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First
Line of Defence: Management Controls
1.
Robust quality assurance and performance management framework
embedded and reported quarterly to Directorate Performance Board
and onto the Corporate Performance Board bi-annually.
2.
Single point of access ('Front Door for Families') for support and
safeguarding issues relating to children. The Front Door is
multi-agency and has responsibility for and oversight of both the
Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and early help referrals to
provide robust risk assessments and information sharing between
partner agencies
3.
Brighton & Hove Safeguarding Children's Partnership (BHSCP)
Work Plan established with strong leadership by the Independent
Scrutineer with aligned BHSCP sub-group work plans
4.
Safeguarding Practice, Local Management and Child Death Reviews
identify learning and action for improvement
5.
A strong focus on working with CYP at risk of being missing from
care, home and education
6.
The local Supporting Families (was Troubled Families) programme
targets support to the most vulnerable families
7.
Continuous professional development (CPD) and training
opportunities offered by the council and BHSCP.
8.
In line with the Government’s Prevent Strategy, on-going work
with the Police, Statutory Partners, Third Sector Organisations and
Communities to reduce exploitation of young people into
extremism.
9.
BHSCP Threshold document, agreed by all agencies, reviewed in
2021.
10.
Relationship based model of social work practice embedded, with
Pods (social work teams) in place to provide stability to service
users
11.
Performance Management information across children's social work
enables a more informed view on current activity and planning for
future service changes
12.Adolescent
Vulnerability Risk Meetings held weekly to consider individual
cases where it is considered there is a higher risk of exploitation
(sexual; criminal and radicalisation).
Second
Line of Defence: Corporate Oversight
1.
Development of Family Hubs
2.
Multi agency safeguarding quality assurance processes in place,
monitored by the BHSCP Monitoring & Evaluation Subcommittee,
meets quarterly
3.
Corporate Parenting Board meets quarterly with opportunity for
cross-party Members, to receive information on children in care and
children leaving care. Attended by Heads of Service,
Assistant Directors and the ED FCL,
4.
Cross directorate Annual Practice Week developed where senior
leaders meet with front line staff to discuss individual cases,
picking up best practice examples of positive impact plus
discussing any barriers faced by both workers and
families
5.
Council appointed Violence, Vulnerability and Exploitation
co-ordinator who reports regularly to the Community
Partnership
6.
The A&S Committee reviewed this risk in March 2020 and March
2021.
Third
Line of Defence: Independent Assurance
1.
Ofsted inspections of social work practice under the ILACS
arrangements. Full inspection July 2018 - overall
judgement was 'Good'. An ongoing action plan enabled
oversight on completing the recommendations, and progress and
completion of these have been reported to CYPS committee
meetings.
2.
Ofsted Focused visit under ILACS framework February 2020 looking at
services to children in need and children with child protection
plans. Ofsted noted continued improvement made since 2018
inspection. Next ILACS inspection expected imminently which will
provide up to date assurance around our wider safeguarding and care
arrangements.
3.
Ofsted and the CQC inspection of the Local Area’s SEND and
Alternative Provision arrangements in March 2023. Provides
assurance around our social care arrangements for children with
special educational needs and disabilities and confirmation that
our existing improvement plans are still correctly
focussed
4.
National Probation Inspectorate statutory inspection of the city's
Youth Offending Service April 2021 - Outstanding grading across
every domain.
5.
Annual Engagement Meeting (AEM) with Ofsted HMI for social care and
education. Most recently held in March 2023 and covered social care
and education. A separate discussion focussing on Further Education
and Skills took place in April 2023 and the discussion focussing on
Special Educational Needs is due to take place in Autumn
2023.
5.
Local Government Association (LGA) review of Early Help processes
January 2020. The recommendations were taken forward and
formed a key element of the Family Hubs Transformation Programme
which is currently underway
6.
The Brighton & Hove Safeguarding Children's Partnership (BHSCP)
commissions Independent Scrutiny (IS) for the partnership, whose
role and
function
is to provide external challenge to the business of the
partnership, its meetings, subgroups and priorities.
7.
Internal audit activity relevant to children’s safeguarding
:
*
2022/23: Home to School Transport (Reasonable Assurance);
Children’s Data Handling (Reasonable Assurance)
*
2021/22: Child Disability Agency Placements (Reasonable Assurance);
School Attendance (Reasonable Assurance).
*
2020/21: Education, Health and Care Plans (Reasonable Assurance),
Care System Replacement Project – Eclipse (Reasonable
Assurance)
*
2019/20: Care Leavers (Reasonable Assurance), Joint Commissioning
(Reasonable Assurance).
Reason
for Uncertainty in Effectiveness of Controls: The city
council has arrangements in place to manage this potential risk
which are regularly reviewed; however, despite efforts there are no
guarantees that there will not be incidents.
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