Issue - meetings
SAFEGUARDING ARRANGEMENTS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Meeting: 08/11/2012 - Partnerships Scrutiny Committee (Item 7)
7 POST PEMBROKESHIRE SAFEGUARDING ACTION PLAN PDF 77 KB
To consider a joint report by the Corporate Director: Modernisation and Wellbeing and Corporate Director: Customers (copy attached) which outlined the Post Pembrokeshire Action Plan.
10.55 a.m.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
A
copy of a joint report by the Corporate Director: Modernisation and Wellbeing and Corporate Director:
Customers, which outlined the Post Pembrokeshire
Action Plan, had been circulated with the papers for the meeting.
The Corporate
Director: Customers referred to the issue of safeguarding children and the
significant publicity relating to the Jimmy Savile
and Bryn Estyn cases.
He introduced the report which outlined the findings of the joint investigation by the CSSIW
and Estyn in respect of the handling and management
of allegations of professional abuse and the arrangements for safeguarding and
protecting children in education services in Pembrokeshire. The report identified significant failings by
the Authority in safeguarding children and put in place a series of
requirements. A Joint Review had been
undertaken to consider progress and make further recommendations. These reports
identified shortcomings and made recommendations in the following areas:-
Recruitment
Record keeping
Processes, policies and
procedures
Training
Reporting and scrutiny
Further specific issues had been highlighted subsequently which
related to the use of “time-out” rooms in Pembrokeshire
schools, and it was explained that Denbighshire had a common policy across all
secondary schools on ‘use of Reasonable Force and Restrictive Physical
Intervention’. In response to concerns
raised by Councillor E.A. Jones, the Corporate
Director: Customers explained that the policy had been circulated to all
secondary schools with the objective that the policy, or an acceptable version,
be adopted by all secondary school governing bodies by Easter 2013. He confirmed that it would be the
responsibility of the respective schools to ensure they had an acceptable
agreed version of the policy in place.
The Corporate Director provided an outline of the purpose and use of “time out”
rooms in Denbighshire schools and provided an assurance that pupils were supervised when utilising the “time out” rooms
facility.
Practice in Denbighshire and
other Authorities in
The report detailed the actions
taken by Denbighshire in response to the Inspectorates’ findings in Pembrokeshire and provided information on the
implementation of actions in the Corporate Safeguarding Action Plan to monitor
progress. It appraised the scrutiny
arrangements of the Conwy and Denbighshire Local
Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and addressed more general practice issues
as well as policy and procedural points.
It was explained that some issues raised in the Safeguarding Action Plan
would be best addressed by the LSCB, and the structures for scrutinising
safeguarding arrangements had been outlined.
Denbighshire’s Safeguarding
Action Plan had been developed as further issues had surfaced or been raised
nationally with progress being driven through the Social Services and Education
Management Team. The arrangements had
not superseded those of the LSCB, but had been designed to ensure an
appropriate focus on Denbighshire as a complex multi-functional corporate organisation.
A
number of key points and areas had been highlighted in the report which related
to:-
·
CRB Checks/References and HR Policies plus
Safeguarding and Third Sector organisations.
·
Safeguarding Policies and Procedures.
·
Employment actions.
·
School Governors.
·
Reporting to the LSCB.
·
School Safeguarding Audit Checklist.
·
School Governor with responsibility for
safeguarding.
·
Restrictive Interventions / Time Outs
Rooms in Schools/ Establishments.
With regard to CRB Checks, References and HR Policies plus Safeguarding and Third Sector organisations. It was confirmed that CRB checks on staff were consistently undertaken by Denbighshire, including volunteers working directly with children, and detailed progress against this work had been included in the Action Plan. Reference was made to ... view the full minutes text for item 7