From the Teacher Support Network, www.teachersupport.info.

TEACHERS LOSE SLEEP OVER CHILD NEGLECT, WARNS CHARITY

Teachers and other professionals who come into contact with children are losing sleep over their fears of what to do in cases of suspected child neglect, a charity has warned. Action for Children says that staff need more help to feel "empowered" to act on their concerns.

"All our findings point to the stark reality that neglected children and their parents are being identified, but neither the professionals not the public feel empowered to help or intervene, particularly at the early stages," says Action for Children's Chief Executive Dame Claire Tickell.

The charity's report, Review of Child Neglect 2011, is based on focus groups, existing research and polls of 4,236 adults. It was in these focus groups that the professionals, including some primary schools teachers, said they had had "sleepless nights" over what to do in cases of suspected child neglect, the BBC reports.

The report follows an official review of England's child protection system by Professor Eileen Munro, who called for a radical shake-up of the process.

As a result, Children's Minister Tim Loughton, explains that the Government is "working with Ofsted to make sure their inspections look at whether children are getting the help they need".

The Review also found that the percentage of social workers who felt powerless to intervene had gone up by a third to just over half since 2009.

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