Agenda item

The Panel will consider a report on Working Together to Safeguard Children advising that in December 2023, the Department for Education published new statutory guidance on multi-agency working to help, protect and promote the welfare of children.

Contact:         Tom Brailsford, Director of Children and Families

                        Jo-Anne Sanders, Service Director

The Panel considered a report on Working Together to Safeguard Children which advised that in December 2023, the Department for Education published new statutory guidance on multi-agency working to help protect and promote the welfare of children.  Kieran Lord, Service Director for Resources, Improvements and Partnerships, presented the report.

Kieran Lord highlighted the following key points from a presentation entitled “Working Together to Safeguard Children” –

·         The full published document could be viewed at Working together to safeguard children 2023: statutory guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk)

·         A £47,300 grant had been issued which needed spending/offset by 31^st March 2024 to support Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships (LSCPs) with implementing the new guidance;

·         Practitioners working with parents and carers should show effective partnerships and build strong, positive, trusting and co-operative relationships; respectful, clear and inclusive verbal and non-verbal communication; and empower parents and carers to participate in decision making;

·         The Head of each statutory safeguarding partner would be referred to as the Lead Safeguarding Partner (LSP);

·         Local Education and childcare providers would be included in local arrangements and the LSCPs would include voluntary, charity, social enterprise organisations, childcare settings and sports clubs in their arrangements;

·         Professionals should assess whether a child who was experiencing, or was at risk of experiencing, harm outside the home was in need under section 17 or 47 of the Children Act 1989;

·         The Children’s Service within Kirklees was in a strong position to work towards the new arrangements outlined within the guidance, as planning had already taken place before it was published;

·         The Kirklees Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (KSCP) would have to publish an updated Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASA) document by December 2024 and KSCP would publish an Annual Report providing an update on this work within the coming months.

In response from the Panel to a question asking if the new guidance was being implemented by all Local Authorities and Practitioners in the country, Kieran Lord advised that the guidance had come about on the back of a review carried out by Josh McAllister (the Chief Executive of Frontline) a few years ago, which suggested a number of these changes and Kirklees had been waiting for the government response.  The Panel was informed that a number of Local Authorities across the country, including Kirklees, had been working up these changes in anticipation and in some places changes had already been made.

The Panel asked if the Independent Scrutineer, Julie Sykes, could come to a future meeting to discuss how Kirklees was dealing with the new arrangements, Kieran Lord advised that Julie Sykes (who was a former Senior Police Officer) had been working with Kirklees since 2011 and that she would be happy to come to the Panel and discuss the reflections on the changes and how Kirklees had acted as a multi-agency safeguarding partnership.  Kieran Lord explained that Julie Sykes’ scrutiny had been valued by partners. 

Jo-Anne Sanders advised the Panel that an Annual Report was produced by the Safeguarding Partnership and that it would be useful to share this with the Panel to see a full explanation of the work that had been undertaken.  The Panel was informed that the DfE guidance was a summary of changes and Kirklees was starting from a very good baseline due to the work that had started in Kirklees back in 2011.  

In response to a question from the Panel asking how they could be kept informed of the key elements of the changes and new arrangements in particular in relation to implementation and good practice, Kieran Lord advised that there were a number of sub groups that fed into the KSCP, that scrutiny could broadly review some of the changes being implemented and that there would be opportunities for the Panel to attend and observe meetings and events.  The Panel was informed that the Independent Scrutineer and partners would very much value the input from the Children’s Scrutiny Panel.

RESOLVED –

1.    The Panel noted the report and thanked Kieran Lord and Jo-Anne Sanders for their contributions.

2.    That Julie Sykes, Independent Scrutineer, be invited to a future meeting of the Panel during the 2024-25 municipal year to discuss and reflect on the new arrangements and changes and how the service has acted as a safeguarding multi-agency partnership. 

3.    That the Panel receive a copy of the latest Kirklees Safeguarding Partnership Board Annual Report to see the work that was being undertaken.

4.    That the Panel be invited to attend appropriate meetings and events to observe the key elements of the changes and new arrangements on working together with a particular focus on implementation of the new service and good practice.