Agenda item

Learning and Improvement Subgroup Reports

Minutes:

Alex Walters, Chair of the LSCB presented the Learning and Improvement Subgroup 6 monthly report.

 

The three separate multi-agency audits were highlighted in addition to that of single-agency activity:

  1. CSE audit. This had involved talking to children identified in a cohort of individuals worked with for CSE. The young people who engaged had given powerful messages, and learning had been included in the Learning leaflet.
  2. Early Help and primary school exclusions .This had involved a case file audit of 6 children, meeting with schools and parents and families who had been excluded from primary school, following a significant rise in that number
  3. Domestic Abuse audit. This audit had involved a detailed case file audit and discussions with families and practitioners. It evidenced a positive recognition of multi-agency work, while indicating areas for learning. Concerns were raised around changes and communications in services for children experiencing Domestic Abuse, and the current lack of Domestic Abuse notifications provided to Early Years providers. It had been agreed to raise this issue through the MASH Board, and the report would be considered by the Community Safety Partnership and other groups.

 

The Sub-group had also coordinated work relating to the following:

  • Audit around Sexual Assault Referral Centre to provide assurance.
  • Considered regular performance data (before going to the full Board.)
  • Health single-agency GP audit across East Berkshire, to assess the quality of Child Protection conference reports

 

The forward plan for the next 6 months included further multi-agency audits with focuses on CSA and adolescent neglect. The Sub-group also planned to incorporate further facilitated discussions where full audits not necessary. Current facilitated discussions were ongoing including:

 

  1. A recent Prevent case and learning arising, from Ian Boswell.

 

  1. Self harm discussion. A multi-agency group  had recently met to assess the challenges around different agency responses, and to consider the different aspects of self harm and suicide prevention strategy. The data collected only refers to the rising hospital admissions, and did not address the low level self harm. It was suggested that qualitative data may be useful in future.

 

  1. CSE discussion regarding two young people who had been involved with services over a decade or more. Some good learning had come out of discussion, but the discussion had reiterated why changes had been made to practice and highlighted areas of innovative practice.

 

All three facilitated discussions would be written up and go to the LISG for discussion.

 

In response to a question regarding communicating the CSE risks to the public, it was recognised that there was a difficulty in engaging the general public on a large scale and that professionals should be targeted first with limited resource. It was suggested that more preventative work could be done with incoming refugee families to explain the risks to them.

 

With regard to a question on the proposed joint East Berks SCR group, it was noted that work was underway to assess the implications, but that the merge had not progressed. Louise Watson, Designated Doctor had volunteered to chair the joint group and all LSCBs had committed in principal but there was significant work required to establish the group, and limited resource available to do so. It was agreed that the discussion would be taken to the next pan-Berkshire Chairs meeting. 

 

Contact Information

Democratic services

Email: committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk