Council and democracy

Agenda item

Thurrock Local Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report 2013-2014

Minutes:

The Business Manager sent the apologies of the Independent Chair of the Local Safeguarding Board and introduced the annual report which provided an account of the activity that had been conducted to oversee safeguarding services within Thurrock and to assess their effectiveness.

 

It was reported that the membership of the board from each agency was very good, and included five statutory partners such as the Police, NHS alongside representatives from Education, the Community and Voluntary Sector and commissioned service providers.

 

Members were advised that there had been a policy development refresh of Pan Essex Child Protection Procedures and the key achievements of 2013-14 were highlighted which included:

 

·         The 2013 Conference on the Voice of the child.

·         A managed review of fabricated illness.

·         A responsive multi agency learning and development programme.

·         The launch of the new LSCB website which to date had reached 29,461 hits and was used by both professionals and the community.

·         The examination of water safety and child deaths in swimming pools.

·         An information stand at the Big Lunch and Tilbury Family Festival events.

·         Work with Youth Cabinet to evolve the young ambassador’s programme for the LSCB.

·         The survivors of Child Abuse conference.

·         Walk Online Roadshows, in response to Police intelligence that victims of online crime were getting younger and younger.

 

The Committee were advised that the service had been awarded runner-up in the category of ‘Innovator of the Year’ at the Local Authority Awards and were funded through partnership funding, which had not increased in four years.

 

Members thanked all those involved for an excellent report, welcomed the greater focus on outcomes and commended the LSCB on their key achievements.

 

Officers explained that some outcomes had been particularly challenging, such as the Voice of the Child and ensuring that the needs of young people who required support were met.

 

Rev Barlow asked whether in light of the recent report from the BBC regarding the online issues that faced young people, if the funding was sufficient for the task that lay ahead. In response officers explained that it was important to examine funding not only in financial terms but in relation to resources available. It was reported that practice was regularly examined across all agencies to ensure they were effective as they could be, such as the Early Offer of Help Service.

 

Rev Barlow further observed that the £151,000 budget was comparatively small to the budget of the local authority, to which the Director of Children’s Services explained than although the budget available was relatively small; in reality the LSCB had access through its statutory partners to an operating capacity of many of millions of pounds.

 

Councillor Curtis questioned whether the statutory partners still fully supported the work of the LSCB in light of the budget challenges faced by all agencies, to which officers assured Members that all agencies were committed to this work.

 

Councillor Halden recognised that Essex Police had recently embedded a new Victims Charter and asked whether all agencies should have a Victims Charter, not just the Police. In response, officers explained that there was a national charter that had been adopted and all agencies had its own victim support process.

 

Councillor Halden was concerned that information sharing between agencies was not as good as it should be, and questioned what power the LSCB had to hold agencies to account. The Business Manager advised that there was no specific power, but the LSCB had the right to challenge its statutory partners and others and this feedback was provided and acted upon by board members.

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.         That the progress made on children’s safeguarding for the 12 month period April 2013 to March 2014 be noted.

 

2.         That the Committee consider and comment upon the report.

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