Agenda item

To consider the Blackpool Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report, which provides evidence of the activity of the Board during 2015/2016.

Mr Sanders, Independent Chairman of Blackpool Safeguarding Children Board, presented the Blackpool Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report, which provided evidence of the activity of the Board during 2015/2016.

He advised the Committee that the key success during the 2015-2016 year was that the Improvement Plan was lifted in July 2015 and the Safeguarding Children Board resumed its full statutory duties. Mr Sanders reported that another achievement had been overseeing an increasing commitment to the Safeguarding Children Board from Blackpool schools.

The Committee discussed the demographics of Blackpool, which experienced high levels of deprivation and nearly a third of children living in poverty. It was reported to the Committee that Blackpool experienced far higher levels of safeguarding referrals than the England average. Mr Sanders explained to the Committee that it was hoped that the Early Help Strategy and work on the Neglect tool would have an impact in helping to reduce the number of referrals and number of looked after children as the current numbers were not sustainable with the current resources available. Upon further questioning from Members, Mr Sanders considered that partners needed to find new, smarter ways of working to reduce the number of referrals.

Members were advised of the new Neglect Assessment tool that would be rolled out over the coming year and would enable practitioners to effectively and consistently evaluate the scale of neglect that children in Blackpool experience.

The Committee questioned when the Early Help Strategy and Neglect tools would be launched and would have an impact. Mr Sanders advised that the Early Help Sub-Group was currently working on the Early Help Strategy, which aimed to ensure quantifiable provision of early help by all agencies who work with children and families in Blackpool. It was hoped that the Strategy would be launched soon. With regards to the Neglect tool, Mr Sanders informed Members that it was hoped to be ready later in November and that 25 practitioners had now been trained to be able to train others in using the tool.

The Committee raised concerns regarding the level of appropriate attendance at safeguarding meetings, noting that the report highlighted that the majority of Strategic Board members during the reported period, did not meet the required threshold for attendance. Mr Sanders advised that he had spoken to all key personnel within the partnership agencies and discussed the issue. He considered that low levels of attendance had not been due to a lack of interest, but had been as a result of officers having other commitments. However, Mr Sanders reported that there had been recent improvements in attendance levels.

Mr Sanders advised that the end of the reporting period covered by the report marked the halfway period of the current 2015-2017 business plan. He advised that the new business plan was due to be agreed by the Blackpool Safeguarding Children Board in February 2017. Members considered that the new business plan should be presented to the Committee once it had been agreed by the Blackpool Safeguarding Children Board.

The Committee discussed the recent campaign relating to safe sleeping for infants and Mr Sanders advised that before the campaign there had been a number of serious case reviews that involved child death as a result of babies sleeping in their parents’ bed. Members were advised that following the campaign, there had only been one. Members were provided with details of the campaign and the work that had been undertaken with health visitors and Blackpool Safeguarding Children Board colleagues in order to achieve the reduction.

The Committee agreed to consider the new Blackpool Safeguarding Children Board Business Plan following its approval by the Blackpool Safeguarding Children Board.

Background papers: None.