Issue - meetings

To scrutinise a report on the progress by Cheshire East Safeguarding Children’s Partnership, and the impact for children and young people, recognising the achievements and progress made, and to seek assurance around ongoing areas for further development.

Councillor E Gilman left the meeting during consideration of this item and did not return

The committee received a report which evidenced the work undertaken by the Cheshire East Safeguarding Children’s Partnership throughout the reporting year and evaluated the effectiveness of the multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.  It aimed to demonstrate the impact the partnership had had on improving outcomes for children, young people, and their families, while transparently sharing the lessons learned.  The annual report also provided an opportunity to reflect on areas where the partnership would focus its efforts in the coming year.

Members asked questions and provided comments in respect of the following:

• Confirmation that all meetings within the governance structure had been held.
• Clarification of the acronym NRM.
• Effectiveness of cross-border information sharing under the Contextual Safeguarding Strategy
• Whether an Executive Summary could be added to the report to improve readability.
• Missing information relating to Section 175 audits (page 194).
• The need for wider understanding and engagement on Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements
• It was felt that there was a lot of narrative contained in the report, but few metrics.
• The specific areas that the partnership excelled in.

In response officers reported that:

• Assurance was provided that all partnership meetings had taken place, with rescheduling where necessary.
• The NRM acronym referred to the National Referral Mechanism.
• The Pan Cheshire footprint formed the basis of the partnership; it was explained that communication lines did require further work.
• Strategies were currently being developed in relation to child sexual abuse and exploitation.
• The suggestion to include an Executive Summary would be considered for future reports.
• A response to the enquiry regarding missing information on page 194 would be sought.
• The Working Together 2023 Implementation Plan had been revised to reflect new Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements. Education was not a statutory safeguarding partner but was represented through a dedicated sub-group.

Practice observation for senior staff had strengthened independent scrutiny; the focus was now on service delivery.

RESOLVED:

That the Children and Families Committee

1. Note the progress by Cheshire East Safeguarding Children’s Partnership, and the impact for children and young people, recognising the achievements and progress made, and to seek assurance around ongoing areas for further development.