Ombudsman for Children’s Office Child Protection Policy and Procedures

Children and young people, and the adults who care for them, need to be confident that the OCO can provide a safe environment. This Child Protection Policy sets out our approach to providing such an environment. It is subject to review by OCO staff and will be amended and updated as required to take account of, inter alia, developments in legislation and policy relating to child protection.

At the OCO, we aim to provide as safe an environment as it is possible to do while giving young people exciting opportunities and challenges. We need to follow laws and guidelines and what is seen as “best practice.”

However, because our job is to keep an eye on whether laws and practices truly respect children and young people’s rights, we will always be asking ourselves and others whether the rules that are meant to be protecting children are really doing that job. We always seek to exceed minimum standards for child protection set down in the Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (July 2011).

• December 2012
• Type: Finance/OCO records
• Topic: OCO info