Issue - meetings

To receive the report of the Director of Children Services to help Overview and Scrutiny understand the work of the Members Safeguarding Policy and Practice Advisory Committee. The Panel was formed as a consequence of the Joint Area Review report November 2008 and represents the process by which back bench members can have greater involvement in the Council’s work in safeguarding children.

The Committee received the report which provided an overview of the work of the Safeguarding Policy and Practice Advisory Committee which ensured the involvement of Members in safeguarding children and examined Council policy, practice and effectiveness. The Advisory Committee would make recommendations to Cabinet to improve the safeguarding of children.

Councillor Emma Jones, Chair of the Advisory Committee, presented the report and introduced colleagues Graham Badman (Independent Chair of the Local Safeguarding Board), Hillary Corrick (Independent Member of the Policy & Practice Advisory Committee), Eleanor Brazil (Interim Deputy Director - Children and Families) and Mark Gurrey (Interim Assistant Director for Safeguarding).

The Committee noted the advance questions that had been submitted and the written answers provided. 

The Committee noted that whilst there should be a shared responsibility between partner agencies it was the social worker who was ultimately responsible for a child.  Referral threshold guidance was being finalised and all partner agencies would receive training on the document.

The Committee were informed of the processes in place to deal with referrals and suggested that a recommendation be made to ensure that it should be highlighted when parents failed to take their children for health checks, which Councillor Jones stated would be part of discussions at the next Advisory Committee meeting.

The interim Deputy Director –Children & Families explained that part of the improvement plan was about integrated working across agencies including multi-disciplinary services.

Councillor Lorna Reith informed the Committee that she had met with the Cabinet Member for Adults and Social Care and directors within children’s and adults services to discuss issues including transition (from children into adults) and the possibility of individual social workers working with both children and adults to improve links between the two departments.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.