Working Together to
Safeguard Children 2013
BSCB Multi-Agency Briefings: May 2013
Welcome
• Introduction
• Domestics
• Outline of briefing
• Quiz
Aims of this session
• To provide an overview of the Guidance.
• To give you a chance to test your knowledge.
• To focus on key sections:
• Assessing & Helping (Chapter 1)
• What agencies must do (Chapter2)
• Local Safeguarding Children Boards’ organisation,
accountabilities and governance (Chapter 3)
• Reviewing, learning & improving (Chapters 4 & 5).
Overview
•
The new working together needs to be seen as part of the reforms
identified within Professor Eileen Munro’s independent review of the
child protection system, and it is consistent with the Government’s
“localism” agenda.
•
It is statutory multi-agency guidance, with a focus on legal
requirement. The non-statutory, supplementary guidance documents
are removed, although all are listed in appendix C.
•
It requires local authorities, with their partners, to develop and
publish local protocols for assessment, which have been agreed with
the LSCB.
•
The development of sector led professional guidance and local
innovation is encouraged.
Overview
•
The principles of “The Framework for the Assessment of Children In Need”
(2000) are upheld but in a more succinct and less defined manner.
•
Effective safeguarding arrangements are underpinned by two key
principles.
• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
• Safeguarding requires a clear child centred approach.
•
There is a new definition of safeguarding to include “taking action to
enable all children to have the best outcomes”.
•
You can download a web-enabled version of WTSC 2013 from the BSCB
website:
http://www.workingtogetheronline.co.uk/chapters/chapter_two.html#sect
ion_eleven
Assessing need and providing help
1.
Providing early help is more effective in promoting the welfare of children than
reacting later.
2.
Early help assessment should be undertaken by lead professionals who could be e.g.
Health visitor, teacher, general practitioner.
3.
What ever section of the Children Act 1989 a child is assessed under the purpose of
the assessment is always.
• Gathering information.
• Analysing that information.
• Deciding whether the child is in need and what those needs are.
• Providing Services.
4.
Effective sharing of information between professionals and agencies is essential for
effective identification of need and service provision.
5.
WTSC 2013 re-emphasises this need. It does not introduce any additional barriers.
The Local Authority Assessment Process
1. Assessment should be a dynamic process and should be
reviewed on a regular basis.
2. A good assessment is one which looks at the following three
domains as a minimum.
a. The child’s developmental needs.
b. The parents or carers capacity to respond to those needs.
c. The impact and influence of the wider family.
3. Every assessment should be focused on outcomes deciding
which services and support to provide to improve the child’s
welfare
The Local Authority Assessment Process
4. The timeliness of an assessment remains a critical element
• Within one working day of a referral being received
a Local Authority should make a decision about the
type of response required.
• For children who are in need of immediate
protection action must be taken as soon as possible
after the referral has been made.
• The maximum time frame for an assessment to
conclude should be no longer than forty five
working days from the point of referral.
The Local Authority Assessment Process
5. To assist continuity and consistency there is no longer a
requirement to conduct separate initial and core
assessments.
6. Social Workers should not wait until the assessment reaches
a conclusion before commissioning services to support the
child.
7. Social Workers should make clear to families how the
assessment will be carried out and when they can expect a
decision.
Developments in Bradford
1. An early response by Bradford to Professor Munro’s report was
the creation of the Integrated Assessment Team.
2. This is a multi-agency assessment team with seconded partners
from Health, Police and Education offering consultation to, and
referral taking from, professional agencies.
3. This has improved
• inter agency communication
• professional knowledge and skill sharing
• timeliness of response
Developments in Bradford
4. In Bradford we are also embarking on work to develop an assessment tool
which will.
a. Build on our strengths as set out in Ofsted inspections and maintain good
timeliness.
b. Ensure assessments are proportionate and fit for purpose.
c. Ensure assessments are adaptable and can be built upon after the preliminary
assessment.
d. Ensure the assessment is fit for purpose within public law care proceedings and
particularly in context with the family justice review.
e. Set out clear timescales and standards of practice to ensure consistency of quality.
f. Ensure the assessment process supports and encourages active participation by
Children and Young People.
g. Ensure that the assessment process promotes active enquiry and challenge to key
family members.
h. Ensure assessments are rooted in child development and related social work
theory, support evidence based practice and good analysis of both need and risk.
5. Bradford, with our partners, and through the LSCB will be developing local
protocols for assessment.
Any Questions?
What Agencies Must Do & Partnership
Working
Chapter 2 of WTSC reminds agencies of their safeguarding
responsibilities under Section 11 of the Children Act
2004 (Education settings have pre-existing, similar
responsibilities set out in Sections 157 and 175 of the
Education Act 2002).
This places duties on a range of organisations and individuals
to ensure their functions, and any services that they
contract out to others, are discharged having regard to the
need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Various other statutory duties apply to other specific
organisations working with children and families and are set
out in this chapter.
What Agencies Must Do & Partnership
Working
• The role of Designated Professionals is emphasised.
• All organisations have a responsibility to ensure that
appropriate safeguarding competencies are achieved by
staff, and that safeguarding children is a mandatory part of
induction training.
• Allegations management arrangements are in the
document, and there is a requirement for all agencies to
report to the LADO within 1 working day.
Partnership Working: Health
• Impact of Health structures and focus on responsibilities of
NHS Commissioning Board for safeguarding
• Duty to retain expertise locally of named and designated
health professionals
• Expanded role of CCGs in QA and managing contracts with
providers
• Role of GPs
• Effective mechanisms for LSCBs and HWBs to raise
concerns locally
• Role of NHS Commissioning Board in leading improvement
and ensuring arrangements for LSCB to feedback on local
NHS leadership
Partnership Working
• Greater detail on responsibilities of the police, eg consider
effects of DV
• Police officers trained in child abuse investigation
• Clarification of responsibilities of housing
• Probation
• YOTs must now have designated safeguarding lead
• New sections for faith groups and voluntary and private
sectors
Local Safeguarding Children Boards
Chapter 3 sets out the objectives & functions of LSCBs:
1. Co-ordinate what is done by each person or body
represented on the Board for the purpose of safeguarding
and promoting the welfare of children in the area; and
2. Ensure the effectiveness of what is done by each such
person or body for these purposes.
(Section 14 of CA 2004).
Local Safeguarding Children Boards
• Change in governance to promote independence;
• Independent Chair reports direct to CEO;
• Explicit requirement for members to share financial
responsibility and transparency of budget and expenditure;
• Greater detail in annual report;
• Business Manager and dedicated support;
• Lay Members ( but number not specified).
Any Questions?
Chapters 4 & 5: Reviewing, Learning &
Improving
Serious Case Reviews are undertaken to learn and improve
services when abuse or neglect of a child is known or
suspected; and either :
(i) the child has died; or
(ii) the child has been seriously harmed and there is cause for
concern as to the way in which the authority, their Board
partners or other relevant persons have worked together to
safeguard the child.
Chapters 4 & 5: Reviewing, Learning &
Improving
Serious Case Reviews:
• Must use model consistent with principles in guidance
(systems methodology implied);
• Emphasis on learning and impact;
• National panel of independent experts on SCRs to oversee
process and challenge Chairs;
• SCRs must be published in full.
Chapters 4 & 5: Reviewing, Learning &
Improving
Other case reviews, audit and challenge:
• LSCBs and partners should learn from a range of cases, not
just those that meet the criteria for SCRs;
• Learning should come from successful cases, as well as
those which raise concerns;
• Learning should engage front-line practitioners, as well as
managers
Child Death Reviews
LSCBs must review every child death in the District. The LSCB
must ensure that there are arrangements in place to ensure
that there is a rapid response to sudden & unexpected child
deaths.
The Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) must consider
whether every death was preventable, or potentially
preventable. When appropriate recommendations must be
made to improve services. Trends should be identified,
lessons collated and an annual report must be published.
There is no further central government funding for this
activity.
Learning and Improvement in Bradford
• BSCB has developed a Learning and improvement Framework
• Progress Monitored Bi – monthly as a standing item on the BSCB
Agenda
• Range of reviews , emphasis on learning and improvement
reflective practice individuals, organisations
• Focus on improvement of outcomes for children in the district
Summary: Key Changes
• Business as usual!
• Core statutory guidance and reduced prescription
• Reflects new and developing landscape
• More flexible approach to assessment and heightened role of
professional judgement and local practice
• Change in governance to reflect increased independence of LSCBs
• Transparency of Serious Case reviews based on key Munro
principles
Any Questions?
Quiz Answers