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The current LSCB priorities for 2017-2018 are to reduce the harm from:
- Child Sexual Exploitation
- Domestic Abuse
- Neglect
The LSCB Annual Report 2016 - 2017 and Business Plan 2017-2018 have now been released and are available on the LSCB website: www.northlincslscb.gov.uk
Significant progress has been made against the 2016-2017 LSCB priorities and the difference it has made includes:
Reduce the harm from child sexual exploitation
- having a comprehensive local profile in place related to victims, offenders and locations that enables strategic groups to understand the local picture, prevalence and target resources appropriately. It also informs the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and underpins future developments
- risk management processes being in place in relation to CSE which are robust. The links between children who go missing and CSE are well understood and acted on, both strategically and operationally
- consistently developing local information which has underpinned our ambition to establish a young person’s centre/space and re-think our approach to working with and building self-esteem and emotional well-being of children at risk or who have been exploited. Cross agency commitment and resources has seen the development of an early intervention programme taking a nuanced approach specifically for those who are at risk from CSE
- excellent engagement by schools is ensuring that staff and children are informed about CSE through the roll out across schools of the Not In Our Community social media campaign, annual Staying Safe Conferences, trained healthy relationship mentors, termly safeguarding updates and resources for primary and secondary schools on Personal Health Social and Economic (PHSE) education and Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) incorporating age appropriate information about CSE, as well as providing CSE training for staff and pupils. This work has been showcased at a regional CSE summit event
Reduce the harm to children from domestic abuse
- the triple Board event on domestic abuse contributed to the renewed Domestic Abuse Strategy. The LSCB has approved the three key priorities within the strategy
- an LSCB-led Domestic Abuse Action Plan has complemented the wider strategy being rewritten and developed under the Safer Neighbourhoods Executive Board (Community Safety Partnership)
- through consultation with the Youth Council a list has been compiled of local and national online/social media materials/campaigns that provide information, advice and support to children and young people affected by domestic abuse (as victims in relationships or as children of victims)
- LSCB training was refreshed to include the impact on parenting due to domestic abuse, mental health issues, substance misuse (toxic trio) and learning disability also domestic abuse training is delivered by Northampton University focused on the impact of the child
- there is a new dedicated intervention programme through the Blue Door/Families are Safe, Supported and Transformed (FaSST) services for children and families which includes support and direct work with the victim, perpetrator and the child
Enhance children's emotional wellbeing and resilience
- improvements in primary prevention with the launch of the locally developed ‘Life Central’ website and app, children and young people have access to Mental Health Champions in all schools and work continues with the Youth Council and to strengthen children and young people’s engagement
- children and young people have access to an eating disorder service which meets National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, an Intensive Home Treatment Service so that they receive care whilst remaining in their family network and any unnecessary admission to tier 4 provision is reduced and there is an outreach model for children and young people with learning disabilities and mental health needs into special schools and other support services
- the Positive Steps Activity Event in September 2016 led by the Youth Council engaged over 400 local young people and their families
In June 2017 Ofsted arrived in North Lincolnshire to undertake the inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers and Review of the effectiveness of
the Local Safeguarding Children Board. Although there have been other inspections e.g. schools/academies the last inspection of Children’s Services by Ofsted took place in 2012 and the LSCB was not reviewed separately under that framework.
The recent process took place over a month and the Lead Inspector for the LSCB met with many LSCB members who were interviewed, individually and in focus groups, some on several occasions. The LSCB would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their contributions and for their ongoing commitment to safeguarding children.
The Ofsted Inspection report was published on 4th September 2017 and North Lincolnshire’s Local Safeguarding Children Board is Outstanding. The full Ofsted Inspection report is available here.
Ofsted concluded that:
- The board is outward looking and constantly striving to improve the effectiveness of its agencies in safeguarding children. The board partnerships are exceptionally strong, with comprehensive representation, commitment and a healthy culture of challenge. The board chair is highly visible and formidable in holding partners to account.
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The LSCB is highly influential in informing planning and services for children and families. Priorities for the board are very well aligned to those of other strategic boards and appropriately informed by performance data, auditing and research.
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The significant strength of the board is the power of the voice of the child in influencing practice, service delivery and training. This ensures a clear focus on what it is like to be a child in North Lincolnshire.
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The effectiveness of the board is further enhanced by the Safeguarding Operational Management (SOM) group and the newly formed Safeguarding Pathways Lead Officer Group (SPLOG). They provide robust oversight and an important link between the strategic board and frontline practice.
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The LSCB effectively promotes a culture of continuous learning and improvement. The work of the board is significantly enhanced by the comprehensive training programme, which reflects the priorities of the board to increase the effectiveness of frontline practice, to improve outcomes for children and families.
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There is a strong and embedded culture of performance management, supported by comprehensive data and robust auditing processes, to ensure that board members have a clear understanding of key issues for children and areas for improvement.
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The board is well served by the lay member who has a clear understanding of her role and is vigorous in her challenge, especially of issues of diversity. The lay member takes an active role in auditing and has led training on female genital mutilation.
The Graded Care Profile 2 (GCP2) which is a neglect assessment tool developed by the NSPCC is being adopted in North Lincolnshire. The training for the 20 multi-agency staff to be trained as trainers by the NSPCC will take place on the 28th and 29th November 2017. They will then go on to accredit frontline practitioners in the use of the tool. A programme of training will be devised for the wider workforce. A strategic workshop was facilitated by the NSPCC on 31st October and Board members were invited alongside staff who attend the Safeguarding Pathways Lead Officer Group and Neglect Task and Finish Group which is now the Implementation Group for the GCP2. This workshop helped to shape the implementation plan, develop the best way to support the use of the tool in practice and consider implementation challenges. The Implementation Group will take forward a full programme of implementation.
The Department for Education has released the consultation document Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018.
The consultation seeks views on significant revisions to ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ – the statutory guidance which sets out what is expected of organisations, individually and jointly, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. These revisions are being made largely to reflect the legislative changes introduced through the Children and Social Work Act 2017. The new multi agency safeguarding children arrangements will be led by three safeguarding partners - the local authority, police and the clinical commissioning group. They will agree who the other relevant agencies are and publish a plan to reflect the local arrangements. The consultation deadline is 31st December 2017.
Following the consultation, Working Together 2018 will be published in April 2018 and the three safeguarding partners will have 12 months to implement the statutory changes.
The LSCB will continue to keep members up to date on these changes.
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The LSCB has updated the following LSCB Multi Agency Policies and Procedures:
• Guidance and Checklist for Child Protection Polices – Voluntary and Community Organisations
• Practice guidance for working with families who are reluctant to engage
• Protocol for the multi-agency assessment of CIN, CP and LAC
• Supporting parents with mental health, substance misuse and/or learning difficulties
• School Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy model
• Multi agency protocol for the assessment of injuries to non-mobile babies and children.
All policies, procedures, protocols and guidance are up to date and available on the LSCB website.
Places are available on the following courses run by the LSCB in November and December 2017:
November 2017
- LSCB brief interventions in alcohol - 16th November
- LSCB basic substance misuse awareness - 23rd November
- LSCB modern slavery and human trafficking - 23rd November
If you would like to book on to this course please fill out the training request form on the LSCB website.
The LSCB Training Programmes for 2017-2018 is available on the LSCB website: http://www.northlincslscb.co.uk/professionals/training/.
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