits from use of the tool with families:

The Graded Care Profile is a useful tool for facilitating discussions with parent/carers about their child's welfare and their living conditions. it should be used alongside the parent and with other relevant professionals so that the family have holistic joined up support.

The tool looks at the following areas and sub areas and a grade is placed against each area, using the descriptors provided to help:

Physical care: nutrition; housing; clothing; hygiene; health

Safety: in parents' presence; when parent is absent

Emotional care: responsiveness; mutual engagement

Developmental care: interactive stimulation; approval; disapproval; acceptance;

1. Always met: All the child's needs are always met, and the parent goes the extra mile. The child is always first.

2. Met: All essential needs are always met. The child is priority

3. Met most of the time: Most of the time the essential needs of the child are met. The child and the carer are at par.

4. Not met most of the time: Most of the time the essential needs of the child are not met. Child is considered second.

5. Never met: The child's essential needs are not met. May be due to intentional disregard. The child is last or not considered.
Comments from Wiltshire practitioners who have used the tool include:
"Using the assessment helped identify the family's strengths and weaknesses, which in turn help to identify which other professionals needed to be involved in the case to meet the needs of the family."

"GCP2 was used to help evidence the concerns around neglect, this appears have helped inform a MASH referral that has resulted in the child being made subject to a CIN plan, although the neglect is part of a wider issue."

"... one of the positives of completing the GCP2 with both of the families concerned was that the conversations with both mothers led to a recognition in the mothers about their own poor mental health and subsequent accepting of referral on for mental health support ..."
GCP2 - Antenatal (GCP2 -A)
The NSPCC has developed a GCP2-Antenatal (GCP2-A) tool which is currently in the testing phase. This is a practical tool which measures the quality of consideration (awareness and practice) given to the developing baby in the antenatal and early postnatal period.

The tool comprises of three sections: Section 1: Early in the pregnancy - reflect on planning for or becoming/aware of pregnancy & now or when concerns arise; Section 2: During pregnancy; and Section 3 - First 7-10 days. The tool is designed to aid the identification of issues early in pregnancy to allow the implementation of suitable support packages so that long term impacts are mitigated, risks managed, and babies, infants and children can achieve their full potential. The tool is aimed at midwives, health support staff, early help staff and Social Workers. This tool should be available in 2023.

For more information visit Graded Care Profile 2 (GCP2) | NSPCC Learning
What can I do to improve my practice in relation to neglect or suspected neglect?
It is critical that signs, even early signs, of neglect are not ignored. We need to move away from using terms such as 'low-level neglect '- neglect is neglect and needs to be responded to, whenever it is identified or suspected.
Work in a relationship-based way building trusting relationships with families
Focus on strengths not just on weaknesses or areas of concern - most parents will be doing something well, however small, and we need to identify theses and build on them when addressing concerns in other areas.

Take a restorative approach - provide high challenge with high support

Use assessment tools such as the GCP2 - this is a useful tool for facilitating discussions with parent/ carers about their child's welfare and their living conditions. it should be used alongside the parent and with other relevant professionals so that the family have holistic joined up support.

Voice of the child - keeping them at the heart of your practice and decision making: make sure you are considering what is the daily life of the child like? What is their lived experience? What are they telling you about their life? How to have difficult conversations with children | NSPCC Learning

Be clear and detailed in your recording of what you are observing; for example rather than saying 'the house was dirty' describe what you have observed it in detail so that it is clear what that means.

Challenge parental accounts - do not just rely on what they are telling you

Work with both parents, including fathers - as a system we tend to work with mothers and have lower expectations of fathers. Fathers are often less well assessed and involved by practitioners. This means we do not know enough about them to understand how they can support the mother but also whether they present a risk to the child.

Share and seek information so that a coherent picture of a child's life can be developed

Be curious in your practice - ask the 'second question'

Use supervision to discuss your concerns

Use a chronology to record contacts; this will help inform decision, supports the analysis of impact and helps identify patterns of neglect: Completing social work chronologies: Practice Tool (2022) | Research in Practice

Safeguarding under 1s - babies under 1 are our most vulnerable group, locally and nationally. It is important that we can spots the signs that a parent is not meeting the needs of the child or is a risk to them. This tool can help identify vulnerability and protective factors: Vulnerability and Protective Factors in Pregnancy to Early Parenthood

Links between poverty, affluence, and neglect +

Over 30% of children in England live in poverty and deep poverty has increased in the last 5 years (Professor Paul Bywaters, 2022). Being poor does not necessarily mean that a child is being neglected and using a tool to help identify areas of strength and areas of concern can help practitioners understand whether the needs of a child are being met, target the areas of concern, and signpost a family to further support.

However research shows a link between poverty and child abuse and neglect; and that poverty and inequality are key drivers of harm to children and can increase the likelihood of domestic abuse, poor mental health, and substance misuse, all of which present a risk to children.

To understand more about this go to: The relationship between poverty and child abuse and neglect: new evidence - Nuffield Foundation

Neglect in affluent families - although we might not think about neglect in relation to wealthy families it may present itself in the following ways:

Emotional neglect

Supervisory neglect

Educational neglect

Sexual abuse

Sexual exploitation

Technology assisted harmful sexual behaviours

Professionals can find it harder to work with these families, who may be quite powerful, well-educated, and resistant to accepting concerns raised. Using an evidence-based tool can help as it can highlight the areas of concern and reinforce what is working well. The following attributes have been identified through research as the most important in raising neglect concerns with affluent families:

To find out more: An Exploration of How Social Workers Engage Neglectful Parents from Affluent Backgrounds in the Child Protection System | www.basw.co.uk

Links between neglect and other forms of abuse +

Neglect and other forms of abuse often co-exist.

Child neglect and its relationship to other forms of harm - responding effectively to children's needs: Evidence Scopes | Research in Practice - this set of resource explores the links between neglect and CSE; neglect and intrafamilial sexual abuse, and working with harmful sexual behaviour

What does neglect in adults look like? +

When working with adults we talk about self-neglect. The Care Act 2014 describes self-neglect as 'a wide range of behaviour, neglecting to care for one's personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding.'

Types of Self-Neglect are:

A lack of self-care, examples of which are:

Poor hydration and diet, having little fresh food.

A lack of care of environment:

Refusal of Services (that would alleviate the above)

Wiltshire has developed Self neglect Guidance and an accompanying Hoarding Protocol.

If you are worried about an adult or if you have concerns about a vulnerable adult, please contact the adult Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

Telephone: 0300 456 0111

Monday to Thursday 08:30 - 17:20 or Friday 08:30 - 16:20

Email: adviceandcontact@wiltshire.gov.uk

Further information, research and resources +

Five to thrive: Five to Thrive is a trauma informed approach and will help you working a way that supports secure attachment; building healthy relationships which are essential to wellbeing
FACT - Five to Thrive: Attachment, Trauma and Resilience Training - Wiltshire Council
Training - in addition to training within your own organisation you can access the following multi-agency training

GCP2 Training - this course will enable you to have access to and use the GCP2 assessment tool

Neglect - multi-agency course for any practitioner working with children and families
Wiltshire Safeguarding Vulnerable People Partnership (SVPP) - Courses (wiltshiresvpp.org.uk)
The Department for education has produced a range a of resources that can be used to support training within your organisation: Training resources on childhood neglect: handouts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

ACEs: https://www.eif.org.uk/files/pdf/aces-building-consensus-on-what-should-happen-next.pdf

Listen to the NSPCC podcast to find out about Recognising and responding to child neglect

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All agencies have a responsibility to act on concerns around neglect or suspected neglect and to ensure professionals are confident in the identification, assessment and response to neglect at the earliest signs. This framework is designed to highlight best practice and tools that can help in our re…

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https://www.gov.uk/guidance/defence-infrastructure-organisation-service-family-accommodation#loss-of-entitlement

Loss of entitlement

For enquiries about loss of entitlement to SFA resulting from retirement, redundancy, discharge or estrangement, please contact the Loss of Entitlement Team by email: diordaccn-loeteam@mod.gov.uk

If you believe that you will lose entitlement to SFA in the future, or find yourself in this situation, advice is available from a variety of sources. As well as the Joint Service Housing Advice Office, other sources of information and advice are: service charities; families federations; housing advice centres; and local authorities.

Separation and divorce guidance for military personnel spouses and partners.

AFF

https://aff.org.uk/advice/family-life/separation-and-divorce/

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If your poppy includes single-use plastic, you can bring it to Sainsbury's for recycling until 23 November. Simply locate a poppy recycling box at your nearby store.

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Visitors to the HIVE will have to:
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After a long 7 months, Salisbury Plain HIVE has now re-opened. There are temporary revised opening hours, which are listed below: Visitors to the HIVE will have to:Make a prior appointment (contact details in the signature block)Leave their contact details for track and traceWear a face covering Our temporary opening hours are as follows:Monday & [...]

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The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and has overall responsibility for providing service families with homes.

They have given Pinnacle a contract to run the National Service Centre, which is where you call regarding any issues with your home, or about home allocations. We are also responsible for the Housing Officers who visit you in your home.

The DIO also have contracts with Amey and VIVO to carry out any repair and maintenance issues in your home, including bringing properties to the required standard before a new family moves in. When you call the National Service Centre we will allocate these jobs to appointments given to us by Amey and VIVO.

Pinnacle run the National Service Centre. Amey and VIVO carry out the repairs and maintenance service. Decisions about upgrade or refurbishment works are made by DIO.

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The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and has overall responsibility for providing service families with homes. They have given Pinnacle a contract to run the National Service Centre, which is where you call regarding any issues with your home, or about home allocations.

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