Safeguarding children in Essex- making a difference

together

Alison CutlerBusiness Manager

Essex Safeguarding Children Board

(alison.cutler@essex.gov.uk)

• 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

Aims

• 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 of ESCB

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 for all…

• 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 – what does this mean for LSCB?

• 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 of 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

Responsibilities – what does this mean for the voluntary sector?

• 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.

Serious Case Reviews

• 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

Key SCR themes

• 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….

• 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

ESCB actions continued….

• 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

How can we support you?

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility:

for services to be effective each

professional and organisation should play

their full part

Any questions?

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Keep up to date with the ESCB

Website www.escb.co.uk

Twitter @EssexSafeguards

Email escb@essex.gov.uk

alison.cutler@essex.gov.uk