Agenda item

(To receive a report which presents the Neglect Strategy which has been developed by the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and its partners)

Consideration was given to a report which presented the Neglect Strategy which had been developed by the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and its partners.

Members were advised that following on from the publication by Ofsted of 'In the child's time', it was recognised that all Local Safeguarding Boards should have a neglect strategy to monitor, address and co-ordinate awareness of, and the response to, the signs and symptoms of neglect.

It was reported that neglect was the most common reason for a child in the UK to be the subject of a Child Protection Plan.  It happened when parents or carers could not, or would not, meet a child's needs.  Sometimes this was because they did not have the skills or support needed, and sometimes it was due to other problems (such as mental health issues, drug and alcohol problems, or poverty).

The strategic objectives for Lincolnshire's LSCB in relation to neglect were explained to the Committee and were as follows:

1.    Promote a common awareness and understanding in Lincolnshire of what neglect means and the effects upon children;

2.    Minimise the incidence of neglect for children and the repeat incidences of neglect for children;

3.    Ensure the effectiveness of service provision.

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         It was found that in cases where children were suffering neglect, the parents often had additional needs, therefore this strategy would be going to the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) as well;

·         There was a lot of research underway nationally in relation to neglect;

·         There were concerns that there was a large number of referrals and re-referrals to children's services which cited neglect as a factor.  Members were advised that initially the authority had not got its early help strategy right, but this was now changing and officers were working more closely with families through Team Around the Child (TAC).  More up to date data should be available soon.  It was suggested that the LSCB's Early Help Audit could be brought to a future meeting of the Committee;

·         Attendance by partner agencies at case conferences remained a challenge and this was being monitored monthly.  The geography of the county remained an issue, and officers were looking at doing things more creatively and looking at whether other agencies could participate through the use of video technology;

·         The way that signs of safety was delivered and embedded in meetings had been restructured;

·         Most primary schools would have one or two children who arrive at school not toilet trained;

·         There was a much more sophisticated approach to managing neglect as it could be one single incident, but it was usually a number of smaller issues over a period of time.  Health visitors were key to spotting these signs as they were now going into households from the early age of the children;

·         Members were pleased to hear that health visitors were now going into homes as this was very important, as it allowed them to assess the condition of the home.

RESOLVED

1.    That the Neglect Strategy and the comments made be noted;

2.    That the LSCB's Early help Audit br brought to a future meeting of the Committee.