'Significant work' needed to help at-risk children

Significant work is needed to better protect children on the Isle of Man at risk of exploitation or harm after a spike in the number of referrals, a safeguarding body has warned.

Findings from the Isle of Man Safeguarding Board's annual review show the number of child referrals between April 2024 and March 2025 had risen by 52 on the previous year, to a total of 133.

While improvements were found in services helping vulnerable adults, the picture for young people was not as promising.

Independent chair of the board Lesley Walker said steps taken, including a workshop, found there was "significant work required" to "strengthen safeguarding systems" for young people.

The number of re-referrals was "higher than expected and above the UK national average", Ms Walker said.

Therefore the board was asked to do an audit of a sample of re-referrals and make recommendations.

Ms Walker spoke to several parents of children at risk of exploitation and found a "significant presence of additional needs" had arisen "from neurodiversity".

This "had an impact on the young person's ability to evaluate and process information", she said, adding it left them at "particular risk of exploitation".

Ms Walker said all of the families told her they "did not receive an adequate response of support when their child first displayed difficulties".

Parents "described feeling badly let down at all stages of their involvement especially with statutory agencies", she said.

This reinforced the need for an early intervention pathway to be established, she said.

"A clear and accessible multi-agency pathway is still not available, and the lack of this continues to be raised in reviews and by service users and parents", she said.

However Ms Walker acknowledged there had been "good work undertaken" and said the Community Safety Partnership, a team under the Criminal Justice Board, was taking a "lead role" to implement a pathway.

Meanwhile referrals in adult safeguarding "remained significantly high", Ms Walker reported.

Referrals had increased from 434 in 2021-22 to 1,061 in 2024-25, with self-neglect the most common cause.

Neglect was a key priority of the review.

It comes after seven deaths as the result of self-neglect prompted an overhaul of safeguarding practices in 2022.

A new pathway was launched in 2023, involving the safeguarding board, police, and Manx Care.

Ms Walker reported "significant progress" since then "in establishing a robust multi-agency response to adults who self-neglect".

Another challenge being faced was over practitioners' concerns with information sharing.

There was "much to do" to improve understanding of consent regarding safeguarding risks, she said.

Consent was not required where there is a safeguarding risk, and a lack of consent can be over-ridden in specific cases, she explained.

The board was now providing guidance for professionals to better support them.

Elsewhere it outlined findings from a protocol introduced in 2023 tackling cases of institutional abuse following the trial into historical abuse at the Knottfield children's home.

The process follows allegations made about professionals "considered to be in a position of trust" where services are provided to children and vulnerable adults.

In the 2024-25 period, 19 people in positions of trust went through this process regarding children, 10 of which were substantiated claims.

These included people being under the influence of alcohol, overstepping professional boundaries, and being arrested for aggressive behaviour.

In adult cases 14 people in positions of trust were reported, eight of which were substantiated.

Inappropriate conduct included the physical abuse of a care home resident, significant medication errors, and "inappropriate touching" of a care home resident.

There were also four referrals made about four staff members in one residential setting, resulting in an internal investigation and three employees dismissed.

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