Issue - meetings

For the Committee to receive an update on the implementation of the new Safeguarding Arrangements and the associated Elected Member Safeguarding Training.

The Committee received a report presenting an overview of the agreed new arrangements for Oldham’s children’s safeguarding and further presenting an update on safeguarding training provided for elected Members.

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 required the local authority, police and local clinical commissioning group as the three statutory partners under the legislation to publish revised multi-agency safeguarding arrangements by 29^th June 2019 and implement these new arrangements by 29^th September 2019. Oldham’s arrangements, presented in detail within an appendix to the submitted report, had been agreed on behalf of the Council by the Cabinet at a meeting held on 24^th June 2019, those arrangements having been considered previously by the Overview and Scrutiny Board at a meeting held on 18^th June 2019.  The requirements of the Act meant also that the current Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and current structures would be disbanded.

Training sessions relating to the new safeguarding arrangements were being developed and planned for September 2019.  Elected Members will be required to attend a mandatory session, have the option to attend the Safeguarding Partnership’s multi-agency training sessions, and a joint training session for Elected Members and GPs on the theme of safeguarding which was planned for September.  A questionnaire was to be circulated seeking feedback from Members as to the sort of safeguarding issues they were encountering from which a more in-depth training offer would be developed as part of the Member Development Programme.

Councillor McLaren referred to a previous Task and Finish consideration of the Member training issue and how it had been envisaged the training offer might be structured.  He undertook to meet (in conjunction with the Chair, if available) with the Assistant Director - Safeguarding and Partnerships to progress the Member training issue.

RESOLVED that the revised arrangements for children’s safeguarding and the arrangements for elected Member training be noted.