London Board March update
Please follow the link below to download the latest report on the work of the London Board:
London Safeguarding Children Board update: March 2010
For additional information on any of the Board's work, please contact the London Board Manager, Ian Dean, on ian.dean@londoncouncils.gov.uk / 020 7934 9714.
National FGM resources
Please follow the links below to download a new information leaflet and poster to raise awareness of FGM:
The government FGM webpages have now gone live at www.fco.gov.uk/fgm, and an email address has been set up at fgm@fco.gov.uk for anyone with concerns or questions about FGM.
Amended London Child Protection Procedures
Please be advised that Section 19 (serious case reviews) of the London Child Protection Procedures has now been superseded by the publication of Working Together to Safeguard Children, Chapter 8. Serious Case Reviews (DCSF, December 2009). The pdf versions of the London Procedures have subsequently been amended at www.londonscb.gov.uk/procedures/.
The London Safeguarding Children Board will be updating the London Child Protection Procedures in line with the latest national guidance as soon as the fully revised Working Together is published. In the meantime, LSCBs are advised to direct their partners to http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/_download/?id=7215 for the latest statutory guidance on serious case reviews.
London guidance for assessing children and families affected by adults viewing child sexual abuse images on the Internet
This document has been produced on behalf of the London Safeguarding Children Board and in conjunction with the Essex Safeguarding Children Board. It draws on the contribution of colleagues in Essex, and a small group of practitioners and managers from various services in London, including a specialist NSPCC Project. The aim is:
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to provide practice guidance to support practitioners working with children and families affected by adults viewing child sexual abuse images – particularly via the Internet;
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to identify key principles to help inform assessments;
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to consider some of the practice implications;
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to provide an overview of current messages from research and underpinning knowledge.
It is not intended to replace existing procedures and should be seen as complementary to the London Child Protection Procedures and Essex County Council Child Protection Procedures. Practitioners should refer to their LSCB procedures and in particular chapter 5 of the London Child Protection Procedures. Please follow the link below to download a copy:
London’s leaders underline commitment to safeguarding children
A pledge has been made by London’s safeguarding agencies to give some of the most vulnerable young people in the capital a better start in life.
The London Safeguarding Children Board brought together the leaders of all the main organisations involved with child protection to sign the London Safeguarding Children Pledge, which underlines the progress made on safeguarding children in the capital and represents the commitment from agencies to continue to work closely through the board to share experience and best practice to meet that challenges that lie ahead.
The pledge highlights the progress made so far and reinforces commitment from all agencies to continue this important work, and continue to prioritise investment in safeguarding. It was signed by the chair of the London Safeguarding Children Board, London Councils, all local authorities in the capital, NHS London, the Metropolitan Police Authority, the Government Office for London and voluntary sector partners.
Please follow the link below to download a copy of the signed pledge:
London Safeguarding Children Pledge
LSCB annual report to Children's Trust Board
Lord Laming’s report recommended that “Local Safeguarding Children Boards should report to the Children’s Trust Board and publish an annual report on the effectiveness of safeguarding in the local area", which was then reflected in statutory guidance: ‘LSCBs will be required to publish an annual report and to submit it to their Children’s Trust Board. These reports should provide an honest assessment of the local safeguarding arrangements and identify clearly the challenges to be addressed and overcome.’
GOL and the London Safeguarding Children Board have now produced the guidance note below to provide LSCBs with advice on producing annual reports which support the development of effective accountability locally and an effective relationship between the LSCB and Children’s Trust Board (CTB). It is not mandatory guidance, but is for use by LSCBs should they find it helpful.
LSCB annual report to Children's Trust Board
Multi-agency safeguarding audit tools
Government Office for London and the London Safeguarding Children Board have created this pack of multi agency safeguarding audit tools for LSCBs to use as part of their quality assurance activity. The work was requested by London Directors of Children’s Services and was the subject of five consultation workshops. The pack consists of:
Purpose Of multi agency auditing – which describes the rational for this approach to auditing and how it fits into the LSC improvement cycle
Guidance On Use Of The Audit Tools – which describes how to scope and set up multi agency audits.
A Multi Agency Early Intervention Audit Instrument.
Early intervention grading guidance
A Multi Agency Child In Need Audit Instrument.
Child in need grading guidance
A Multi Agency Child Protection Audit Instrument.
Child protection grading guidance
A Multi Agency Looked After Children Audit Instrument.
Looked after children grading guidance
An Example Of A Completed Overview Report.
Working Together to Safeguard Children, Chapter 8: Serious Case Reviews
'Chapter 8' of Working Together to Safeguard Children has been updated by the government to reflect Lord Laming’s recommendations on Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) and the outcomes of the recent public consultation. This revised statutory guidance replaces 'Chapter 8' of Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006), and is available to download via the link below:
Working Together to Safeguard Children - national consultation
This revised draft guidance addresses 17 of Lord Laming's recommendations, as indicated in the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit's earlier pre-consultation, and updates the guidance to reflect changes to the policy and legislative landscape since Working Together was last published in 2006. The revised draft guidance and all consultation documents are available to download from the DCSF via the link below:
Safeguarding London's Children conference - papers online
All presentations and related papers from the London Board's annual safeguarding London's children conference (held on Wednesday December 9th 2009) are now available online at http://www.londonscb.gov.uk/diary/conference/
Work with Elected Members and LSCB Chairs (31 July 2009)
In March 2009, the London Councils' Leaders Committee signed off a number of recommendations to strengthen safeguarding in London. Following from this, the Capital Ambition Programme Board approved a programme of work and funding of £400k aimed at strengthening London’s overall resilience in safeguarding and child protection. Three of these projects were identified for completion by summer 2009:
- Safeguarding Development Programme for Lead Members
- The Protection of Children in England: Leaders’ Responsibilities
- Local Safeguarding Children Board Chairs’ Guidance
Following consultation, these papers have been endorsed by the London Councils’ Children and Young People’s Forum (Lead Members for Children’s Services) and the London Councils’ Leaders Committee. The LSCB Chairs Guidance has received additional sign off by the London LSCB Chairs Network. All three papers were signed off by the London Board on 29th July and are attached below:
London Safeguarding Development Programme for Lead Members
The Protection of Children in England: Leaders’ Responsibilities
London Local Safeguarding Children Board Chairs’ Guidance
These documents are issued as guidance for those LSCBs which may find them useful. Their use is not compulsory. They complement statutory guidance from DCSF published on 9th July 2009:
The Role and Responsibilities of the Lead Members for Children's Services and the Director of Children's Services
