Issue - meetings

Proposed new governance arrangements for community safety and safeguarding in B&NES

Meeting: 04/06/2019 - Health and Care Board (Item 10)

10 Proposed new governance arrangements for community safety and safeguarding in B&NES pdf icon PDF 249 KB

The attached report sets out the rationale for establishing a new B&NES Community Safety and Safeguarding Partnership.

 

The new Partnership will replace the existing Local Safeguarding Children Board, the Local Safeguarding Adult Board and the Responsible Authorities Group. The proposal has been developed as a change in the statutory requirements has meant that Local Safeguarding Children Boards are to be abolished by

28th September 2019. New arrangements must be agreed and published by 29th June 2019.

 

The change in legislation has provided an exciting opportunity to create a new Partnership with a commitment and focus on Think Family and Community.

 

The proposed model is required to be authorised by the three statutory agencies, B&NES Council, NHS BaNES CCG and Avon and Somerset Constabulary.

 

The proposed new arrangement ensures the Council and CCG meet their statutory duties whilst offering a range of benefits which will be created by merging the existing Boards / Group.

 

There are limitations to the proposal; however with careful management and continuous review it is believed the benefits that can be achieved strongly outweigh these limitations.

 

First and foremost the outcomes for children and adults will be improved by having one strategically-led conversation. There will be one operational group which will also benefit from one conversation.

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Minutes:

Lisa Harvey introduced the item by saying that the new Partnership would replace the existing Local Safeguarding Children Board, the Local Safeguarding Adult Board and the Responsible Authorities Group. The proposal has been developed as a change in the statutory requirements; which meant that Local Safeguarding Children Boards would be abolished by 28th September 2019.  New arrangements would have to be agreed and published by 29th June 2019.  The proposed model was required to be authorised by the three statutory agencies: B&NES Council, NHS BaNES CCG and Avon and Somerset Constabulary.

 

Lisa Harvey moved the recommendations.

 

Mike Bowden seconded the motion by saying that one of the challenges nationally was to hold all agencies to account.  For those reasons, a new B&NES Community Safety and Safeguarding Partnership would be establish for the benefit of more efficient way of working on the safeguarding provision for children and vulnerable adults.

 

Councillor Dine Romero welcomed the report with a concern that proposed new partnership might lose its focus on children safeguarding.  Councillor Romero asked about scrutiny arrangements within the proposal.

 

Lesley Hutchinson responded that that the independent scrutiny arrangements for the new arrangement would include:

 

  Scrutiny of individual agencies and their impact on the Partnership

-  Statutory requirements such as section 11, section 175 self-assessments (validation visits and walkabouts)

-  Review of agencies’ external inspection reports as required

 

  Scrutiny of the effectiveness of the Partnership functions

-  Independent Chair of the Operational and Executive Group responsible for holding partners to account including shared management of risk

-  Multi-agency audits undertaken by an independent auditor reviewing effectiveness of multi-agency practice

-  Themed deep dive reports into areas highlighted through the Assurance Programme and the Strategic Plan

-  Learning from Practice Reviews, Safeguarding Adult Reviews, Domestic Homicide Reviews and other reviews

-  Lay members scrutiny

 

  External scrutiny

-  Joint Targeted Area Inspection

-  Peer reviews

 

Mike Bowden added that the development of scrutiny arrangements has been happening over the last 2 months.

 

Councillor Richard Samuel expressed his concerns in relation to the funding arrangements.  Councillor Samuel felt that contribution from the Avon and Somerset Constabulary was less than satisfactory this year, and suggested that B&NES Council and CCG should be looking for higher proportion of the funding for next year.

 

Mike Bowden acknowledged a suggestion from Councillor Samuel.  Mike Bowden explained that funding settings were not set under equal share arrangements.  Nevertheless, the officer would take on board this suggestion as a part of the Health and Care Board recommendation.

 

Lisa Harvey added that Avon and Somerset Constabulary led the scrutiny arrangements which could be the reason behind lower contributions from their side.

 

Dr Ian Orpen thanked everyone who contributed to this debate.  Dr Orpen also said that, as general practitioner, he could see a link between adult and children safeguarding arrangements; on some occasions (families, joint living, etc) children may be affected with adult safeguarding matters and it would be much more practical and time efficient by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10

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