Agenda item

(To receive a report from Chris Cook, Chair of Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) and Stacey Waller, LSCP Manager, which enables the Committee to review and comment on the work and function of the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) and seek assurance of activity by the Partnership to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in Lincolnshire)

The Committee received a report and presentation from Chris Cook (Independent Chair - Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership) and Stacey Waller (LSCP Business Manager). In reference to the report, the following matters were covered in the presentation:

·   An analysis of child exploitation, including digital exploitation. The Committee was also informed that a piece of research and data collection work was underway to gain a better understanding of the issue.

·   The LSCP  had secured a successful partnership with the Child Sexual Abuse Centre of Expertise. Work was ongoing to develop a pathway of support so that practitioners, social workers, police officers and teachers know where to go and how to access the best support for children and young people within the county. The project was expected to launch in September 2022 and the Committee was to be made aware of developments.

·   A  programme to give children aged 10 to 11 the opportunity to become Junior Online Safety Officers (JOSOs) had been rolled out across participating schools, whereby children take on the role of helping their peers stay safe online. 72 children in Lincolnshire were currently JOSOs.

·   New courses had been developed this year, including:

o   Recognising and Supporting Parents in Parental Conflict

o   Sexual Behaviours Traffic Light e-Learning and toolkit

o   Children that Experience Domestic Abuse

o   Responding to Child Exploitation and Missing Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic

o   DASH

o   MARAC & MOP Training

o   Control, Coercive Behaviour and Stalking in an intimate relationship

o   Disguised compliance (updated to include new learning

·   The Neglect Strategy had been updated to standardise nomenclature and help practitioners more easily identify neglect.

·   Campaigns during the reporting period had covered:

o   Self Harm Awareness

o   Safer Sleep for Infants

o   National Child Safety Week

o   Private Fostering

o   Child Exploitation

o   Safer Internet Day (in collaboration with Lincolnshire Police)

o   Online Safety (annual campaign delivered across the Christmas period)

o   Racist, Bullying and Hate Crime

o   Domestic Abuse

·   A Q (quad) Collaboration Group was formed to align activities in training, audit and policy, analytical resource, reviews and engagement.

Philip Clark, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, and Fenella Chambers from NHS Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, were in attendance to represent the Police and Health on behalf of the Partnership and were allowed to participate for this item.

During the discussion on the report and presentation the following comments were received:

·   The prevention of illicit drug use was principally the responsibility of the police and social care interventions.

·   JOSOs should be celebrated and recognised to promote the benefits of understanding online safety and responsibility.

·   The wider rollout of the JOSOs programme relied upon school engagement. Some schools had not engaged with the programme as resources had been tight throughout the pandemic.  Only 66% of schools had responded to confirm compliance with safeguarding responsibilities. 

·   It was a statutory obligation to report data pertaining to the deaths of children and highlight any deaths that were flagged as concerning. The current data gave assurance that that there was no shortfall of service.

·   Child deaths  identified smoking as a modifiable factor, and second-hand smoke was not considered to be a form of neglect unless the child had specific health issues.

·   The Partnerships’ priorities reflected those identified by young people themselves at the Youth Council.

·   A new LCC Domestic Abuse Programme Board had been set up to oversee and report on the Domestic Abuse Partnership to ensure governance and accountability. Updates on the Partnership would be reported to the Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee.

Members expressed disappointment school response rate to the JOSO programme and agreed to promote the programme to schools within their divisions.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee reviewed the report and was satisfied with the work of the Partnership.