This document aims to provide initial guidance for staff of any West Dunbartonshire partner agency who, in the course of their work, may come into contact with adults who neglect themselves and/or their property and possessions. This includes adults who are affected by Hoarding Disorder, and other chronic conditions that result in excessive clutter or disorganisation. In addition to the guidance the recently published 'Hoarding Disorder: Towards a unified approach beyond disciplines' provides a helpful overview of the range of issues in this complex area of work and provide further information on hoarding and the steps currently being taken to develop a national approach. https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/insights/hoarding-disorder-towards-unified-approach-beyond-disciplines [Iriss, January 2026]
To ensure the updated Guidance aligns with updated practice.
To ensure the updated Guidance aligns with the National Guidance for Child protection in Scotland (2021, Update 2023
This Guidance aligns West Dunbartonshire practice to the National Guidance for Child Protection Committees Undertaking Learning Reviews (2024) and the National Guidance for Adult Protection Committees Undertaking Learning Reviews (2022).
This multi-agency guidance sits alongside any single agency guidance within your own organisation and you should also ensure you are familiar with your own organisations single agency guidance.
In order to assess a parent’s capacity to meet their child’s needs, it is important in cases where neglect is suspected to examine and gain an understanding of both the current circumstance and the parents’ early experience. This should form the basis for any assessment undertaken. This toolkit is for practitioners to use with parents/carers.
This document is intended to provide guidance for practitioners who encounter instances of equal protection which were previously deemed ‘reasonable chastisement’. These instances of reasonable chastisement will now be classed as an offence of assault and will be reported to Police.
The procedures are for practitioners and managers working across the statutory and voluntary sectors in West Dunbartonshire and they set out the responsibilities of all agencies to recognise and consider the potential risks to a child, regardless of whether the child is the main focus of their involvement. They also recognise the importance of Partnership working.
This document aims to provide advice, information and support about best practice in responding to a concern that a child may be at risk of FGM or has experienced FGM.
The purpose of this guidance is to present a strategic inter agency framework to respond to hte need to protect children and young people who are at risk of child trafficking in the context of current available evidence and they policy initiatives
This protocol has been developed by the West Dunbartonshire Child Protection Committee to assist multi agency practitioners in making decisions about the action which should be taken in response to a child being “unseen”.
The West Dunbartonshire Child Protection Committee Constitution will be ratified by the Public Protection Chief Officers Group, and will be reviewed by the Child Protection Committee on a three yearly basis to coincide with the production of the three year Improvement Plan.
The purpose of this guidance is to provide information and guidance to adults working with children in West Dunbartonshire who are vulnerable to sexual abuse or exploitation through internet and new technologies.
This guidance is relevant for all staff working with children and young people across all services including those working in adult services with individuals who may be a parent or carer. It aims to provide guidance and advice for practitioners across all agencies on how to respond to concerns regarding FII.
West Dunbartonshire HSCP has produced this guidance in recognition that professionals across agencies may be involved in trying to gather accurate information to assist assessment about a child at risk, at a point where emotions are running high and a parent or carer may be overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety, anger, depression, guilt or shame.
This guidance aims to ensure that all multi agency staff have clear steps to follow to promote a consistent approach to escalating concerns. This may be in situations whereby there are welfare or child protection concerns or whereby there is Social Work allocation or not.
