Agenda item

Report of the Director: Children and Families

(Helen Davis, Interim Director of Nursing and Quality, North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group to co-present the annual report)

The Director: Children and Families submitted a report requesting Cabinet to note the publication of the above Annual Report, which was attached as an appendix, and to consider the review in relation to planning, commissioning and budget setting.  The review through the annual report demonstrated that the Children’s Multi Agency Resilience and Safeguarding (MARS) Board: -

·         effectively met its statutory obligations

·         benefitted from strong and consistent leadership

·         had made good progress against its ‘shine a light’ areas of focus, and

·         listened to and took account of the voices of children, young people and families.

The report stated that North Lincolnshire was aspirational for children, young people and families in this area and there was a long history of working together to improve outcomes.  As early adopters of multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, the North Lincolnshire Children’s MARS arrangements, were originally published on 31 October 2018 and partners had continued to listen, learn, review and adapt and Local Arrangements had been reviewed on an annual basis thereafter.  As per Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018, there was a statutory requirement to publish an annual report, which sets out what has been done as a result of the Local Arrangements and how effective these arrangements have been in practice.  The Annual Report had been endorsed by the Children’s MARS Board on behalf of the three safeguarding partners from North Lincolnshire Council, North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Humberside Police.  The Annual Report was then required to be distributed through relevant governance routes across the three safeguarding partner organisations and relevant partnership arrangements, to be considered in relation to planning, commissioning and budget setting.

The Director in her report explained that partners continued to respond to the needs of individuals and diverse communities, prioritising the most in need, to help and protect children, young people and families, while supporting and protecting the workforce.  Under the auspices of our Local Arrangements and through a ‘One Family Approach’ to create a system that works for all children, young people and families, partners had contributed to achieving the ambition for children to be in their families, in their schools and in their communities. This included changing circumstances through the responses during COVID-19 pandemic.

The Annual Report provided a review of activity and impacts in respect of Children’s MARS functions, including funding, performance, voice and stakeholder engagement, training, scrutiny and assurance (including independent scrutiny) and child safeguarding practice reviews. It clarified two ‘shine a light’ areas of focus and outlined activities and impacts made in order to reduce the harm from risk outside the home and to respond to COVID-19 and emerging harm, and also outlined further activities and impacts relating to specific ‘line of sight’ areas for focus in relation to domestic abuse and emotional wellbeing and mental health. 

The Director’s report also summarised (i) key highlights in relation to performance and populations which indicate the system was working and making a difference to children, young people and families (ii) key activities, impacts and achievements in 2020/21, and (iii) examples of key developments.

Helen Davis, Interim Director of Nursing Quality, North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Laura Koscikiewicz, Detective Superintendent, Humberside Police attended the meeting and co-presented the Annual Report providing additional information to the positive outcomes and developments highlighted by the Director: Children and Families.

Resolved – (a) That the Annual Report of Local Arrangements to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children and Young People 2020/21 be received, and its content be considered where relevant in relation to planning, commissioning and budgets setting processes, and (b) that that the Director, her officers, Helen Davis, Laura Koscikiewicz and all partners be thanked for their hard work and for the excellent Annual Report.