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Overview and Scrutiny Committee - 14 May 2015
Health and Wellbeing Board - 8 July 2015
Annual Report of the Lambeth Safeguarding Children Board
Wards All
Report Authorised by: Sue Foster, Strategic Director of Delivery
Portfolio: Councillor Imogen Walker, Deputy Leader (Policy)
Contact for enquiries:
Kaied Ghiyatha, Lambeth’s Safeguarding Board Manager,
020 7926 5150 - Email: [email protected]
Report summary
This report provides an overview of the state of safeguarding Children and Young People in
Lambeth. The report summarises the Lambeth’s Safeguarding Board (LSCB) Annual Report
2013-2014 and provides an overview of the key priorities for safeguarding over the 12-18
months.
Finance summary
There are no financial implications arising from this report.
Recommendations
(1)
To exercise its role in scrutinising safeguarding practice in Lambeth through receiving
this report and thereby contributing to the governance of safeguarding practice.
(2)
To make any comments or observations on the report.
(3)
To note the key points arising from the LSCB Report and actions being taken to address
areas noted for improvement.
1.
Context
1.1
Safeguarding is a concept which is defined as: the process of protecting children from abuse
or neglect, preventing impairment of their health or development, and ensuring that they are
growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care that
enables children to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood successfully’ (Working
Together to Safeguard Children 2013).
1.2
Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 places a duty on all professionals to safeguard and
promote the welfare of children, and Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) have been
set up in every Local Authority in response to Lord Laming’s review into the death of Victoria
Climbié to co-ordinate and evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements from a
multi-agency perspective.
1.3
Lambeth’s Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) is chaired by an Independent Chair, most
recently by Ann Baxter, and attended by senior professionals across all statutory agencies,
faith communities and the voluntary sector. The Board is a strategic body whose priorities are
discharged through a work programme which is delivered by the following Sub-Groups;
Learning and Improvement; Health Network Sub-Group; Child Exploitation; Community
Engagement; Child Death Overview Panel and Serious Case Review.
1.4
The annual report from the Lambeth Safeguarding Children Board on safeguarding is a
statutory requirement under Working Together 2013. It is a report addressed to the Chief
Executive, the Leader of the Council, the local Police and Crime Commissioner and local
Health and Wellbeing Board. Its purpose is to give an account of the state of safeguarding
children in the Borough and provide a strategic overview of the priorities of the LSCB over
the next 12-18 months.
1.5
This is therefore a statutory report.
2.
Proposal and Reasons
Key messages from the Annual LSCB Report 2013 - 2014
2.1
The report sets out the on-going challenges that face Lambeth in safeguarding children and
young people; including continued severe pressure on budgets due to government
reductions in spending and changes to agency structures which continue to place significant
pressure on agencies, practitioners and the community. Significant changes to the health,
education and local authority landscapes have required the LSCB to form new working
relationships and remain vigilant to understand and scrutinise what the changes mean for
safeguarding children.
2.2
The report covers a period in which there has been a radical shift in the way services are
delivered both national and locally. However despite the on-going challenges faced, the
board remains confident that the foundations of good safeguarding practice remain in place
and well established in Lambeth to withstand these challenges.
Priorities
2.3
The report reviews the priorities set out in the Strategic Plan from 2012-2017 and builds on
the commentary in last year’s Annual report 2012 - 2013. The conclusion is that the
partnerships across Lambeth have continued on a steady path of improvement for some
years now and are a real strength. The Board progress on priority actions is good and the
Board can show demonstrable improvements in service as a result.
2.4
The report recommends a refocusing of the top 6 priorities over the next 12-18 months to
address the current challenges in safeguarding.
Quality Assurance of Safeguarding Performance
2.5
The report details a three pronged approach to quality assurance of safeguarding which
comprise multi-agency audits, consultation with children and families and data. The context
to quality assurance continues to be on the quality of outcomes for children, the relationship
between social workers and families, and the child’s experience and journey through the
system rather than measuring strict compliance to processes and timescales.
Multi Agency Audit
2.6
The LSCB has carried out a number of single and multi-agency audits during the period April
2013 and March 2014. The audits identified that whilst the number of cases falling below
acceptable standards was low, and that children were thereby being safeguarded, there was
still more to be done to raise standards in order to consistently achieve good or outstanding
case work, which is Lambeth’s on-going ambition for children and young people. Common
themes from the audits were the need to strengthen risk assessment and timely intervention,
include male partners in assessments processes more and incorporate the voice of the child
more clearly in the case work. (Pages 31 - 33)
Consultation
2.7
Overall our consultation tells us that children feel safe, and that things get better when
services work with their family. Parents tell us that they are treated with respect and that
things on the whole got better when services worked with them. This is a positive feedback
from families. Our consultation also tells us that there is more to do to ensure that children
understand why agencies are working with their family, and social workers need to invest
more time in working directly with our young people. (Pages 33 - 36)
Data
2.8
Our child protection data continues to be encouraging. There were 358 children on a child
protection plan on the 31st March 2014, which is an increase from 309 in 2012 and 299 in
2013. However it is still a sustained increase from the rate prior to 2009 and is still one of the
highest in London per head of population. The Children Looked After (CLA) population also
increased to 534 in March 2014 comparing to 500 in March 2013 and 510 in March 2012,
which appears to indicate that Lambeth Social Care is providing a more robust response to
drifted child protection plans to ensure that children are removed from the home where they
are receiving significant harm.
2.9
The number of children subject to a child protection plan has increased by 17% in March
2014 if compared to the previous year. This is still well above the Inner London (5.7%) and
national (3.2%) average. This suggests that there are potentially high levels of cases on a
child protection plan that may be “stuck” due to non- engagement.
2.10
The numbers of children subject to a child protection plan for a second time has slightly
improved to 12.2% in 2014, but remained similar to 2013 at 12.5% although it was 10.1% in
2012, however this was still within the 10-15% Lambeth target and below the London (13%)
and national (14.5%) averages. (Page 37 – 38)
2.11
Serious Case Reviews and Child Death Overview Panel
Between April 2013 – March 2014 Lambeth commenced two Serious Case Reviews. The
first Review (Child H), which was published in May 2014 and the second review (Child I) is
ongoing. The Annual Report of 2014-2015 will comment more fully on the findings of the
second SCR.
2.12
Serious Case Reviews (SCR) are local statutory enquiries into the death or serious injury of a
child where abuse or neglect is known or suspected to be a factor. They are carried out by
Local Safeguarding Children Boards so that lessons can be learned and practice improved.
Overall, in the twelve months reporting period 40 children died in Lambeth and were
reviewed by the Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP), 31 (77.5%) deaths occurring within
an acute hospital setting. most common classification of death was neonatal death – within
the first 28 days since birth (26 cases; 65%) followed by life limiting conditions (8 cases;
20%). 10 (25%) cases had modifiable factors meaning that the deaths might have been
preventable.
The CDOP annual report recommended further work with around preventing Youth
Violence, Road Safety and Hospitals to review their capacity issues and more effective
methods of service delivery. In addition, consideration to be given to housing arrangements,
in particular, homelessness, crowded homes and co-sleeping etc.
Significant Challenges since March 2013
2.13
The period of April 2013 to March 2014 was a challenging year. There were significant
changes and Improvements have been identified, which are being implemented and the
LSCB has made some significant progress in its new work plan from 2012 arriving to a new
structure of LSCB Sub-Groups.
2.14
Since March 2013 there have been significant reductions in available resources and
organisational changes across all key partners represented on the LSCB. These include
Health, Police, Probation, CAFCASS and Lambeth Council.
2.15
Children’s Social Care saw a number of changes in senior leadership in 2013/14 including
the on- going delivery of safeguarding services including the Director of Children’s Services,
Director of Children’s Social Care. A hand over to a new Independent LSCB Chair also took
place in March 2013.
2.16
In September 2013 the Council reorganised its services to help facilitate the Co-operative
Council and to reduce expenditure in view of reduced future government funding. It changed
the reporting arrangements around the DCS, and combined this role with the Director of
Adults Services. The new reporting arrangements focus the DCS role on commissioning with
a matrix management reporting arrangement of the Director of Children Social Care to
Strategic Director for Delivery.
2.17
All of these changes together have meant that the local authority has been challenged by
major transition since the end of the year’s reporting period.
2.18
The impact of two child deaths before these changes came in in a short space of time has
led to a high staffing turnover in the Family Support and Child Protection Section and an
increased use of agency staff to fill the vacancies left by permanent staff departures. This
has had an impact on the delivery of frontline services in the short term.
2.19
The Council is embarking on discussions about how it will save 30% from its budget over the
next two years resulting from reductions in central government funding.
LSCB Priorities for 2013 - 2014
a. Improve the quality of child protection practice
b. Embed the Early Intervention Strategy
c. Improve our local response to Missing Children, Child Sexual Exploitation, Child
Trafficking and Female Genital Mutilation
d. Improve multi agency working around adults with Mental Health, Substance Misuse and
Learning Disability
e. Children with a disability
f. Improve the local response to bullying
LSCB Priorities for 2014 - 2015
1: Improve the Quality of Safeguarding Practice and Early Intervention: The LSCB wants to
ensure that children and families in Lambeth receive effective early help when they need it,
and that the services provided are of consistently high standards.
2: Reduce all forms of child exploitation: The LSCB requires systems across all agencies to
identify children and young people at risk of all types of exploitation, and effective services
in place to meet their needs and keep them safe.
3: Disabled Children: The LSCB wants all children with disabilities and Special Educational
Needs and Disabilities in Lambeth to be safeguarded effectively and achieve their full
potential.
4: Bullying: The LSCB wants all children in Lambeth to be free of bullying, whether in
school, in the community or online.
5: Services for Adults which protect children: The LSCB require that families in Lambeth
receive effective help at an early stage when parents experience mental health problems,
misuse substances, or experience domestic violence through a joined up multi agency
approach that treats the whole family.
6: Safe Communities and organizations: The LSCB wants all children growing up their
community, or who participate in the faith sector or voluntary sector to be kept safe.
3.
Finance
3.1
There are no financial implications from this report. Any recommendations or improvements
will be met through discussion with the LSCB multi agency partners at the LSCB Executive
Steering Group meetings forum.
4.
Legal and Democracy
4.1
The Lead Member and the Strategic Director for Delivery are legally accountable for the
safeguarding and welfare of children in Lambeth. The Lambeth LSCB has overall
responsibility for overseeing all safeguarding arrangements in the Borough. The Committee
and Cabinet are reminded of their responsibility to ensure that the Council has in place
effective arrangements for safeguarding children and young people. Children’s
safeguarding operates within a detailed legal framework including the Children Act 1989
and 2004, Working Together 2013 and subsidiary regulations and guidance.
5.
Consultation and co-production
5.1
The LSCB has had two Lay Members from the community sit at the Executive Board, and
developed a young person user consultation group to add the views of young people and
the community into the strategic work of the Board and to enhance projects. Young people
attend the Board three times a year. These have added value to the Board’s work, helped
clarify priorities from a community perspective and helped shape the Board’s work plan.
The LSCB was also represented at an open day for the community on the 20th November
2013.
6.
Risk management
6.1
Safeguarding Lambeth’s children is rightly a high priority. This report outlines some of the
mechanisms in place to manage that risk and to minimise its impact. Continuous
improvement in safeguarding Lambeth’s children and young people must remain high of all
agencies priorities to ensure that vulnerable children are safeguarded.
7.
Equalities impact assessment
7.1
The Children Act 1989 requires that consideration is given to the child’s race, culture,
language and religion in all decisions made about a child. National Performance information
indicates that children from BME populations are over represented in the number of
children who are looked after and children subject to child protection plans, specifically
Caribbean and mixed white and Caribbean children. Analysis of Lambeth data shows that
this inequality is rooted in the referrals made to social care rather than actions taken by
social care following referral. Further work has cross referenced referrals against
deprivation and ethnicity and the conclusion of work to date has been that some of the over
representation may be related to high levels of black Caribbean and white and Caribbean
children in high deprivation areas in the Borough.
7.2
We know that children who are disabled are six times more likely to be subject to a child
protection plan in Lambeth than non-disabled children. The research indicates that they are
at least four times more likely to be victims of abuse, so the over representation is
reassuring in that it indicates that we are being effective in identifying abuse and taking
steps to safeguard this vulnerable population.
8.
Community safety
8.1
The safety of children is fundamental to community safety. Most children who are harmed
are harmed by those known to them, usually members of their own family. However the
LSCB has learnt that the highest safeguarding concern for young people is serious youth
crime. For this reason the issue of Serious Youth Crime is on the LSCB agenda at every
meeting and it is in the five year priorities of the Board.
9.
Organisational implications
Staffing and accommodation
9.1
All statutory agencies have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, a
safely recruited, stable and well trained workforce is essential for the delivery of these
functions. There are no other implications.
Health
9.2
The priorities of the LSCB have been decided with regard to a range of competing needs
and demands based on the profile of need in Lambeth, including those set out in the JSNA.
Achieving good health outcomes is closely interlinked with achieving good safeguarding
outcomes with children, but also with adults. Poor adult mental health, parental violence,
parental substance misuse and parental disability remain key risk factors for children.
10.
Timetable for implementation
10.1
Not applicable.
Audit trail
Consultation
Name/Position
Sue Foster Strategic Director
Legal Services
Democratic Services
Lambeth
cluster/division or
partner
Delivery
Governance and
Democracy
Governance and
Democracy
Date Sent
Date
Received
1.5.15
1.5.15
1.5.15
1.5.15
Comments in
para:
1.5.15
Finance
1.5.15
1.5.15
Approved
Councillor Imogen Walker
Deputy Leader (Policy) 1.5.15
5.5.15
Report history
Original discussion with Cabinet Member
14.4.15
Report deadline
30.04.15
Date final report sent
06.05.15
Report no.
15/15-16
Part II Exempt from Disclosure/confidential
No
accompanying report?
Key decision report
No
Date first appeared on forward plan
N/A
Key decision reasons
N/A
Background information
LSCB Annual Report 2013-14
Appendices
LSCB Annual Report 2013-14