Issue - meetings

30 minutes

To note the annual report of the BCSSP and recommend any areas that the BCSSP should consider in 2023-24.

Fiona Field, Independent Chair of BCSSP, to present the report.

Fiona Field, Independent Chair of the BCSSP, gave a presentation on the BCSSP Annual Report 2022-23 on the following:

1.  Partnership Structure

2.  Key Priorities and how they were delivered:

1.  Develop a ‘Think Family, Think Community’ approach.

2.  Learning from experience to improve how we work.

3.  Recognising the importance of prevention and early intervention.

4.  Providing executive leadership for an effective partnership.

3.  The number of referrals to Children’s Social Care compared with other authorities and comparison of how referrals were made.

4.  Factors Identified across Assessments

5.  The number of children subject to a Child Protection Plan in B&NES compared with other areas.

6.  The number of looked after children in B&NES compared with other areas.

7.  Adult Safeguarding Summary

8.  Avon and Somerset Constabulary Data

In response to questions from Board Members, it was confirmed:

1.  There had not been a decrease in referrals from schools as a result of schools joining multi academy trusts.

2.  Although the number of referrals from health providers was low when compared with other agencies, reassurance was given that health providers did take safeguarding seriously and participated in case reviews and so this wasn’t considered to be an area of concern.

The following comments were raised by Board Members:

1.  It was noted that due to the absence of a BCSSP trainer, the advanced safeguarding training of staff was below target and this was an area for concern.

2.  Transitional safeguarding needed to be prioritised to support adolescents as they moved into adulthood.

3.  There was a lot of work undertaken by agencies that didn’t meet the threshold of a safeguarding issue but did constitute preventative work as it avoided issues being escalated.

4.  More work was required to break down categories, for example, the “other” category for reporting adult safeguarding incidents.

The Board RESOLVED to note the Annual Report and Executive Summary for the BCSSP.