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19 December 2024

Hello!  As we reflect on the past year, we are proud of the strides we have made during this very busy year. These last 12 months have been marked by significant achievements, collaborative efforts, and a steadfast commitment to ensuring that every child in our community is safe, supported, and thriving. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our partners, stakeholders, and community members who have contributed to our aims and mission to get the right support, in the right place and the right time for our children, young people and families. Your dedication and collaboration have been instrumental in driving positive change and making a real difference in the lives of children. As we look ahead to the coming year, we remain committed to building on our successes, addressing emerging challenges, and continuing to work together to create a safer and more nurturing environment for all children in Devon. Our safeguarding partners and our business team wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with joy, peace, and prosperity. May this festive season bring you and your loved one's happiness and good health. We look forward to the coming year and achieving even greater success together. Thank you for your ongoing support and engagement.

Jackie Colby
Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership Team Manager

The year in review

As 2024 is all but done, we thought we'd take a quick look back on some of the key achievements and milestones from the last 12 months.

The Devon Safeguarding Digest

From December 2024 onwards, we will be publishing a new monthly Devon Safeguarding Digest. These updates will combine a survey of safeguarding news and developments with changes to local policy and opportunities to feed into future local policy change.

The Digest will be published on the news page of our website in the first week of each month, and we will also distribute it to managers via email. 

You can read the the Devon Safeguarding Digest for December 2024 on our website now.

Neglect task and finish group update

Devon SCP’s multi-agency neglect task and finish group continues to meet to work together on a number of workstreams. Among the items discussed at our most recent meeting were the Strategy and Toolkit Review and the NSPCC's 'Too Little, Too Late' report. 

Read the full update from the neglect task and finish group here.

Upcoming best practice events on neglect

Next April we will be hosting three best practice events based on the Neglect Thematic Review. These will take place on: Monday 7 April – Ivybridge, South Devon Monday 14 April – Filleigh, North Devon Monday 28 April – County Hall, Exeter Booking details and the event plan are to follow. We will let you know these details are soon as they are confirmed.

How to access our safeguarding leads list

Did you know that if you are struggling to find out who the named Safeguarding Lead is for an agency/organisation in Devon, the Partnership Business Team can help!

For example, you might want to know which manager, senior manager or safeguarding lead to contact at each of the different stages of a multi-agency case resolution.

Although we can’t put the list on our website, if you need some help, please email Kate Nightingale at devonscp@devon.gov.uk. 

The Partnership Business Team keeps up to date details of safeguarding leads from many agencies, including Devon County Council, Police, Health, Education, and Probation.

Ofsted inspection update

As you know Social Care received an Ofsted Inspection in October. Following Ofsted’s own internal quality assurance process, they have decided to visit again in the New Year to gather additional information for two to three days. The visit could take place any time from 13 January onwards. We will send a bulletin to update partners when the announcement is made and thank you for your continued support as we work towards a positive outcome. 

Changes to the Children's Services leadership team

Please be aware that Julian Wooster has been appointed as Devon County Council's Interim Director of Children's and Young People's Futures. You may know Julian as he previously held the post from January 2023 to September 2023, and he previously headed Somerset's Children's Services for seven years from 2015 to 2022.  Julian is now in post and replaces Stuart Collins, who left to take up an opportunity to work closer to his home and family in London, which he had been looking forward to for some time. Stuart has been appointed to Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education at Croydon Council and took up his new post on 25 November 2024.

Our Delegated Safeguarding Partners (DSPs)

Our DSP Executives are a very important part of our partnership structure, and this year they have been very active in supporting us to implement WT23 as well as holding us to account for our statutory duties.

Our DSPs are:

• Chair – Roy Linden, Policing Commander for South Devon, Devon & Cornwall Police
• Penny Smith, Chief Nursing Officer, Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB), NHS Devon
• Julian Wooster, Director of Children's Services, Devon County Council, Children Services
• Helen Casson, Chief Executive Officer, Wave Multi-Agency Academy Trust

New Family Plan template

A new Family Plan template launched on the 2 December 2024.

This document was developed by Devon County Council, but all partners need to be familiar with it so that we all understand what happens when a child moves to being a Child in Need or on a CP plan. This bulletin explaining the changes should allow all partners to understand the changes that have been made and why they have been made.

Please also note that Children's Services are developing a "3 Minute Guide" for professionals, which will be available soon.

Revised Safer Me assessment and referral forms

The Safer Me Assessment, MACE submission forms and Context Conference Referral Forms have now been revised following a multi-agency review and are available on the Adolescent Safety Framework (Safer Me) page and the Child exploitation information for professionals page. Additional guidance on completion of Safer Me Assessments has also been produced with the input of young people.

More information about the new assessment and referral tools is available on the Devon SCP website. Or, if you have any further queries, please contact one of the Links Team Managers: Jen Harris-Nelson (jen.harris-nelson@devon.gov.uk) or Nick Meller (nick.meller@devon.gov.uk).

The Early Help reshape is now live

If you are not already aware, please note that the reshape of Childrens Social Care Early Help services was finalised earlier this year, with the new service configuration going live from the 1 September.

These changes have centred around the Family Intervention Team, Youth Intervention Team, REACH Team, our Locality Delivery Team, and Family Group Conference service. Our Bridges, Y-Smart and Youth Justice services have not been affected.

Please see the email bulletin for more information about our the reshape and the new service teams.

The NSPCC Repository

Did you know the NSPCC have the most comprehensive collection of case reviews in the UK? The national case review repository provides a single place to access and share learning at a local, regional and national level.

Additionally, our colleagues in Torbay Safeguarding Children Partnership produce a monthly summary of each newly published review along with a link to the relevant report. These summaries are shared with us so that we can ensure consistent ways of working across the greater Devon area, and you can find these document on the Torbay SCP website.

Our Devon SCP Business Team

Our business team plays a crucial role in supporting the effective functioning of the Partnership and co-ordinates the day-to-day operations of the Devon SCP, ensuring that meetings, events and all activities run smoothly. They also:

• Assist in developing and updating policies and procedures ensuring they align with national guidelines and best practices
• Support the co-ordination of audits and reviews which monitor the effectiveness of safeguarding practices and identify areas for improvement
• Organise, co-ordinate and deliver training programmes for professionals involved in safeguarding ensuring they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills
• Collect, analyse and report on safeguarding data to inform decision-making and strategic planning
• Facilitate communication between the wider Devon SCP members, partners agencies, and the wider community, ensuring that everyone is informed and engaged in safeguarding efforts.

The business team helps ensure that we operate efficiently and effectively so that our partners can promote the welfare and safety of children across Devon.

Each month we will would like introduce you to one of our business team.  Our team is currently as follows:

• Partnership Manager – Jackie Colby
• Quality Assurance Lead – Kate Nightingale
• Commissioning and Policy Officer – Alex Alder-Westlake
• Communications and Marketing Officer – Tom Carter
• Digital Communications and Marketing Communications Apprentice – Kodey Cooper-O'Donnell
• Business Support Officer – Sarah Poat
• Workforce Development Assistant – Sharon Stentiford

A round up of our recent multi-agency training events

Training opportunities

Next newsletter: March 2025

Contact us

The Devon SCP Business Team can be contacted on 01392 386067 or via the Devon SCP website.

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