Local Arrangements for the Implementation of
Ceredigion Local Safeguarding Children Board Network
1. Background
The Children Act 2004 placed a statutory requirement on each local authority in Wales to establish a Local Safeguarding Children Board for their area from October 1st 2006. The local arrangements for the implementation of the Ceredigion Local Safeguarding Children Board Network (LSCB) are based on the Children Act 2004, the Welsh Assembly ‘Safeguarding Children’ Guidance (2006) and the recommendations of the Ceredigion LSCB Implementation Group.
2. Challenge
The proposal for the establishment of statutory local safeguarding children boards was contained in Lord Laming’s Inquiry Report following the death of Victoria Climbie. Victoria was a young, black child, living with violent and abusive carers; she had come to live here from abroad, did not speak English and needed to be protected from harm. The fundamental challenge for the Ceredigion LSCB is to ensure that the issues and shortcomings identified by Lord Laming are robustly addressed and real improvements are made in arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children living in Ceredigion.
3. Ceredigion Local Safeguarding Children Board Network: Key Outcome.
In ‘Children and Young People: Rights to Action’ (2000) the Welsh Assembly adopted core aims and outcomes to underpin all its work with children and young people. The 5 key outcomes to be achieved in order to improve the well being of children from conception to adulthood in the Children Act 2004 section 25(2) are as follows: -
Physical and mental health and emotional well being
Protection from harm and neglect.
Education, training and recreation
Making a positive contribution to society
Economic and social well being
Ceredigion LSCB Network shall have lead responsibility for the key outcome of the protection of children and young people from harm and neglect, and, shall seek to engage in and influence the other key outcomes. The core business of the Ceredigion LSCB Network is therefore to ensure that effective policies and working practices are in place to protect children who are suffering, or at risk of suffering significant harm, and that they properly coordinated. It is only when this key outcome has been achieved that Ceredigion LSCB Network shall consider the wider remit of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
4. The Objectives…….
In accordance with the Children Act 2004, section 31, the objectives of the Ceredigion LSCB Network are:
i) to coordinate what is done by each person or body represented on the Board for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the area of the authority in which it is established, and
ii) to ensure the effectiveness of what is done by each such person or body for those purposes.
…the Coordination Objective is pursued through the Functions of ….
Fostering a relationship of mutual trust and understanding between Ceredigion LSCB Network agencies.
Developing policies and procedures for safeguarding/ promoting the welfare of children, including information sharing, recruitment and supervision, investigation of allegations.
Participating in the planning of services for children.
Communicating the need to safeguard/ promote the welfare of children through awareness raising and information.
Reviewing training needs of persons working with children and families, identify training activities and provide training to assist in safeguarding/ promoting the welfare of children.
Disseminating good practice information
Undertaking research
Cooperating with other LSCBs
Undertaking ‘Serious Case Reviews’
…the Ensuring Effectiveness Objective is pursued through the Functions of …
Monitoring effectiveness of what local agencies are doing to safeguard/promote children’s welfare.
Developing criteria for measuring performance against measures in Children/Young Peoples Plans.
Monitoring implementation of serious case review recommendations
… to produce Outputs …
Effective local work to safeguard/promote the welfare of children
Evaluation of effectiveness and advice on good practice/ways to improve.
… that contribute to overall Outcomes…
Children and young people are protected from harm and neglect.
5. Scope of Interest
The scope of the Ceredigion LSCB Network responsibilities extends to all children and young people, but in particular the following vulnerable children:
Children in need, including children with complex needs and compromised parenting
Children abused and neglected within families, including those harmed in the context of domestic abuse
Children abused outside families by adults known to them
Children abused and neglected by professional carers, within an institutional setting, or anywhere else where children are cared for away from home
Children abused by strangers
Children abused by other young people
Children who abuse
Children involved in prostitution
Children who misuse drugs, alcohol and other substances
Children who run from home or care
Children who go missing
Asylum seeking children with families or unaccompanied
Children with particular needs or disabilities
Children within the youth offending system
6. Structure
The Ceredigion LSCB Network shall have a Core Board and Network Groups. The Network Groups are accountable to and report to the Core Board.
Membership of the Core Board.
The membership of the Core Board is as follows: -
Lead Director for Ceredigion Children and Young People
Director for Ceredigion Education and Community Services Department
Director of Ceredigion Social Services Dept
Director of Nursing, Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust
General Manager, Pembs and Derwen NHS Trust CAMHS
Assistant Director of Ceredigion Social Services Dept, representing Ceredigion YOT
This membership list is not exclusive. It is envisaged that the Core Board will call upon specialist expertise and advice when required for the purpose of carrying out its functions.
Ceredigion LSCB Network Groups
There will be 3 Ceredigion LSCB Network Groups
a. Network People Group , which will address the Coordination Objective.
b. Network Operations Group , which will address the Ensuring Effectiveness Objective.
c. Network Resources Group, which will address the budget requirements
Each LSCB Network Group shall have Terms of Reference based on the range of functions outlined in Appendix 2.
Each Network Group shall have a core and task/finish functions.
The frequency of Network Group meetings shall be dependent on workload and when specific functions have to be addressed.
The Ceredigion LSCB Network shall continue to identify agencies that have a direct role in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, but who are not represented as Core Board and Network Group membership in order to engage them in achieving the objectives and outcomes, and contributing to the functions.
Accountability of Ceredigion LSCB Network Core Board and Group Members
To be an active partner in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children
To work with partners to find effective solutions to challenges that arise in the inter agency arrangements of the LSCB
To represent the LSCB and its activities within their own organisation.
To ensure that the policies and the procedures of the LSCB are disseminated in an effective way within their organisation.
To contribute to the LSCB either financially or in kind.
To provide management information as required
To identify and support staff to participate in the interagency activities of the LSCB.
To ensure all staff within their own agency who have contact with children are aware of their responsibilities and are supported to comply with child protection procedures and policies
To take a robust and inclusive approach to developing best practice and services that will safeguard children and promote their welfare.
7. Organisation and Governance
Accountability
In Ceredigion the local authority has lead responsibility for the establishment and effective working of the LSCB Network
Each member of the Ceredigion LSCB Network is accountable for and has ownership of responsibilities for child protection and safeguarding/promoting children’s welfare in their own agency.
All agencies working with children and families in Ceredigion have a collective responsibility for child protection and safeguarding arrangements.
Each agency shall recognise and endorse that the Ceredigion LSCB Network has a statutory responsibility to have an overview of each agency’s child protection and safeguarding arrangements and performance, and to ensure their effectiveness.
The Ceredigion LSCB Network does not have a managerial role in other agencies nor a power to direct other organisations. It has a relationship of influence with constituent agencies.
Ceredigion LSCB Network’s Relationship with other Planning and Management Groups
The Ceredigion LSCB Network has a strategic relationship with a number of planning and management groups, including the: -
CYP Framework Partnership
Community Safety Partnership
Health, Social Care and Well Being Strategic Group
Dyfed Powys MAPPA SMB
YOT Management Group
Ceredigion Community Strategy Group
The Ceredigion LSCB Network’s role is to maintain an independent focus on child protection arrangements in all agencies and organisations, and, to monitor and scrutinise their safeguarding arrangements and performance.
Chairing
The arrangements for chairing the Ceredigion LSCB Core Group is as follows:
The inaugural Chair of Ceredigion LSCB Network is the Director of Social Service, who will serve for an 18 month period during the initial development phase from October 2006 to April 2008.
The Lead Director for Children and Young People is the deputy chair and will take over the Chair from April 2008.
Thereafter the Chair will rotate between the constituent agencies every 2 years, with the Deputy Chair taking over the Chair.
These arrangements might enable administrative duties to be shared between agencies.
Chairs of the LSCB Network Groups
See Appendix 2 and 3
The arrangements shall be on the same basis as for the LSCB Network Core Board.
8. Serious Case Reviews
The Local Safeguarding Children Boards (Wales) Regulations 2005 require that where abuse or neglect of a child is known or suspected and:
A child dies; or
A child sustains potentially life threatening injury or serious and permanent impairment of health and development, or has been subject to particularly serious sexual abuse;
The Local Safeguarding Board for the area must conduct a serious case review.
Additionally LSCB’s should also conduct a serious case review where:
A child has committed suicide;
A child’s parent has been murdered and a domestic homicide review is being initiated; or
The child has been killed by a parent with a mental illness.
The Ceredigion LSCB Network Core Group shall take lead responsibility for undertaking a serious case review for a child living in or normally resident in the county
Appendix 1
Ceredigion LSCB Core Group
Membership on March 1st 2007
Chair: Parry Davies, Director of Ceredigion Social Services Dept
Gareth Jones, Lead Director for Ceredigion Children and Young People/Director for Ceredigion Education and Community Services Department
Stephen Griffiths, Director of Nursing, Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust
Jane Harris, General Manager, Pembs and Derwen NHS Trust CAMHS
Elizabeth Howells, Assistant Director of Ceredigion Social Services Dept, representing Ceredigion YOT
Ann Rees, Assistant Director, Ceredigion Housing Department.
Helen Williams, Director of Nursing, Ceredigion LHB
Janet Evans, Designated Nurse NPHS
Dr Hywel Williams, Designated Doctor NPHS
Mark Alman, Area Manager of the Dyfed Powys Probation Service
Ruth Harrison and Jerry Green, Chairs of LSCB Network Groups.
Therese Taylor, Administrator.
Appendix 2
Ceredigion LSCB Network People Group
The LSCB Network People Group shall undertake functions associated with the coordination objective, and additional task/finish functions.
The functions of the LSCB Network People Group shall include:
Planning, facilitating and monitoring the child protection training for professionals, employees and volunteers directly or indirectly working with children and families.
Raising awareness of professionals, employees and volunteers working with children, families and adults in matters of child protection, and, safeguarding/promoting the welfare of children.
Engagement with the public in matters of safeguarding/promoting children’s welfare.
Contributing to and delivering the Ceredigion LSCB Business Plan
Coordinating and communicating the LSCB Network contribution to the CYP Plan
Linking with the CYP Framework Partnership on the broader LSCB Network agenda for safeguarding/promoting children’s welfare
Communication/participation/consultation
Information sharing
Promoting access to the work of the Ceredigion LSCB through maintaining the website, and the provision of other information.
A task/finish function shall be responsibility for development projects.
The membership on March 1st 2007:
Chair: Ruth Harrison, Named Nurse Child Protection, Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust
Kay Cotter, Head of Midwifery Services, Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust.
Anya Staite, National Probation Service, Ceredigion Division
Diane Morley Jones, St David’s Diocese Network People Group
Margaret Davies, Ceredigion Education and Community Services
Gloria Smith, NPHS (Child Protection Training Officer)
Natalie Hardess, Ceredigion Domestic Abuse Forum.
Jerry Green, Ceredigion Social Services Department
Annette Jones, Ceredigion Social Services Department.
Trish Smith, Ceredigion Social Services Department Training Manager.
DI/DS in Ceredigion PPU, Dyfed Powys Police,
Alun Williams, Assistant Director, Partnerships and Planning, Child and Young People.
Gary Taylor, Service Manager, CMHT and Social Services Emergency Duty Team.
Additional members will be sought from CAMHS; YOT and the Youth Service.
Other members to be co-opted in accordance with the requirements of the group.
The group will meet at a minimum 3 monthly intervals
The meetings require a quorum of members from 3 agencies
Appendix 3
Ceredigion LSCB Network Operations Group
The Network Operations Group will be primarily responsible for carrying out the objective of ensuring the effectiveness of measures taken to protect children, and, to safeguard/promote children’s welfare
The functions are:
To monitor and review the child protection process and outcomes, and produce a quarterly report for the Ceredigion LSCB Core Group.
To develop criteria for measuring the effectiveness and performance of agencies in carrying out their safeguarding /promoting children’s welfare responsibilities.
To develop child protection/safeguarding protocols and procedures, including information sharing, as required.
To represent the Ceredigion LSCB on the Dyfed Powys Regional CP Forum and the All Wales Child Protection Procedures Review Group in order to develop protocols and procedures.
To coordinate with National Service Framework Child Protection requirements.
A task/finish function shall be that of problem resolution, that is, to develop a protocol in order to undertake responses to child protection and safeguarding matters drawn to the attention of the LSCB Network.
A task/finish function shall be Child Protection Conference Appeals.
The membership on March 1st 2007:
Chair: Jerry Green, Ceredigion Social Services Department
Sian Howys, Independent Child Protection Conference Chair.
Annette Jones, Assessment Team Manager
DI Robyn Mason, Ceredigion PPU, Dyfed Powys Police.
Hugh Williams, Manager, Ceredigion Division, National Probation Service.
Ruth Harrison, Named Nurse Child Protection, Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust
Aled Evans, Ceredigion Education and Community Services.
Polly Leett, Ceredigion LHB
Dr Heather Nicholls, GP.
Neil Dunn, Service Manager, Social Services Dept.
Liam Macpherson, YOT
Mike Jones, Acting Specialist Practitioner, CAMHS, West Wales Hospital
Lynette Evans, CAFCASS
Other members to be co-opted in accordance with the requirements of the group and task/finish groups.
The group will meet at a minimum 3 monthly intervals
The meetings require a quorum of members from3 agencies
To examine the resources required for undertaking the LSCB Network functions.
Appendix 4
Ceredigion LSCB Network Resources Group
The functions shall include:
Identifying the resources, such as administrative support, facilities, finance for activities such as training.
Exploring resources for a dedicated coordinator/administrator
Managing the resources.
This role will be undertaken by the LSCB Network Core Board during the first stage.
