CYSCB Storyboard
Introduction
City of York Safeguarding Board (CYSCB) is a robust multi-agency partnership of
enthusiastic members, dedicated to the improvement of practice which
safeguards York’s children.
The greatest asset of the board is the strength of relationships – a feature
which has endured through a period of transformation and change.
Over the past 2 years, the board has been reviewing how it operates to build
on its strengths and address any issues hindering its development. In the
summer of 2013, a peer review was undertaken by East Riding SCB to
understand where the board had reached in its development and how it could
improve. The review found good working relationships, but also highlighted
the need for clear multi-agency performance and assurance frameworks, to
allow the Board to deliver a greater degree of challenge.
In the autumn of 2014, a development day was held to review progress against
the ambitions of the board, to look at a future vision and how it that vision
could be reshaped to better fit its objectives. The key outputs of this session
shaped the principles of the restructuring of the board:
Clear accountability to the appropriate agencies and individuals
Clear and demonstrable influence
A minimum of bureaucracy
Clarified relationships between groups
Equal and fair contributions from all partners
Following this development day, the Chair circulated a consultation document
with a proposed structure. Feedback was invited and received from a wide
range of partners, resulting in a revised model which was discussed at CYSCB
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meeting in January 2015. This model was adopted at the April meeting and is
now in place.
The new structure of the Board
The board development day provided evidence of robust debate and challenge
to agree vision, priorities and working structures. A previous observation from
partners was that there could be an over-focus on Children’s Social Care to the
exclusion of other agencies. Within the new structure, there is greater input of
other agencies, with 7 partners represented as chairs of sub-groups, providing
a broader spread of input. All board members are also asked to contribute to
at least one sub-group.
The change of the board structure to one more driven by priorities means
performance reporting is more closely aligned to the priorities, set by the
Board and relayed in the Annual Report. Currently these are:
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Early help
Neglect
Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation
Children Missing from Home, Care and Education
Domestic Abuse
Four sub groups focus specifically on those 5 priorities:
Early Help group – reports to both the CYSCB and YorOk (Children’s
Trust) Board.
Neglect sub-group
Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation/Missing from Home and Care sub
group (one sub-group looking at both of these priorities in terms of
vulnerability and exploitation.)
Domestic Abuse sub-group
These sub-groups may be task focused and time limited depending on the
scale of the need and the level of challenge required.
Four of the sub groups are ongoing and carry out the business of the Board:
Voice and Involvement – looks at the voice of children and young people
throughout the whole spectrum of intervention and across all agencies.
It seeks to hear and to enhance the input of children and young people
into service delivery and planning. The sub-group reports both to CYSCB
and to the YorOk (Children’s Trust) Board
Partnership Practice Scrutiny and Review Group (PPSRG)– carries out the
auditing of case file material on the Board’s behalf. Auditing is based
around themes identified by the group itself or in response to other case
reviews or local and national priorities.
Case Review Group – considers cases referred for review – Serious Case
Review or other form of review – and refers decisions and
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recommendations to the Independent Chair and the National Panel of
Experts. This group also reviews and challenges action plans in response
to case reviews – either single- or multi-agency.
Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) – co-ordinated on CYSCB’s behalf by
North Yorkshire LSCB. Cross border scrutiny and analysis of all child
deaths and reports and data are also disaggregated and analysed for
York.
The final sub-group, the Priority Delivery Scrutiny & Review Group serves as
the executive body for the Board. This sub-group monitors and analyses the
performance and quality of interagency safeguarding practice, of learning
activities and progress against priorities.
Help, Protect and Care
CYSCB exists to support and challenge partners in assessing collective
performance against duties to protect children and young people. Whilst the
roles within the board are well understood, they are also supported by
protocols between partners and other boards (such as YorOk and the Health
and Wellbeing Board) to ensure all agencies are aware of how identified
priorities are being addressed. A signed protocol is in place between CYSCB,
the Health and Wellbeing Board, the Safer York Partnership, the Safeguarding
Adults Board and the YorOk (Children’s Trust) Board.
Over the last year, CYSCB has developed increasingly robust performance
information, which leads discussion at the board and sub-groups to identify
improvement. The information provides a view across the whole system based
on observed local outcomes, and improvement actions are identified for
appropriate agencies.
By structuring the board around priorities, a focus is maintained on the local
needs. This informs our annual report, which sets the local priorities for the
following year. In the themed inspection of Early Help in 2014, the early help
threshold document was commended, alongside the implementation of a new
early help strategy, responding directly to identify local need. This threshold
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document is now being reviewed in the context of the remodelling of Early
Help services which will result in the new Local Area Teams being launched in
early 2017.
Scrutiny of local data has identified Domestic Abuse and Neglect as high on the
list of priorities. For example, proportionally these two are the dominant factor
in contacts to Children’s Social Care; neglect as a category for child protection
plans is significantly higher as a percentage than any other category; the
percentage of children recorded as present at incidents of domestic abuse has
increased (the Board acknowledges that all or any of these may be a positive
improvement in awareness and recording processes.)
The combination of these along with other vulnerabilities e.g. missing from
home or care, sexual abuse and/or exploitation and missing from education is
also acknowledged by the Board.
Monitoring Front Line Practice
Regular and effective monitoring and evaluation of multi-agency front-line
practice to safeguard children identifies where improvement is required in the
quality of practice and services that children, young people and families
receive. This includes monitoring the effectiveness of early help.
The change of the board structure means performance reporting is more
closely aligned to the priorities, set by the Board and detailed within the
Annual Report. Early Help, Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, Children Missing,
Neglect and Domestic abuse are the subject of performance updates at each
board meeting.
In addition each priority linked sub-group of the Board reviews data pertinent
to their area and highlights issues and exceptions to the Priority Delivery and
Scrutiny Group and the Board.
Within the new structure is a new relationship between the Case Review Sub-
group (CRG) and the case file or record audit process carried out by the
Partnership Practice Scrutiny and Review Group (PPSRG) process. A forward
plan of targeted case record or thematic audits relating to priorities focuses
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scrutiny by PPSRG on areas of identified need, providing a continuing
assessment of actual practice. Beyond case records, there is a range of
approaches being developed by both the Case Review and Partnership Practice
Scrutiny and Review Groups to identify learning from both strong practice and
from areas for improvement.
Regular social work caseload monitoring data is provided to the Chair by
Children’s Social Care and data is included in the quarterly wider CYSCB Local
Authority Children’s Services quarterly monitor to give oversight of pressures
in the system. Children’s Social Care supervision audits are also in place and
shared with the Chair of the Board.
The CYSCB Learning & Improvement (L&I) Framework was reviewed and
refreshed in March 2016 with input from Board members and specifically from
the Chair and sub-group chairs. The L&I Framework provides a detailed and
comprehensive account of how the Board knows what it knows about
safeguarding activity across all partners and how it takes action to address
this.
Next steps:
As each sub-group produces highlight reports for each PDSG and Board
meeting, these will focus on the changes to practice identified and the
monitoring of the impact of those changes.
The sub-groups and the Board will be responsive to identified changes in
local need and adapt their focus and requests for information and data
using the means and methods set out in the Learning & Improvement
Framework.
Significant changes in local need or issues of national significance, would
lead to a review of, and changes or, more likely, enhancements to, the
Board’s priorities.
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Mutual Challenge
Facilitated by the Board and the Chair of the Board, partners hold each other
to account for their contribution to the safety and protection of children and
young people (including children and young people living in the area away
from their home authority).
Partners are able to challenge each other on areas for improvement within the
CYSCB meetings with information from improved performance reporting and
robust agency assurance reports. The chair concludes each meeting with an
evaluation of the impact made. For example, discussion has taken place in
respect of the provision of forensic paediatric assessment of sexual assault,
which has led to the escalation of the matter with NHS England.
As part of the Section 11 process a challenge event is held annually with North Yorkshire to identify areas for development within agency practice. The learning from this is included in the annual report and individual agency actions updated upon in assurance reports to the Board (S11 of the Children Act 2004 ‘places duties on organisations and individuals to ensure their functions and any services that they contract out to others, are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.’)
Further refinement of the Section 11 review process has provided a more
useful tool for partners to assess fully their safeguarding priorities and areas
for improvement.
Next steps:
Continue to review the Section 11 process to ensure it is applicable and
relevant to all partners, and link improvement actions into the assurance
reporting process.
Use partners assurance reports to the Board to ensure that actions
identified from the S11 audit and event are carried out.
Ask health partners also to consider their responses to the S11 audit
along with the findings in the CQC ‘Not Seen Not Heard’ review of
arrangements for children in care.
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Shared Contribution
Safeguarding is a priority for all of the statutory LSCB members and this is
demonstrable, such as through effective section 11 audits and assurance
reports. All LSCB partners make a proportionate financial and resource
contribution to the main LSCB and the audit and scrutiny activity of any sub-
groups.
CYSCB sees strong commitment from board partners to both safeguarding and
to the board itself. Overall attendance of meetings has remained good.
A three year financial model has been agreed with partners to ensure balanced
contributions and stability of the support arrangements. The Board produces a
compact for the Chair and partners to sign which outlines the responsibilities
and relationships.
Each of the statutory partner agencies and others are asked to make a
contribution to the Annual Report to demonstrate what they have done over
the previous year to ensure the safeguarding of children and young people.
A CYSCB newsletter is now produced quarterly with content suggested by
Board activity and Board members.
Next steps:
Communicate more fully – via the cross-agency impacts of actions to
ensure agencies can see the progress made.
Ensure that each Annual report gives a good picture of what the Board
has done and how the Board has supported and challenged safeguarding
activity across the city.
Learning and improvement
The LSCB has a local learning and improvement framework in line with
guidance in Working Together 2015. Opportunities for learning cover a wide
spectrum from front line training for practitioners to audit activity to analysis
of data and qualitative information by Board members. Learning is effective
and properly engages all partners.
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Serious case reviews are initiated where the criteria set out in statutory
guidance are met. Where practice can be improved, this is disseminated,
along with practice which is considered to be good. Serious case reviews are
published.
There is confidence in the CYSCB’s Learning & Improvement framework, which
was updated in 2015 and has been comprehensively refreshed in 2016. One
observation was that it should be developed to include more information from
services other than Children’s Social Care. Over the past year; far more data
has, therefore, been brought into the performance framework from other
partners including health and the Police. This information is now reviewed by
the Board and sub-groups as a matter of course, and will continue to be
developed in its coverage.
Although York has not had a Serious Case Review for over 3 years, there is
confidence in the serious case review process. Through the revised structure,
the Case Review Group is looking beyond just those cases which meet the
threshold, but also those below it where there could be useful learning. This
will provide for a broader range of lessons learned. Decisions made by the
group go as recommendations to the Board Chair and then to the National
Panel of Experts. One decision went to the Panel in 2016 and was endorsed by
the Panel.
Next steps:
Review the Learning & Improvement Framework as part of an annual
refresh.
Draw key areas of learning (including strengths of practice) into the
CYSCB Annual Report and CYSCB newsletter and other communications
to ensure maximum impact.
Disseminate learning from a Learning Lessons Reviews across the
workforce and embed findings in the new Neglect Strategy.
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Procedures
The CYSCB ensures that high-quality policies and procedures are in place and
that these policies and procedures are monitored and evaluated for their
effectiveness and impact and revised where improvements can be made. The
CYSCB monitors and understands the application of thresholds locally.
Threshold Guidance is published on the CYSCB website and on the YorOk
(Children’s Trust) website and training on the use and application of these
delivered as part of the Integrated Working Training. The work of the
Children’s Advice Team and ongoing dialogue with head teachers and pastoral
leads confirms an increasingly shared understanding of thresholds locally. The
threshold guidance is being reviewed and refreshed to include issues such as
‘radicalisation’ and female genital mutilation. This review will take place
alongside the establishment of the new model of delivering early help via the
Local Area Teams in early 2017.
CYSCB has a suite of procedures which are reviewed as new guidance or
intelligence becomes available. These procedures are published on the CYSCB
website. Priority sub-groups take the lead on thematic areas. The procedures
around Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation have been updated, with a new risk
assessment tools and definitions. New guidance on Female Genital Mutilation
has also been published and a joint protocol with North Yorkshire County
Council and North Yorkshire Police on Children Missing from Home and Care.
Next steps:
Ensure procedures continue to be reviewed and amended, based on
knowledge of best practice and local intelligence.
Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
The nature and extent of the local issues in relation to children missing and
children at risk of sexual exploitation are well understood by CYSCB which
oversees effective information sharing and a local strategy and action plan.
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Through the review of guidance and procedures, the approach to Child Sexual
Abuse & Exploitation has been brought together in a consistent and coherent
way, reducing the risk of differential approaches based on categorisation. Both
CSA & E and Children Missing are thematic priorities for the board and, given
their frequent co-dependence, are the remit jointly of one joint sub-group.
Whilst there is overall confidence in the CYSCB’s knowledge of CSE and
children who go missing, there is no complacency. The CYSCB CSA &
E/Children Missing sub-group provides regular updates to the Board.
Given the priority placed on this area York has a Joint Strategy Group with
North Yorkshire to ensure the alignment and cross-border coverage of policies.
High-level strategic review meetings have been held jointly with North
Yorkshire to allow the local authority Chief Executives, DCSs, Independent
Chairs and Senior Police to ensure a joined up response. This will continue
regularly through the Chief Officer Reference and Accountability Group, of
similar membership.
Following the reviews into the events in Rotherham and Oxford, the DCS
provided a statement to full Council on York’s arrangements, and the
Independent Chair reported to CYSCB and to the Council’s Learning and
Culture Overview and Scrutiny Board.
The board, in partnership with NSPCC, launched the “It’s not OK“campaign in
May 2015 which highlights the risks and the need for everyone to be aware
and take responsibility for preventing sexual abuse. This was made possible by
the commitment and contribution of partners who provided time and
resources to ensure its profile. Feedback has been very positive and the
development and presentation of an ‘It’s Not Ok’ play to over 200 children
resulted in several disclosures. The campaign moved into the community
phase in 2016 with workshops for parents, city-wide visual publicity about the
campaign and the start of training for taxi drivers.
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In July 2016 the campaign was formally closed but materials have been
distributed for schools to use and CYSCB is seeking further funding to roll out
the play and the workshops again. The campaign received national acclaim.
Next steps:
Continue the focus on this area and the need to maintain a joined-up
approach with other risk factors.
Review the full formal evaluation of the campaign including feedback
from the young people to whom the play and workshops were delivered.
Partnership practice and scrutiny review
Multi-agency case file audits – usually themed- are used by CYSCB to identify
priorities which will improve professional practice with children and families.
The Chair has used the findings of these audits to challenge and works CYSCB
partners, including the local authority, where there are concerns that the
improvements are not effective.
As noted above, revised arrangements for case file auditing are now being
implemented, providing a more complete spectrum of review from Serious
Cases through to individual practice improvements, using different tools and
methods depending on the need. Membership of both the sub-groups is based
on oversight of frontline practice, allowing challenges to be raised which are
understood at an operational level. The voice and experiences of children and
young people within each case audited are used as a measure of improvement.
The forward plan of audits is based on identified priorities and this will
continue to evolve as new strategic or operational priorities emerge.
Through recent audits, the Chair has followed up issues around data recording
and dental health, which is being taken forward by the Neglect sub-group.
Through feedback to the Board following one case file audit in the Partnership
Practice Scrutiny and Review Group, the issue was identified around the
availability of therapeutic support for victims of sexual abuse whilst criminal
proceedings are underway. The Chair of the Board wrote to the Police and
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Crime Commissioner, who has responded with some clarification; further
dialogue is expected. In the meantime NSPCC were able to take this
opportunity to highlight the work that they do locally with victims of sexual
abuse.
Recently, the Voice & Involvement Group has been brought into board
structure as a sub-group. The group works to ascertain how the voice of
children is being heard and to support and challenge agencies methods for
responding to this. Consideration is being used as to how other techniques,
such as writing reports from the perspective of the child, could be used to
draw even greater attention to the perspectives of children. Children and
young people’s views and responses to them are a key section of the Annual
Report and the Board is looking at how a child-friendly version of the Annual
Report can be produced.
Next steps:
Continue to increase the involvement of young people in board activity
including the Annual Report.
Develop a data set around Voice of the Child.
Ensure communications from the board are accessible to children.
Influencing the agenda
CYSCB works with other boards to influence, and ensure that, the planning of
services for children and young people is as effective as possible. Protocols are
in place for joint working between the Safeguarding Adults Board, the Health &
Wellbeing Board, the Safer York Partnership and YorOK. This has recently had
an impact in the governance arrangements around Domestic Abuse which is a
shared priority for the Safer York Partnership, and both safeguarding boards.
The Chair meets regularly with the chairs of all the strategic Boards, identifying
shared priorities and opportunities to influence further. The operational
managers for each Board meet quarterly to identify progress on priority,
overlaps in planning and to agree collaborative processes going forward.
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Members of CYSCB have been engaged in supporting YorOk in the
development of the new Children and Young People’s Plan, and with the
Health & Wellbeing Board in respect of the Health & Wellbeing Strategy. Board
members and the Chair have also engaged with the review around the
commissioning of health services for 0-19 year olds.
The Chief Officer Reference and Accountability Group (CORAG) also provides a
forum for discussion on agencies’ responsibilities, allowing safeguarding
priorities to be put into the debate at the most senior level.
Beyond direct involvement of the Board and partners, the CYSCB Newsletter is
distributed quarterly to partners and to practitioners, providing an update on
activity and national and local news on safeguarding initiatives. In October
2016 CYSC launched a Twitter account @LSCBYork to ensure that news on local
and national guidance, policy and initiatives can reach as wide an audience as
possible.
Next Steps:
Work to enhance the use of communication channels such as the
newsletter, website and social media, to ensure key messages from the
board are routinely picked up in other forums.
Review the protocols with other boards in light of the structure changes
to ensure they provide for appropriate input.
Training
The LSCB ensures that sufficient, high-quality multi-agency training is available
and evaluates its effectiveness and impact on improving front-line practice and
the experiences of children, young people, families and carers. All LSCB
members support access to the training opportunities in their agencies.
High-quality training has been provided or commissioned by CYSCB for several
years. This includes basic Child Protection Awareness, Multi-agency ‘Working
Together’ Safeguarding Training, training in recognition of signs and impact of
Domestic Abuse and interventions, and more specialised training, for example,
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on awareness and recognition of FGM concerns. Partners are fully aware of
the available training through the CYSCB and Workforce Development Unit
(WDU) website take up and evaluation of training is reported in the Annual
Report.
Within the new structure, training and development has become the
responsibility of the Priority Delivery and Scrutiny Group (PDSG), which
ensures provision, is aligned to the priorities of the board. The inclusion of the
Voice & Involvement Group as a sub-group of the Board will also allow more
feedback from children and young people on the impact on improving front
line services.
The PDSG focuses on the assessment of multi-agency training needs, and move
to a commissioned model based on priorities and supported by WDU. A
commissioning budget will ensure the availability of training activities for all
agencies, and the ability to co-ordinate and commissioning more specialists
training where this is identified as a need.
During 2016 a newly appointed CYSCB Workforce Development Adviser has
undertaken a full training needs analysis, with input from key partners and
consultation with every sub-group and Board members. Work is now well in
hand to commission further training for 2016/17 and to commence on
commissioning for 2017/18.
The new CYSCB Training Strategy was endorsed by the Board in October 2016.
Next Steps:
Identify more opportunities for joining up basic training provision across
the region and provide greater linking of single agency training needs to
achieve economies of scale where appropriate.
Establish the training programme for the rest of 2016/17 and for
2017/18.
Collect further information in regard to single agency safeguarding
training so that gaps are identified for multi-agency training input.
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Establish a process of evaluation which will include an evaluation of the
longer term impact o practitioners and children and young people.
Annual Report
CYSCB publishes an Annual Report with significant input from Board partners
The 2015/16 annual report was written as a comprehensive review of the year,
with a more summarised version to allow easy access. It identified
performance and included lessons from audits, reviews case reviews and child
deaths. The report set out the five key priorities for improvement Early Help,
Neglect, Child Sexual Abuse, Children who go Missing and Domestic Abuse. The
report was published and sent to Leader of the Council, the Chair of the Health
and Wellbeing Board, the Police and Crime Commissioner, the council Chief
Executive and the Directors of Children’s Services.
This year, work continues to provide an even greater analysis of performance
and improvement, drawing on input from across the partnership. It is also the
intention that a version of an annual report will be published which is designed
for Young People.
Next steps:
Co-ordinate the production of the 2016/17 annual report, ensuring it is
seen and reviewed by appropriate audiences and sets the priorities for
the coming year.
Highlight the voices of children and young people within all annual
reports going forward and work with young people to develop a version
which is more accessible to them.
In brief – some of what CYSCB has done
Voice of the child:
Ensured that the voices of children and young people are heard and that
they have a say in how their needs are met e.g. that children and young
people in the ‘Four Corners’ (Refugee Action York) refugee group are
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worried about ‘hate crime’ which the Board chair is following up with
the Safer York Partnership.
Learnt from children in the care of the local authority exactly what the
experience is like for them by attending the ‘Speak Up’ training and
listening to what the ‘Show Me That I Matter’ survey says.
Joined children with hearing impairments for lunch in May 2016 to
understand what their lives are like.
Early Help
Scrutinised reasons for closure of contacts to Children’s Social Care (CSC)
which don’t reach the threshold for CSC assessment.
Contributed to the large scale review of early help services currently
underway using a variety of means e.g. by Board members giving views
in person directly to the lead officers on the project and by contributing
to the consultations.
Observed and sought assurance of the arrangements in the ‘Children’s
Front Door’ including arrangements for those contacts which do not
meet the threshold for social care intervention. The Board Chair has
spent a day with Front Door Practitioners (Referral & Assessment and
the Advice Team) seeing how they work and listening to their views and
ideas.
Child sexual abuse:
Reviewed child sexual abuse cases in the PPSRG and in the CRG,
highlighting concerns about practitioners understanding, and practice, in
relation to child sexual abuse. This led to the ‘It’s Not Ok’ campaign and
a challenge to, and response from, the Police & Crime Commissioners
Office about therapeutic services for children and young people.
Published guidance on Child Sexual Exploitation including a CSE
assessment tool.
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Requested, received and disseminated information from the Police &
Crime Commissioner about commissioned therapeutic services to
support victims of sexual abuse
Found out much more about children in York who are vulnerable to
sexual abuse and exploitation, and ensured that services are put in place
to protect them, through increased information-sharing and joint work
between key agencies. The CSA&E Sub-group has sought information
from agencies about the provision of services and a multi-agency
operational group now meets to discuss these vulnerable children.
Carried out a major and nationally acclaimed campaign during 2015/16
jointly with the NSPCC called ‘It’s Not Ok’ to raise awareness and share
good practice in regard to Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation involving
more than 2000 year 7 children in discussions; 450 parents in
workshops; and nearly 300 professionals in seminars; along with
members of the public across York through an advertising campaign
using buses, posters in pubs and hotels and bin lorries.
Neglect:
Shared and consulted on a new citywide neglect strategy which will be
finalised later in 2016 in response to the high level of children referred
to Children’s Social Care because of neglect.
Arranged a Neglect Event in July 2016 providing practitioners with an
opportunity to learn about identification and intervention. Nearly 80
practitioners attended.
Supported training of practitioners in Children’s Social Care and 0-19
Healthy Child Service in using the Graded Care Profile.
Domestic abuse:
Highlighted for Safer York Partnership (SYP) and the York and North
Yorkshire Joint Coordination Group (JCG) prioritisation of the needs of
identified child victims of domestic abuse.
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Established a Domestic Abuse Sub-group to enhance understanding of
the impact on children of domestic abuse in York in order to continue to
challenge SYP and the JCG to improve the response to families where
children are exposed to domestic abuse.
Undertaken (in the Partnership Practice Scrutiny and Review Group) an
audit of cases which were considered at Domestic Abuse Multi Agency
Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC), made recommendations for
practice and record keeping which have been checked and assurance
received.
Commissioned multi agency training on awareness of domestic abuse
including the impact on children and the new definition of coercive
control reaching more than 50 practitioners in the last 3 sessions.
Marked ‘National Safeguarding Children Week’ (17-21 October) by
working alongside IDAS (Independent Domestic Abuse Services) and other
services including Kyra and with colleagues in North Yorkshire and the
Safeguarding Adults Board, to share the message that ‘Domestic abuse
can affect anyone’ with stalls raising awareness of domestic abuse and
the support available to those affected including children.
Children who go missing:
Published a joint protocol across York and North Yorkshire in regard to
children who go missing from home and care so that agencies work
together to protect these children.
Recognised that children who go missing are vulnerable to Child Sexual
Abuse and Exploitation and to other risky behaviours.
Been assured that those individuals who appear to be of particular
concern are discussed at a multi-agency meeting so that support can be
provided.
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Made high level information sharing agreements and protocols to enable
this cross referencing to take place and for these children and young
people to be protected.
Checked that arrangements are in place for children missing from
education and children educated at home so that they are safe.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM):
Published a new profile and local guidance including the mandatory duty to
report.
Delivered multi-agency training on recognising the possible signs of
FGM and being aware that it could happen in York
In addition the Board has:
Delivered multi-agency ‘Working Together’ training on all aspects of
concerns about children to over 200 practitioners over the last year.
Provided leadership for an ‘Inter-Board’ protocol with the Health &
Wellbeing Board, the Safer York Partnership, the YorOk Board and the
Safeguarding Adults Board so that all of these Boards work together to
safeguard children and young people.
Sought regular assurance reports from each CYSCB partner organisation
so that we know what they are doing to safeguard children.
Carried out a Section 11 audit of all partners safeguarding arrangements
along with audits for all schools about their safeguarding arrangements.
Supported schools – including academies and independent schools –
with their safeguarding practice and delivered training to designated
safeguarding leads.
Developed systems for scrutinising and analysing data from all partners,
used by the Board and all sub-groups.
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Recognised that there is much more to do and that there are always new
issues of which to be aware such as: trafficking, modern slavery, and
‘prevent’
Next steps
To provide greater visibility of individual agencies’ improvements,
identified by the Section 11 audit process, by requesting information on
agencies actions in response to this audit in all subsequent assurance
reports.
To work with schools on developing and refining the safeguarding audit
tool.
To use data effectively in each sub-group with sub-group. Chairs
reporting on issues and exceptions in their highlight reports to the
Priority Scrutiny and Review Group and to the Board.
To build on the operational relationships between partners to share
more joint intelligence in the setting of priorities.
To review protocols between CYSCB and other boards to ensure they
remain up-to-date and fully effective.
As each sub-group produces highlight reports for each PDSG and Board
meeting, these will focus on the changes to practice identified and the
monitoring of the impact of those changes.
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