To ensure that there are effective arrangements across agencies to respond to early signs of neglect, including risks to unborn babies
What does this mean?
The definition of neglect that the Board will work to is that contained in the statutory guidance; Working Together to Safeguard Children (2013).
Neglect often takes place in environments in which one or more of the following issues is apparent within the family unit:
- Domestic Violence
- Drug/alcohol abuse
- Mental Health issues
Actions
- Develop a multi-agency neglect strategy owned by all partner agencies
- To improve awareness and understanding of neglect across the whole partnership. This includes a common understanding of neglect and the thresholds for intervention.
- Ensure the effectiveness of service provision through key performance indicators, for example, a reduction in the number of children subject to a child protection plan under the category of neglect and length of time of plan.
- Ensure the Early Help & Early Intervention programme is used appropriately in the early recognition and identification of neglect.
To ensure that partners work together to protect Hillingdon’s children from identified risks to their safety and welfare
What does this mean?
We need to recognise that children and young people may face many risks. These could include:
- Child Sexual Exploitation
- Exploitation through the internet
- Children missing from Care, Home and Education
- Domestic Violence
- Radicalisation
- Female Genital Mutilation
- Targeted Youth Violence
- Drug Abuse
- Trafficking
- Force Marriage
Actions
- Ensure that Task & Finish groups are established where it is identified through local intelligence, or national trends, that targeted action needs to take place to reduce the risk to children and young people.
- Ensure that young people are consulted in order that any preventative interventions are meaningful to them.
- Ensure preventative measures are directed at young people in order to raise their awareness and more importantly what they can do to protect themselves.
- That local strategic plans are regularly reviewed and embedded into local practice.
- Partners share a common understanding of risks to children and young people via training.
To oversee the implementation of the Early Help & Early Intervention programme in Hillingdon
What does this mean?
To ensure that children and young people receive effective early help and appropriate interventions when needs are identified and/or problems arise.
The Board will oversee the development of an Early Help/Intervention strategy engaging all partners.
Actions
- To ensure an Early Help and Intervention strategy is developed and implemented across partner agencies.
- Agree key performance indicators that can be measured against the strategy.
- The Board to be satisfied with the Governance arrangements for the Early Help and Early Intervention programme.
To ensure that Hillingdon LSCB can evidence the effectiveness of single agency and multi-agency safeguarding arrangements to satisfy ourselves that risks to children and young people are identified early in order to protect them from harm
What does this mean?
The Hillingdon LSCB is committed to challenging partner agencies to ensure that the Board can be satisfied that children and young people are safe in Hillingdon.
The Board is committed to listening to the ‘voice of the child’ in order to learn lessons from practice and to challenge existing practice where necessary.
The Board needs to be satisfied that all children and young people are seen, heard and helped; with the public and professionals being alert to risks posed to children and young people and how to report this when necessary.
Actions
- Effective auditing and quality assurance of partners practice.
- Effective single agency and multi-agency training across all agencies and organisations involved in safeguarding children.
- Monitoring and analysis of the LSCB Performance Web and the Board to effectively challenge.
- Strong governance arrangements across all partner agencies.
- An environment in which robust challenge is the norm.
- A clear engagement strategy ensuring the voice of the child is heard.
- An effective Board improvement plan that is regularly monitored at the Board.
