Date of publication:

 

September 2019

 

This alert relates to:

Changes in England to move local safeguarding and child protection arrangements delivered through Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards to that of a new safeguarding partners model.

Key themes and words relating to this development (Tags)

 Safeguarding children, promoting children’s well-being, early help, child protection, policies and procedures, legislation, multi- agency working, safeguarding children arrangements, local safeguarding children boards, safeguarding partners, relevant agencies, local authorities.

Summary of the events leading to the changes

A number of developments have taken place over time that have led to the current changes to Local Children Safeguarding Boards. Remembering that LSCB’s were developed in England under legislative requirements set out in the Children Act 2004, here’s brief timeline that has led us to where we are now.

2004 – Local Safeguarding Children Board’s replaced Area Child Protection Committees driven by the need to legislate for improved and effective arrangements for the safeguarding and protection of children in England. At the heart of this change was the focus on partnership and collaboration for everyone working with children and young people in order for them to be protected and kept safe. The death of Victoria Climbie in 2000 was a catalyst for this development.

2016 – Alan Wood published a review of the role and functions of LSCB’s and made a number of recommendations that were presneted to the Government in England for considerations for an ‘improved and better way of safeguarding children’ with a ‘new level of consistent effectiveness’. He believed that there was a need to reform the ‘framework for multi- agency arrangements and improve learning from serious events affecting children.’

2017 – The Children and Social Work Act legislates for new arrangements to supersede LSCB’s and for safeguarding partners to become a statutory requireed arrangement for local authorities in England.

2018 – A revised version of the Government’s statutory guidance Working to safeguarding children introduces the themes and terms used referring to safeguarding partners. Guidance for Local Authorities was published explaining the transitional arrangements needed to move from LSCB’s to safeguarding partners and issued timelines by which this process would be completed. (September 29th 2019)

Who are the safeguarding partners and how will we work with them?

The three safeguarding partners are:

  • Local Authorities
  • Health – Clinical Commissioning Groups
  • Police

The WTSC document explains the roles and functions of the safeguarding partners and states that, ‘the three safeguarding partners should achieve the following;

  • agree on ways to co-ordinate their safeguarding services;
  • act as a strategic leadership group in supporting and engaging others; and
  • implement local and national learning including from serious child safeguarding incident

Where does the role of early years practitioners sit within this new arrangement?

The statutory guidance goes on to state that ‘the three safeguarding partners must set out how they will work together and with any relevant agencies. There is a comprehensive list of who is deemed to be relevant agencies and it is clear that those working in the early years are considered to be relevant agencies playing a vital role in working together with safeguarding partners to promote children’s welfare and keep them safe. Some of the elements of what is expected of relevant agencies are;

  • to support and enable local organisations and agencies to work together
  • to engage with systems where children are safeguarded and their welfare is promoted
  • to collaborate in partnership with others
  • to share and co-own the vision for how to achieve improved outcomes for vulnerable children
  • to challenge appropriately and hold one another to account effectively
  • to identify concerns early and analyse new safeguarding issues and emerging threats
  • to engage in learning and reflective practice that drives forward changes in practice
  • to share information effectively
  • to facilitate accurate and timely decision making for children and families

In order to work together effectively, the safeguarding partners with other local organisations and agencies should develop processes that deliver the following:

  • facilitate and drive action beyond usual institutional and agency constraints and boundaries
  • ensure the effective protection of children is founded on practitioners developing lasting and trusting relationships with children and their families

More about relevant agencies

The WTSC statutory guidance explains more about relevant agencies and describes them as ‘organisations and agencies whose involvement the safeguarding partners consider is required to safeguard and promote the welfare of local children’. They engage in ‘strong, effective multi-agency arrangements’ that are responsive to local need. They also engage in ‘processes to enable joint identification of, and response to, existing and emerging needs, and to agree priorities to improve outcomes for children’.

A list of relevant agencies is set out in noted in The Child Safeguarding Practice Review and Relevant Agency (England) Regulations 2018, Children Act 2004, Section 16G. This references Education and Childcare including a person registered under chapter 2, 2A,3 or 3A of Part 3 of the Childcare Act 2006(d).

What changes have come about as a result of this development?

Each local area will have made arrangements bespoke to them that reflect their local priorities and objectives. In some areas boards have merged together, or are planning mergers. Most popular is the development of children’s social care combining with adult’s social care in order to create a better working partnership for children and adults, particularly as young people reach adulthood and still require support from services. Many safeguarding partner (LSCB) websites will provide information about these changes. It is not anticipated that practice will look too much different. Terminology may have changed, but the important processes and requirements for early years to engage with local arrangements and work in partnership with others, including statutory services remains central and most important.

What other important and relevant documents or legislation does this relate to?

Early Years Foundation Stage

Getting it right for every child (Scotland)

Keeping children safe in education

Working together to safeguard children

Ofsted Inspection Handbook for early years and education

Will this impact upon our policies?

Yes

If so, how?

Once a revised Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework is in place it is expected that wording will be changed from policies and procedures being in line with a LSCB’s to that of safeguarding partners. Policies can be changed to reflect this currently if necessary, in fact some LA’s are advising this currently. It would be advisable to check your local safeguarding partners website for any updates or changes that you then may want to add to the content of your setting’s safeguarding and child protection policy and / or procedures.

You can access the Working together to safeguard children 2018 document for more details about safeguarding partners and relevant agencies here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children–2