Report to:

Health and Wellbeing Board

 

Date of meeting:

 

14th December 2021

By:

East Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership Independent Chair

 

Title:

East Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report 2020/21

 

Purpose:

To advise Board Members of the multi-agency arrangements in place to safeguard children in East Sussex

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

The Board is recommended to consider and comment on the East Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership Annual Report for 2020-2021.

 

1     Background

1.1         Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 sets out the arrangements for cooperation between organisations and agencies to improve the wellbeing of children. This places a duty on police, clinical commissioning groups and the local authority to make arrangements to work together, and with other partners locally, to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in their area. The previous arrangements of the East Sussex Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) was replaced with the East Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership (ESSCP) from 1st October 2019. More information on the partnership arrangements is available here: East Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership Arrangements.  

1.2         In order to bring transparency for children, families and all practitioners about the activity undertaken by the Children’s Safeguarding Partnership, Working Together 2018 sets out that the safeguarding partners must publish a report at least once in every 12-month period. The report must set out what they have done as a result of the arrangements, including child safeguarding practice reviews, and how effective these arrangements have been in practice.

1.3         The 2020/21 ESSCP Annual Report focuses on the partnership priorities, a review of the partnership arrangements and considers the emerging impact of the partnership on children and young people.

 

2     Supporting information

2.1         The ESSCP Annual Report 2020/21 outlines the work undertaken by the partnership, highlighting key learning and achievements, which includes.

·         5 multi-agency Rapid Reviews conducted, resulting in 3 Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (LSCPR). 

·         1 Serious Case Review (child W) and 2 learning briefings on infant injuries published.

·         In response to the pandemic, virtual training courses started from August 2020, with 545 multi-agency staff attending 42 virtual training courses. 96% of evaluations rated the course as Excellent or Good.

·         ESSCP Learning Strategy launched, and 2 audits undertaken on intra-familial sexual abuse and domestic abuse. A further Multi-Agency Child Exploitation (MACE) audit held on education.

·         All agencies actively participated in our Section 11 Audit evaluating safeguarding practice.

·         Successful implementation of a local ‘Contextual Safeguarding’ response to children with multiple needs.

·         Launch of the ICON programme to reduce infant head trauma.

·         Task & Finish Groups created to take forward multi-agency activity on Safeguarding Under 5s and A&E and Education Information Sharing.

 

2.2         The ESSCP Annual Report 2020/21 will be published on the ESSCP website and a copy of the published report shared with the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel and the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care as per chapter 3 of Working Together 2018.

 

3.         Conclusion and reasons for recommendations

3.1         An effective Safeguarding Children Partnership is in place in East Sussex.

3.2         The Health and Wellbeing Board is requested to consider and comment on the ESSCP Annual Report 2020/21 and to note the continuing partnership priorities for 2020-2023:

·           Education Safeguarding

·           Child Exploitation

·           Embedding a Learning Culture

·           Safeguarding under 5s.

 

APPENDICES

Appendix 1 - ESSCP Annual Report 2020/21