New procedures to ensure agencies work more effectively together to prevent York's most vulnerable young people coming to harm will be launched at a major conference in the city today.

The multi-agency York Area Child Protection Committee has put together a package of procedures to help ensure that action is taken by those working with young people to better protect children who are vulnerable or at risk.

The procedures, launched at the Early Music Centre in Walmgate, have been developed by a multi-agency team of professionals including Social Services, Education, Health, Police, Probation Service and the NSPCC.

They provide vital signposting and advice to all those working with young people and aim to ensure that children at risk are kept safe.

Pete Dwyer, Chair of the York ACPC said: "We can never be complacent in this difficult area of work. There is always room for improvement and we want to ensure that we are providing clear and effective guidance to staff working with children and are giving them the training and support they need.

"The ACPC has responsibility for ensuring that agencies work well together to protect children and a key part of the thinking behind the new procedures is to learn the lessons from national enquiries into child protection and ensure that here in York agencies respond more effectively."

"It is highly significant that the launch of City of York's updated Child Protection Procedures takes place in the same week as the publication of Lord Laming's report into the tragic death of Victoria Climb‘. The report whilst describing the current statutory framework as basically sound graphically describes the failures of the system to effectively protect Victoria.

"This launch event and the local ACPC's recent approval of additional resourcing for the work of the committee demonstrates that local agencies in York are determined to ensure that we are well placed to respond positively to Lord Laming's findings."

The half-day conference includes a keynote speech by Professor Nigel Parton of Huddersfield University, a leading expert and author on children protection.

Lynne Bird, ACPC Training and Development Officer based at the NSPCC said: "The procedures are guidance for those coming into contact with children to help them recognise child abuse and find out what steps they should take. York ACPC recognises the importance of multi agency working and communication in child protection and these procedures are intended to strengthen that process."

The procedures are child centred, with children's safety at the heart of their development. In keeping with this a new ACPC logo has been designed from a drawing by a nine-year-old York schoolgirl, Maria Mazza, through a competition run by the NSPCC's FULL STOP campaign. It will be used on the ACPC procedures and training materials. An abridged version of the procedures is currently being developed by the ACPC and will be distributed widely in the city.

Maria, a pupil at Dunnington C of E Primary School wins a cheque for £100 for her school and a £20 book voucher for herself donated by Borders bookshop.

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