Decision details

New Safeguarding Arrangements for Children

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Decisions:

The Cabinet gave consideration to a report of the Interim Director of Children’s Services which set out the new governance arrangements for safeguarding children. Under the Children and Social Work Act 2017 the arrangements needed to be approved and published by 29 June 2019 and in place by 29 September 2019. The approval of the governance bodies of the three statutory partners would facilitate a three-month period for the preparation for implementation of the new safeguarding partnership arrangements.

 

Cabinet were informed that the current Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) would be disbanded. The new arrangements sought to ensure that all local relevant agencies continued to engage with the three statutory partners in effective safeguarding activities, whilst building stronger linkages with the Oldham Adult Safeguarding Board and allied partnerships and governance groups.

 

The new arrangements would consist of a new Safeguarding Children Strategic Partnership (to replace the current Board) to provide strategic vision, leadership, scrutiny and accountability. This would be supported by a Children’s Safeguarding Executive Group that would be responsible for the delivery of the Partnership’s strategic business plan (to replace the current executive group). Sub-groups of the Executive would undertake the detailed work on implementation of the safeguarding business plan with respect to services, service developments, performance monitoring and quality assurance. A stronger role for the voice and vision of the child was proposed in service planning and scrutiny.

 

New arrangements for challenge, scrutiny and commitment to continuous improvement amongst the statutory partners and relevant agencies were proposed, along with revised accountability forums.

 

Options/Alternatives considered:

Options and alternatives had been considered by the statutory partners in their deliberations. The option of not changing the current arrangements was not available. Careful consideration had been given to the emergent options being developed at both a GM and national level. The option of joining the children and adults safeguarding governance arrangements had been considered in depth.

 

RESOLVED - That the proposals for the new arrangements be approved to enable them to be published by 29 June 2019 and effectively implemented by 29 September 2019.

Publication date: 25/06/2019

Date of decision: 24/06/2019

Decided at meeting: 24/06/2019 - Cabinet

Effective from: 03/07/2019

Accompanying Documents: