To receive the annual report of the HSCB setting out the Board’s annual assessment of safeguarding arrangements for children and young people in Herefordshire.

The committee received a report from the Director of Children and Families which set out the Herefordshire Children Safeguarding Board (HSCB) annual report 2017/18 and the latest version of the business plan of the Board for 2017-19. The reports were introduced by Sally Halls, Chair of the HSCB who explained that the Board oversaw the safeguarding arrangements of agencies across Herefordshire. There was significant pressure across the system and the impact of organisational resources on safeguarding arrangements was acknowledged: there had been a high turnover of staff at the CCG; the Wye Valley Trust was assessed as requiring improvement and West Mercia Police’s approach to serious organised crime was also found by HMIP to be requiring improvement. Attendance and engagement by some agencies in Herefordshire with the Safeguarding Children Board was reported as not being good enough, which in turn affected speed of  progress with improving responses to Herefordshire children and families who may need safeguarding or early help services. Some improvement had been achieved and some children and families were receiving a good service but it was not assured that all children received a good service or that responses were sufficiently quick and effective in circumstances where there might be the risk of neglect, domestic abuse and substance misuse.

The HSCB Chair expressed concern regarding the consistency of system-level leadership and the lack of common cause across the agencies. The current situation undermined the operational strength of the system and a culture shift was required to ensure improvement was achieved and children were diverted from the child protection system by receiving effective help earlier.

The HSCB Chair outlined new legislation that would see the local authority sharing responsibility with health (the CCG) and police partners for establishing arrangements for children’s safeguarding in Herefordshire. This need not consist of a Safeguarding Children Board, as previously required. It was important that the three ‘safeguarding partners’ began to think now how this would be structured in Herefordshire. Fresh thinking around governance and accountability was necessary to tackle the problems of domestic abuse, exploitation of children and vulnerable adults. New thinking about how to share responsibility with counterparts in the police and the NHS was also required.

The committee raised those comments below in the discussion that followed:

·         The committee asked how a common cause could be enabled between the agencies.  The HSCB Chair explained that it required strong leadership by the main safeguarding agencies to have difficult conversations and to engage with voluntary and community-level groups.

·         The committee queried why the Board had struggled to engage some agencies.  The HSCB Chair explained that area-wide bodies struggled to engage with the Board itself because of reductions in their capacity which have taken place over a number of years. The Board did expect agencies to respond when challenged. Despite the new legislation this may still be a challenge.  However, in relation to the delivery of effective and timely services to families, this is generally good across the partnership.

·         The committee asked what work had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27