ABE: Achieving Best Evidence,

Guidance for Police Officers and Social Workers in conducting interviews with children where allegation of abuse are being investigated 

ChAD: Children's advice and duty service

CAIU: Child Abuse Investigation Unit (Police)

CAMHS: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

CAFCASS: Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service

CSE: Child Sexual Exploitation

CIN - Child in Need - A child in need plan is voluntary for families and gives children failing to thrive extra services, beyond what every child receives, to help them develop safely 

CPP: Child Protection Plan - A plan created following a child protection conference that sets out how the child can be kept safe.

CO: Care Order - Places a child under the care of the Local Authority.

DV / DA: Domestic Violence or Domestic abuse

DBS: Disclosure and Barring Service - formerly known as the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau)

DSL: Designated Safeguarding Lead (England)

DVPN: Domestic Violence Protection Notice

DVPO: Domestic Violence Protection Order.

EPO: Emergency Protection Order - Protects a child from ongoing or imminent risk of physical, mental or emotional harm where emergency action is needed for a maximum period of eight days.

EWO: Education Welfare Officer

FIS: Family Information Service -  provides information on childcare, activities and services for children and young people and family support in a local area

FGM: Female Genital Mutilation

FII: Fabricated or Inducted Illness - Previously known as Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy

HV: This could mean ‘home visit’ or Health Visitor

HSB: Harmful Sexualised Behaviour - is developmentally inappropriate sexual behaviour which is displayed by children and young people.

IRO: Independent Reviewing Officers - IRO’s chair reviews for children living in children’s homes or foster care.

ICPC: Initial Child Protection Conference - brings together all the people involved with a child who is not already subject to a child protection plan.

ICO: Interim Care Order - An order that is applied for by the Local Authority to ask for the power to share Parental Responsibility with the parents of children they believe to be at risk.

KCSiE: Keeping Children Safe in Education (Education Guidance, England) 

LAC: Looked After Child, formerly children in care.

LADO: Local Authority Designated Officer - works within Children’s Services and gives advice and guidance to employers, organisations who have concerns about the behaviour of an adult who works with children and young people.

MASH: Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub

MARAC: Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference

MARF: Multi Agency Referral Form

NFA: No further action 

PRU: Pupil Referral Unit

PR: Parental Responsibility

PPO: Police Protection Order - In an emergency situation, children can be placed under police protection for up to 72 hours

SRO: Sexual Risk Order - is a civil order which can be sought by the police against an individual who has not been convicted or cautioned for a sexual offence but who is nevertheless thought by the police to pose a risk of harm.

S47 or Section 47: Investigation of a child at risk of significant harm

SCR: Serious Case Review -  is held after a child or vulnerable adult dies or is seriously injured under circumstances where abuse or neglect are thought to have been involved (England)

SEND: Special Education Needs and Disability

TAF: Team around the Family - provides a service to families who are likely to need help from two or more agencies (e.g. schools, health services, housing).

UNCRC: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child - An international convention signed by Britain on which we have based much of our current child safeguarding legislation

UASC: Un-accompanied Asylum Seeking Child

YOT: Youth Offending Team - is a multi-agency team that work with young people that get into trouble with the law.

YAR: Youth at Risk