Agenda item

To consider the attached 2013/14 Annual Report of the Local Safeguarding Children Board regarding the effectiveness of safeguarding and child protection practice in Bracknell Forest. 

The Panel considered the 2013/14 Annual Report of the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) regarding the effectiveness of safeguarding and child protection practice in Bracknell Forest. This was a statutory report and the aim was to show the impact of the LSCB.

There was advice regarding data in relation to looked after children and child protection. Alex Walters was the Independent Chair of the LSCB and she reported to Lorna Hunt, Chief Officer: Children’s Social Care. There were two overarching statutory requirements: to ensure the effectiveness of local services safeguarding and child protection practice; and to co-ordinate services to promote the welfare of children and families.

The LSCB Executive was a core decision making group and met six times a year, whilst the wider LSCB Partnership met three times a year. There were also individual Chair meetings with Janette Karklins, Director of Children, Young People and Learning and Tim Wheadon, Chief Executive. Alex Walters produced a report for the individual meetings to show the accountability of the LSCB.

Lead authorities had been identified and the outcomes boxes in the report gave examples of consistency and the effectiveness of local safeguarding arrangements. The role of safeguarding and the LSCB involved awareness raising and work was undertaken with Involve, a local voluntary and community sector organistion. Lunchtime workshop events were held and the voluntary sector was represented on the Children and Young People’s Partnership Board.

There was one serious case review during the period of the annual report but it could not be published at present due to ongoing legal proceedings. Partnership reviews had been undertaken and different methods tested to identify learning. The Child Death Overview Panel was a key requirement and led by Dr Angela Snowling in Slough. There had been good practice as a result of this which was demonstrated in the outcomes box in the report.

The LSCB received regular performance monitoring reports regarding the impact of homelessness. A joint consultation had helped to inform the Children and Young People’s Plan and the business plan going forward. The government was consulting local governments undertaking more serious case reviews. There had been auditing activity regarding substance misuse and domestic abuse.

Child Sexual Exploitation awareness training programmes had been provided for Children's Social Care practitioners, and there were new thresholds for the joint pathways group. The LSCB Conference in 2013-14 had been highly valued by attendees and the cue card had been updated and was popular among partner agencies. The newsletter was continuing to be produced and the policy and procedures group was still ongoing.

A focus on neglect would likely continue and there was a focus on how to provide evidence of ongoing improvement in this area. There had been much co-ordinated work in relation to tackling Child Sexual Exploitation. The impact of parental mental ill-health and the misuse of technology were other areas of focus. The LSCB had a small operating budget and the aim was to increase contributions from partners.

Priorities were listed in the report (minus two priorities which would be checked). The report had been considered by the Executive and submitted to the Police Commissioner as required.

In response to Members’ questions, the following points were made:

• Data used in the report was that available to officers at the time of writing the report. The police collected the majority of data regarding missing children and the local authority collected data on looked after children.
• Financial contributions and expenditure in relation to the LSCB were historical and needed to be considered across the board.
• Voluntary sector representation had been reviewed following the departure of two members and representatives had been invited to fill the vacant seats on the Board.
• The Community Safety Partnership would deal with certain issues which might appear to crossover between the two partnerships. There was a Prevent Steering Group and Ian Boswell was the Community Safety Manager.
• Most work undertaken in relation to radicalisation was done in schools. This report was based on previous years work. If this area needed to be included in future years work would need to be reviewed. There was good representation on the LSCB, good attendance at meetings and the focus of work was set through priorities and agreed through the Children and Young People’s Plan.
• The Child Sexual Exploitation Group had undertaken work which had led to a positive impact in this area. The Group was jointly chaired with Sonia Johnson and the police. There were clear criteria on what was high risk and what was not high risk. The Group would be revamped in February 2015.