Partner Agencies

AGENCY ROLES

HEALTH

Worcestershire NHS Primary Care Trust;

Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Health professionals work with adults and children and play an essential part in promoting children’s health and development. Health is a universal service and so its professionals are often the first to be aware of vulnerable children and families. Workers in Health play a part in safeguarding children from significant harm and assessing the needs of vulnerable children and families. Health Workers co-operate with other agencies by: identifying and alerting other agencies of concerns of children in need; contributing to enquiries about children and families; planning and providing support to vulnerable children; providing assessment of therapeutic help;

There are representatives from the various Health Trusts and from the Strategic Health Authority.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Health professionals play a vital part in promoting children's health and development.  At the Acute Trust we see children who have an acute illness or suffered injury or trauma.  We play a part in safeguarding children through promoting health and accident prevention, treating illness and injury and ensuring relevant parties are involved if concerns regarding a child's safety have been identified.

West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Ideally positioned as the first, and sometimes the only, emergency agency to witness vulnerable children in their home environment, the Hereford and Worcester NHS Ambulance Trust has a critically important role to play.  Experienced and caring clinicians help gather crucial information, assist individuals in accessing the right level of care, and subsequently share their information with other agencies.

Police

Child Protection is a fundamental responsibility for West Mercia Constabulary.

It is a policing priority incorporated into the strategic policing plan 2003-2006. West Mercia Constabulary has reviewed its policy and procedures for investigating allegations of abuse where child/ren are victims. The review was informed by Lord Laming’s Inquiry Publication and Recommendations regarding the tragic death of Victoria Climbié.

West Mercia Constabulary are committed to sharing information and intelligence with other agencies where it is considered necessary to protect children.

Children's Services Directoratehttp://www.worcestershire.gov.uk

Children's Social Care Services is the lead Agency in Safeguarding Children and as such must play a very active role in the SCB.  It is the role of the Social Worker to assess the needs of the child, obtain relevant information from other Agencies and from this propose a plan of support to safeguard the child. In doing this Social Workers must communicate clearly with other agencies, be aware of the resources that the agencies can provide and co-ordinate the support to the family. To ensure that this work runs smoothly and children are protected the Social Care Services representative on the SCB must ensure that they inform the Committee of the work of Social Care Services and that they engage actively in developing procedures for inter-agency working.

Services to Schools

As a universal service schools come into contact with all children. Teachers get to know children very well and are able to identify children who may be in need or suffering significant harm. It is often to a teacher that a child will turn to when his/her home is not protective. In putting in place plans of support or protection for children teachers play an important role in ensuring the safety of these children.

All schools must ensure that they have a designated senior member of staff responsible for child protection and should develop a child protection policy which reflects its statutory duties and pastoral responsibilities according to the Education Act 2002 Section 175.

The local education authority plays an important role in safeguarding children. The Lead Officer for Child Protection is a member of the SCB and ensures that policy, procedures, training and the management of allegations against staff in schools fulfil statutory requirements and are recognised as a shared responsibility across the Education Directorate.

Managing an allegation flowchart Final Allegations Guidance (teachers)

Guidance for Safe Working Key Points- managing allegations notes

Managing the Aftermath Updated Feb 2005 March 06 - Education Staff Facing Allegations of Abuse

March 06 Leaflet for Chairs of Governors PoCA Guidance (Final)

Policy guidelines December March '07 POSITIVE HANDLING STRATEGIES FOR PUPILS

Protocol for dealing with children not collected from school Self Review Tool Schools 02.06

Thresholds for suspension Updated Feb 051 Definitions and Thresholds Updated Feb 053

June 05 Strategy Meeting Guidance1 June 05 Strategy Meeting Guidance1

Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education - DfES January 2007

The Learning & Skills Council http://www.lsc.gov.uk

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is the organisation responsible for making England better skilled and more competitive.  Through a network of national, regional and local offices, the LSC works with a range of providers to deliver high-quality learning and training to meet the skills needs of employers, adults and young people.  This learning and training can take place in range of environments, including colleges, sixth form centres, private training providers, community and voluntary organisations or in the workplace.

The LSC, working with other national inspectorates, has a responsibility to ensure all learning and training providers meet their statutory requirement to offer high-quality, safe and effective learning and training.

West Mercia Probation Trust

The Probation service plays an important role in protecting children, by assessing and supervising offenders. Some of the people they work with will have committed offences against children, or offences which impact on the lives of their own children. In working with these people Probation Officers must be fully aware of the safeguarding children issues posed by these people.

CAFCASS

CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service) came into being in April 2001 to unify the work of the Guardian ad litem Service, the Family Court Welfare Service and the Children Department of the office of the Official Solicitor.  The service is a national, non-governmental Department under the direction of an appointed Board and Chief Executive Officer located in London.  Although independent of all Local Authority arrangements, CAFCASS is answerable to Government through the DfES

All CAFCASS practitioners are registered Social Workers.  Normally termed Family Court Advisor, the title changes according to the legislative framework of the work undertaken, so at different times the FCA may be appointed as a Children's Guardian, Reporting Officer, Family Court Reporter, or Parental Order Reporter.  In Worcester staff tend to specialise in either public law work or private law work although there is a good deal of cross-over.  There are currently 14 FCA allocated to Hereford & Worcester who are supported by an administration centre in Worcester which has its own interview rooms and office accommodation.  The team operates to a devolved budget and to nationally set standards, under the management of a local Head of Service.  Although CAFCASS has its own legal department, children's solicitors are still appointed by CAFCASS from the pool of local, suitably qualified lawyers.

Worcestershire's Forum Against Domestic Abuse

In Worcestershire, the County Forum Against Domestic Abuse is working with police, women’s refuges, health and social care services, education officials and schools, the courts and the probation service and victim support services to prevent Domestic Violence.

The Forum works closely with Worcestershire’s Safeguarding Children Board in promoting awareness about the links between Domestic Abuse and the protection and needs of children and young people who have lived or, are currently living with this experience.

Connexions

The Connexions Service provides information, advice and support for all 13-19 year olds. Its particular purpose is to help them make and implement plans for the next stage(s) of their education, employment and training and also to enable them to access other services and opportunities, according to individual need. Connexions is a universal service, with a remit to work more closely with those young people facing barriers to participation and achievement.

Working with a significant number of young people, often on a one-to-one basis, Connexions staff will receive information from time to time about potential abuse and will be a source of referrals to Social Services or the Police.

Youth Offending Service

The Youth Offending Service (YOS) works with young people aged 10 to 17 involved in crime and anti-social behaviour and also young people aged 8 -13 at risk of becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour.  In addition the YOS works with families as well as victims of crime.  Some of the young people will be children in need and many will be extremely vulnerable.  YOS staff will work to ensure that these young people are safeguarded from further harm.  Staff working with them must be aware of the needs of the children and liaise with other agencies to ensure that the children are safeguarded.

NSPCC http://www.nspcc.org.uk

The NSPCC is committed to working together to safeguard children and considers the contribution to Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards a high priority. The NSPCC has representatives on a large number of LSCBs and is well placed to support in the development of the boards and promote a shared approach to learning from other local authorities.

In line with our commitment to shared learning and the provision of high quality information for agencies involved in safeguarding children, we are pleased to offer a link to our NSPCC inform website. This provides agencies with access to up to date information and research and the service is free.

The NSPCC in Worcestershire provides two services to children, young people and their families. We are working in partnership to provide assessment and therapeutic services to families where sexually harmful behaviour has been identified as a concern. This is a particularly sensitive area of work and we have a skilled team who provide direct work, assessment and advice. The service has experience of engaging effectively with children, young people and their families to assist in achieving an understanding of the behaviour and to encourage effective ways to move away from harmful to more positive behaviours. 

The NSPCC also provides a Children’s Advice and Representation Service (CARS). This service assists young people to express their views and participate in decisions that affect their lives. The service promotes the competence of children and encourages other agencies to value the contribution children and young people make individually and collectively to service provision and development. The CARS team offers independent information and advice. The service is also involved in the recruitment and training of independent visitors who provide services to particularly vulnerable and isolated children and young people. 

The NSPCC Area Children’s Services Manager sits on Worcestershire SCB and the Executive. There is a strong commitment to continuing to participate in the work of the board. This involvement ensures access to local specialist services and links to the wider NSPCC national developments.