Safeguarding children in Essexmaking a difference together
Alison Cutler
Business Manager
Essex Safeguarding Children Board
(alison.cutler@essex.gov.uk)
Aims
• Myths and legends about the ESCB
• Outline your role and responsibilities with regard to
safeguarding
• Highlight some key themes both nationally and
locally for Safeguarding Boards arising from Serious
Case Reviews
• Outline current key activities of the ESCB
• Set out how you can access further information
Responsibilities of ESCB
• Duties for LSCB’s are set out in Working Together to
Safeguard Children and Young People 2013:
‘To coordinate and ensure the effectiveness of
what is done by agencies to safeguard and
improve the welfare of children and young
people.’
Responsibilities for all…
And… for everyone…
Effective safeguarding arrangements in every local area
should be underpinned by two key principles:
• safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: for services
to be effective each professional and organisation
should play their full part; and
• a child-centred approach: for services to be effective
they should be based on a clear understanding of the
needs and views of children.
Responsibilities – what does
this mean for LSCB?
• Strategic
• Statutory and voluntary sector partners
• Oversight and challenge
• Sub committees – training, policies, performance, health
executive forum, district councils, communications
• Statutory functions – Child Death Overview Panel,
Serious Case Review Panel
• Closely working with other Boards and local partnerships
Responsibilities of the voluntary
sector
• Paid and volunteer staff need to be aware of their
responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of children, how they should respond to child
protection concerns and make a referral to local
authority children’s social care or the police if necessary
• Everyone who works with children - including teachers,
GPs, nurses, midwives, health visitors, early years
professionals, youth workers, police, Accident and
Emergency staff, paediatricians, voluntary and
community workers and social workers - has a
responsibility for keeping them safe.
Responsibilities – what does this mean
for the voluntary sector?
• Responsibilities for you include:
• Senior leadership responsibility for organisation’s
safeguarding arrangements
• Staff induction to include safeguarding
• Safe recruitment practices including DBS checks
• Policy and procedures – SET procedures
• Clear policies on what to do in case of an allegation
Serious Case Reviews
• Statutory duty of the LSCB
• Set out in Working Together 2013
• Multi agency
• Systems approach – involving practitioners including
the voluntary sector
• Everyone plays a part
• Published
• Learning and impact on practice
Serious Case Reviews
•
Regulation 5 of the Local Safeguarding Children Boards Regulations
2006 sets out the functions of LSCBs. This includes the requirement for
LSCBs to undertake reviews of serious cases in specified circumstances.
Regulation 5(1) (e) and (2) set out an LSCB’s function in relation to
serious case reviews, namely:
•
5 (1) (e) undertaking reviews of serious cases and advising the authority
and their Board partners on lessons to be learned.
•
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1) (e) a serious case is one where:
•
(a) abuse or neglect of a child is known or suspected; and
•
(b) 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.
Key SCR themes
• Serious case reviews nationally:
• Failure to hear the voice of the child
• Assumptions – eg about injuries and perpetrators
• Rule of optimism
• Domestic abuse, substance misuse, neglect, mental
health issues
• Poor information sharing
• Focus on the adult not the child
• Not ‘thinking the unthinkable’
Key SCR themes
• Serious case reviews locally:
• Lack of assessment of significant adults especially
males
• Domestic abuse, mental health issues, substance
misuse
• Pre birth assessments
• Information sharing
ESCB actions….
• 2 year 2015 – 17 Business Plan setting out priorities
• Training and learning – courses, conferences, e
learning
• Stay safe groups/partnership leads – closer linkages to
the ESCB with issues affecting the ‘front line’
• Improved and updated website to include more
information
• Regional and national links to share best practice
and learning
ESCB actions continued….
• SCR process being reviewed to ensure best practice
and maximum impact
• Review effectiveness of the Board and its sub groups
– focus on learning, improvement and outcomes
• Audits, reviews and challenge
• Partnership working and joint initiatives eg with the
Safeguarding Adult Board
ESCB actions continued….
• SET Policies and procedures being updated – go live
16 March 2015
• Child Sexual Exploitation – actions include
newsletters, training
• Prevention of youth suicide – resource pack
• Voluntary sector support and engagement
• Involvement of young people
How can we support you?
• Training and learning – courses, conferences, e
learning
• Website and bulletins
• Policies and procedures
• Local links – eg stay safe groups, practitioner
forums, partnership leads
• Ongoing communication and conversations
Safeguarding is everyone’s
responsibility: for services to be
effective each professional
and organisation should play
their full part
Any questions?
Keep up to date with the ESCB
Website www.escb.co.uk
Twitter
@EssexSafeguards
Email
escb@essex.gov.uk
alison.cutler@essex.gov.uk
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