Agenda and draft minutes

There were no substitutes at the meeting.

Cllr Wells declared a personal interest as a Governor at The St Barnabas' and St Helena's Federation.  Mr Howsam declared personal interests as a Governor at St. Lukes Primary School and as a foster carer.

No whip was declared.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of this panel held on 23 October 2024, having been printed and circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the Chairman.

There were no public speaking requests.

The Chairman welcomed Rachel Smith, Director: Children and Families, Tom Hewis, Assistant Director – Children’s Standards and Regulations, and Karen Everatt, Head of Partnerships, Evaluation and Outcomes for Children, to the meeting. The Chairman explained that Rachel, Tom and Karen had been invited to present the annual review of local arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.

Rachel, Tom and Karen delivered a detailed presentation on the annual review, which outlined the governance arrangements, key developments and successes, and population and performance data.

The presentation also covered the ‘Shine a Light’ areas of focus, including targeted work on child exploitation, the VCSE sector, early help, and domestic abuse and its impact on children. The presentation concluded with a summary of key messages from the Independent Scrutineer, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, and local audits and self-assessment.  Each of these reviews highlighted consistently strong performance across local safeguarding practices and structures.

The Chairman led a discussion on the presentation, with the panel asking questions about closer working with the voluntary and community sector, the West Street Children’s Centre, domestic abuse, cyber security and data sharing, and railway safety. Rachel, Tom and Karen responded accordingly, committing to provide further information on a small number of issues.

Resolved – (a) That Rachel Smith, Tom Hewis and Karen Everatt be thanked for the presentation and for responding to the panel’s questions, (b) that further information on West Street Children’s Centre and rail safety be provided to the panel; and (c) that the situation be noted.

There was no added item for consideration at the meeting.

There was no urgent or additional business.