Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration presented a report on the plans for safeguarding children and young people in the Borough under new multi-agency safeguarding arrangements developed in response to new legislation, regulations and statutory guidance.

The new framework gave equal responsibility to the Council, the local Clinical Commissioning Group and the Police (the Statutory Partners) to develop robust safeguarding arrangements, which must be shared with the Department for Education and published by 30 June 2019 and in place by 30 September 2019.  The Cabinet Member explained that the plans had been developed at two levels: the first reflected how the three statutory partners across Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge would better work together across the footprint to meet shared safeguarding challenges while the second and more detailed aspect related to the local arrangements that ensured the continued focus on the needs of children and young people in Barking and Dagenham.  A new Safeguarding Partnership Board would replace the existing Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB), building on the agreed principles and priorities of the LSCB, and would comprise the three statutory partners alongside a local Safeguarding Champion who would represent the voice of the child and the wider family.

The Cabinet Member pointed to the expected outcomes and next steps for implementing the plans and reference was also made to feedback from the BAD Youth Forum regarding who young people would be more likely to speak to if they were experiencing problems.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree the principles and approach to the new Multi-Agency Safeguarding Partnership Arrangements as set out in the report;

(ii)  Note the plans for implementing the arrangements during the period July - September 2019; and

(iii)  Delegate authority to the Director of People and Resilience, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration, to finalise and publish the plan for the new arrangements by 29 June 2019.