A specialist Luton training team has been recognised by the NSPCC for pioneering a programme to help protect children from neglect across the borough.

The professionals are among the first to receive the charity’s prestigious Elephant award in recognition of their work to train staff to use a unique assessment tool.

The Graded Care Profile 2 (GCP2) helps professionals to measure the quality of care being given to a child by helping them identify anything that puts a child at risk of harm. This tool helps practitioners to identify parents’ strengths, weaknesses and what needs to be changed so that they can get them the right support to improve the life of their children.
(Pictured are (from left) Salma, Alison and Debbie)

The training team made up of individuals from different services have delivered the specialist Graded Care Profile 2 training to professionals across the town working in health, children’s services, youth offending, police, housing and the voluntary sector, to improve how professionals identify and assess children who are at risk of being neglected.

The NSPCC Elephant Award which aims to acknowledge practitioners who have demonstrated focus and commitment to ensuring successful implementation of GCP2 was presented to Debbie Brown ( Early Help service), Salma Fazil (Luton Flying Start) and Alison Braniff (Luton Children's Community Health Services).

Since the implementation of the GCP 2 tool over 200 cases of neglect have been identified (from April to December 2017).

Fran Pearson, Independent Chair, Luton Safeguarding Children Board, said: “Congratulations to the training team, this recognition is truly well deserved. The high quality specialist training  they have delivered to workforces across Luton means that practitioners working with families now have the tools, knowledge and increased confidence to identify when a child is at risk of harm. They are also assisting the LSCB in its aim to improve the quality of support for families and children who are neglected.”

Alison Braniff Trainer and Health Visitor with Luton Children's Community Health Services said: “Neglect can mean something to one person and a different thing to another. The Graded Care Profile is a common language across the UK to define what is neglect. We can work with the family to identify what they are doing well and where they need help. It’s about empowering families to be involved."