1. Introduction
Some children and their parents / carers, may require the services of an interpreter, signer or another professional who has specific communication skills. This may be as a result of not having sufficient comprehension or command of spoken English or other communication difficulties, as the result of hearing problems or learning or physical disabilities for example.
Children, parents and carers with specific communication needs should be supported to access interpreters, signers and other communicators to ensure their needs are met. This includes children and parents / carers who are involved in the safeguarding process. The use of interpreters, signers or other communication aids (e.g. cue cards) must be considered at the very beginning of the safeguarding process to ensure that the child and their parents/carers are included and involved in the process, as much as possible. They should receive the same level of service as those in the local population who do not have communication needs.
2. Principles of Communication Services
There are a number of main principles that should be considered when a person has communication needs:
- family members should not be used as interpreters / communicators;
- neither should children (within the family or extended network) be used as interpreters / communicators;
- the person acting as the interpreters / communicator should be acceptable to both the child / parent / carer and the local authority;
- the child /parent / carer should be consulted in relation to any concerns they may have about an interpreter’s / communicator’s gender and / or religion, and issues of confidentiality and potential conflicts of interest;
- the interpreter / communicator should declare in advance of providing the service if they have any personal knowledge of the child/parent// carer;
- the interpreter / communicator should also be asked in advance about any needs they may have themselves, for example disability access, water and so on
- the importance of confidentiality should be discussed with the interpreter / communicator prior to them first meeting the child / parent / carer. They should be sourced from an agency who is already contracted with the local authority and where there is an existing confidentiality agreement. If this is not possible, they must sign a confidentiality agreement prior to undertaking any work;
- the role of the interpreter / communicator is to act solely in relation to issues of communication, not as a mediator between the child / parent / carer and the local authority;
- the interpreter / communicator should be briefed before the meeting. This may include preparing them for possible disclosure and discussion of sensitive or harrowing information. They should also be briefed if an advocate will also be present.
Decisions about the way in which the interpreter / communicator will be used will depend on their skills and training, the needs of the child / parent / carer and the purpose of the meeting.
Staff working with interpreters / communicators should not use them to obtain information about racial, cultural, religious or language issues. This is not a proper use of an interpreter; also their mores and life experiences may not necessarily reflect those of the child / parent / carer.
