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Gloucestershires Safeguarding Children Service
CYPSP Gloucestershire's Children and Young
Peoples Strategic Partnership Change for
Children Programme  
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• Safeguarding Children Manager for the SCS and
  GSCB.
• Safeguarding Children Service is part of the
  CYPD
• CYPD is combined childrens services for what
  use to be called the SSD and Education
  Directorate
• GSCB Is a multi-agency board that ensures
  agencies are working together to ensure
  Safeguarding in Gloucestershire
• Todays talk is how we are steering Safeguarding
  in Gloucestershire through the SCS and GSCB

The SCS and GSCB office moved to Eastgate House
in June 2006
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• GSCB established on 1st April 2006
• Replaced the Area Child Protection Committee
• Statutory mechanism for agreeing how the partner
  agencies co-operate to safeguard and promote the
  welfare of children and young people under
• Section 11 of the Children Act 2004
• Working Together to Safeguard Children
• GSCB in a position to hold agencies to account.
• Safeguarding children is about
• Protecting children from maltreatment
• Preventing impairment of childrens health or
  development
• Ensuring that children a growing up in safe and
  effective care

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GSCB Executive Board
Sub-committees
Safeguarding Forums
Annual Conference

• GSCB Executive Board Partner Agencies
• Children Young People's Directorate,
  Gloucestershire County Council
• Gloucestershire Constabulary
• Gloucestershire Health Services
• NHS South West
• National Probation Service Gloucestershire
• Children and Family Court Advisory Support
  Service
• Connexions
• Gloucestershire Voluntary and Community Services
• Gloucestershire District Councils

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• Monitoring the performance of agencies working
  with CYP and their families
• Safer recruitment
• Anti-bullying policies
• Responsibilities under the Children Act 2004
• Raising the profile of the extra vulnerability of
  CYPwD
• Domestic Abuse
• BME in CP system
• Monitoring access to CP Procedures
• Review of provision of multi-agency training
• Review of process of learning lessons from SCR
• Strengthening the relationship between GSCB and
  C4C Programme Board

These priorities reflect in the GSCB
Sub-committee Business Plans
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CYPD

• Learning and Development
• independence from direct childrens services
• Director of L D is also Chair of GSCB
  Executive Board

SCS
Safeguarding Children Co-ordinators
Safeguarding Children Administration
GSCB Training and Administration

• CP concerns logged
• CP register managed
• CP conferences minutes and reports gathered
• CP advise offered

• CP and various other safeguarding children
  courses offered
• Administration of GSCB structure, website and CP
  Procedures.

• Chair CP Conferences

Safeguarding Children Development (education)

• Safeguarding in education settings

Although GSCB staff come under the SCS, the GSCB
sits above Partner agencies.
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• The concept of Every Child Matters Change
  for Children was in response to the death of
  Victoria Climbé.
• The Children Act 2004 came into force to provide
  the legislative foundation for the programme. It
  requires
• Each Local Authority to establish Local
  Safeguarding Children Boards by April 2006.
• Duty of co-operation among organisations working
  with children
• The DfES guidance Working Together to Safeguard
  Children, details the framework on the role,
  responsibilities and functions of the
  Safeguarding Boards.

Gloucestershires answer to this is the GSCB,
which hopes to bring agencies to work together.
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• CYPSP Programme Board is responsible for
  implementing the Gloucestershire C4C Programme
  through the Multi-agency CYP Plan.
• This aims to ensure that CYP are helped to
  achieve these 5 outcomes
• Be Healthy
• Stay Safe
• Enjoy their lives and achieve their potential
• Contribute to their local community
• Achieve a good standard of living
• Establishment of the GSCB was part of the C4C
  programme.
• The GSCB is linked with the CYPSP Programme
  Board.

Safeguarding is a key aspect of the Stay Safe
outcome which underpins all the other outcomes
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• The Gloucestershire Safeguarding and Promoting
  the Welfare of Children Procedures is an online
  document of procedures that apply to all staff
  working with children and young people.
• The Procedures were formally known as the Green
  Manual, as it was available in hardcopy format.
• The procedures are now only available online
  through the GSCB website current version is
  Version 3.
• www.gscb.org.uk/procedures
• Frontline staff are requested to subscribe to
  the GSCB website mailing list, in order to be
  kept informed about updates.

The Procedures explain what professionals should
do when they are concerned that a child may have
been or may be at risk of abuse or neglect.
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• Professional consults with supervisor/ DCPO
• Professional completes written record
• May seek advise from SCS or EDT
• Log a child welfare concern with SCS
• If warranted make a referral to the Children and
  Families Helpdesk
• Forward this referral in writing within 48 hours
  to the CYPD
• Within 24 hours of receiving a referral Initial
  Enquiries begin

Logging a concern is not the same as making a
referral. It is no longer a matter of checking
the CPR more that each concern counts. These
concerns are then analysed in terms of their
seriousness or frequency. 01452 58 3636 (during
office hours)
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• During the Initial Enquiries a decision is made
  as to whether there may be CP concerns If there
  are then an Initial Assessment takes place.
• This must conclude within 7 days of the referral
• Decisions are made as to whether
• The concern involves a criminal offence
• To inform the family
• The Initial Assessment concludes with a Strategy
  Discussion if it has been judged that there is
  risk of significant harm.

Significant harm (comes from Children Act 1989)
it is the threshold that justifies compulsory
intervention in family life in the best interests
of children.
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• The necessity of this is decided after an
  Initial Assessment
• Also within the 7 days of referral
• It provides a multi-agency platform for joint
  discussion of the referral in which the
  referrer should also be included.
• This may be in the form of a meeting or over the
  telephone.
• It determines whether a Section 47 Inquiry is
  necessary.
• Also what services should be provided to the
  families and whether a Core Assessment should
  take place.

Section 47 In the Children Act 1989, it defines
the local authoritys responsibility to provide
services where there is actual or potential risk
of significant harm (children in need of
protection).
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• The SCS should be informed when a Strategy
  Discussion takes place
• As the Initial CP Conference must be booked
  within 15 days of the Strategy Discussion.
• This is the first conference
• Allows the concerns to be explored with the
  families and professionals.
• Agrees and outlines a Child Protection Plan if
  there is risk of significant harm.

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• This is a group of multi-agency professionals
  who then develop the CP Plan with the family
• A key worker leads the Core Group
• The Core Group must first meet within 15 days of
  the Initial Conference.
• The key worker has responsibility to ensure the
  CP Plan works, through further meetings if
  necessary.
• The key worker reports to the Review Child
  Protection Conference within 3 months

Review Child Protection Conference monitors the
progress of the CP Plan
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• This is carried out by the Key worker
• It is used to determine the needs of a child and
  how those needs can be addressed
• It is a continuation of the Initial Assessment
• However is a more detailed assessment under the
  Section 47 Inquiry
• It is developed further by the Core Group after
  the Initial Child Protection Conference
• It should be completed in 42 days.

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This completes an overview of the Child
Protection Process, however there are other means
of Safeguarding which the GSCB is involved with
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• GSCB training is a vital part of the child
  protection process.
• GSCB multi-agency training provides
  professionals with the skills, knowledge,
  judgement and ability to work together
  effectively.
• It is aimed at staff whose work brings them into
  direct contact with CYP.
• These courses are run throughout the year.
• Introduction to Child Protection
• Revision and Update Child Protection
• Working Together in Child Protection Conferences
  and Core Groups
• Crossing Bridges
• Domestic Abuse Safeguarding Children
• Safeguarding Children and Young People with
  Disabilities

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• The GSCB has a Serious Case Review Sub-committee
  to learn multi-agency lessons where a child has
  died or in certain circumstances been seriously
  harmed, and abuse or neglect is suspected.
• Recommendations arising out of a SCR are made
  public and the GSCB Monitoring and Performance
  Sub-committee ensures that agencies act upon the
  recommendations.
• This year the SCR sub-committee has undertaken
  and considered more cases.
• The following general themes are present in the
  recent SCR
• Recording of accurate, clear and detailed
  chronologies/ actions
• Correct inter and multi-agency information
  sharing

And also the role of strategy discussions/
meetings
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• Following the release of Version 3 of the
  procedures, a new guidance document has been
  included.
• The advice has been taken from Working Together
  and a group of professionals which included
  Teenage Pregnancy staff.
• It also gives some specific advice for staff in
  educational settings.

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• Normal Child Protection Procedures should be
  followed alongside internal disciplinary
  procedures.
• The DCPO should contact the Head Teacher
• Head Teacher must
• Make a referral
• Contact the Police Child Protection Unit
• Log a child welfare concern
• Report to the LADO for Allegations Management on
  01452 42 6994
• A Strategy Meeting must be urgently convened.
• If the allegation is against the Head Teacher
  then the DCPO must contact the Governor with CP
  responsibilities.
• If the DCPO is the Head Teacher, then the Deputy
  Head Teacher and Governor with CP
  responsibilities must be contacted.

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If you would like to subscribe to notification of
updates to the GSCB website please send us an
e-mail with the subject heading subscribe to
updates_at_gscb.org.uk If you have any
queries mail_at_gscb.org.uk
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Thank you
Finish
CYPSP Gloucestershire's Children and Young
Peoples Strategic Partnership Change for
Children Programme