The Future of Child Safeguarding Arrangements

1. The Future of Child Safeguarding Arrangements Tracey Watkinson

2. Context • The Children and Social Work Act 2017, together with Working to Safeguard Children 2018, sets out the new multi-agency safeguarding arrangements. • From 29 June 2018, there are new duties on the police, Clinical Commissioning Groups and Local Authority, to make arrangements to work together and with other partners locally to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in their area. • The new multi-agency arrangements must come into effect on 29 September 2019. • This provides opportunity to collaborate with other geographical areas.

3. Purpose of new local arrangements • Children are safeguarded and their welfare promoted; • Partner agencies collaborate, share and co-own the vision; • Organisations and agencies challenge appropriately and hold one another to account; • There is early identification and analysis of new safeguarding issues; • Learning is promoted and embedded in a way that local services for children and families can become more reflective and implement changes to practice; • Information is shared effectively to facilitate accurate and timely decision making.

4. Proposal for Consideration • Phase 1 - Align Plymouth’s and Torbay’s Safeguarding Children Board to a collaborative approach. There will be joint oversight of knowledge and practice, together with shared resources, for the common purpose of promoting systems. • Phase 2/ or in parallel – Develop STP wide Safeguarding Accountability arrangements.

5. Design Principles (1) • Must focus on outcomes for children & young people – will NOT absorb respective Children & Young People Partnerships • Maintain and enhance all aspects of children and young people participation • Strengthened education engagement • Improve quality assurance and learning frameworks • Learning from early adopters • Aspiration for cost efficiency without compromising effectiveness of arrangements • Separate funding/budgets for 19/20 • Flexibility is key

6. Design Principles (2) • Where appropriate same mechanisms & frameworks to be implemented (QA, CDOP, learning reviews, workforce development etc.) • Retention of independent inspection regimes • Independent Quality Assurance role across Plymouth and Torbay • Local safeguarding and commissioning arrangements to remain separate and independent • Minor change of name & branding • Business unit structures to be reviewed – One Safeguarding Business Manager for both areas • Extension of current CDOP arrangements

7. Opportunity for Development • Joint oversight of knowledge and practice • Create a wider culture of learning and development • Provide an environment in which multi-agency working can flourish – innovation • Development of consistent reporting releasing capacity and sharing resources • Creation of single system outcome framework • Shared communication approach with single set of key messages • Enhanced opportunity to focus on system challenges across the whole STP footprint • Better understanding of whole system activity

8. Benefits • Extend and co-own safeguarding governance, knowledge and experience. • Improve challenge, assurance and accountability to improve outcomes for children. • Improve cost effectiveness of funding arrangements for respective local safeguarding arrangements. • Potential reduction/avoid duplication of business unit costs and expenses. • Secure co-operation and integration between common local safeguarding partners and relevant agencies. • Remains responsive to local circumstances and strategic partnerships/aims. • Increase local and regional intelligence of safeguarding risks and themes. • Aid transparency and enable continuous improvement of safeguarding policy and practice. • Secure early identification of new/thematic safeguarding issues and concerns. • Improved efficiency and effectiveness of embedding and evaluating learning. • Complimentary development of multi-agency arrangements where excellent practice becomes norm. • Improved co-ordination of contextual multi-agency training.

9. Plymouth & Torbay Joint Strategic Safeguarding Partnership

10. Proposed Roles

11. Attendees – Grid

12. Local Partnerships

13. Education • Are schools, colleges and other educational providers not effectively engaged in their safeguarding role? • What barriers do they face? • What arrangements will effectively ensure that all schools, colleges and other educational providers are fully engaged? • What support is required?

14. Education Approaches • Identify all schools, colleges and educational providers as relevant agencies. • Keep locally responsive • Use existing forums to engage education and ensure a two-way dialogue. • Engage Chairs of Governors – can be seen as an effective key engagement group • Flexibility of meeting dates and times • Develop & upskill Educational Reference Group • Primary/Special/Secondary & HE nominated leads on Executive

15. Relevant Agencies Educational and Childcare • All early year settings • All children centres • All primary education settings • All secondary education settings • All special education settings • Pupil referral unit • All independent education settings • Universities • Further Education colleges • Private training providers • Careers South West • All language schools. Health and Social Care • NHS England • NHS Hospital Trusts • Public Health • Livewell South West • Regional Adoption Agency • Registered providers of fostering agencies • Providers of private children’s homes • Providers of residential holiday schemes for disabled children. • Criminal Justice • CAFCASS • HM Prison and Probation Service • Community Rehabilitation Company • Youth Offending Teams • Subject to new ownership

16. Relevant Agencies Miscellaneous • Action 4 Children • NSPCC • Barnardo’s • Children’s Society • British Red Cross • Lay member • Children & Young People member • Lead Portfolio Holder for children and young people • Drug and alcohol support services • Domestic abuse services • Community and Social Housing providers • Sexual Assault Referral Centres • Local Authority Commissioning Sports & Leisure • To be determined – subject to further guidance and advice sought from DfE. Community and Voluntary • Plymouth Octopus Plus (POP+) • Community Development Trust • Asylum Seeker/Refugee support services • Religious and faith groups

17. Next Steps • Transition plan – key stages • Commence consultation • Agree relevant agencies • Identity and branding • Governance, structures, membership • Method of effective engagement with education • Workforce development • Quality assurance • CDOP & Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews • Secretary of State Approval • Publish – 29 June 2019 • Joint Section 11 Audits