Agenda item

Report of the Head of Childrens Health and Wellbeing (Deputy Chief Officer) (CS/23/04) on how the council’s statutory duties could be discharged by proposed new arrangements through a Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership, attached.

RESOLVED

(a) that the arrangements proposed by the Chief Executive for the discharge of the Council’s duties as a safeguarding partner to:

(i)             co-ordinate safeguarding services in conjunction with the integrated care board and Chief Officer of Police in Devon;

(ii)             be part of a strategic leadership group supporting and engaging with other agencies; and

(iii)          to implement local and national learning (including from serious child safeguarding incidents);

as required by S16E of the Children Act 2004 and Working Together 2018 and as set out in the Report, be approved; and

(b) that the decision about whether to appoint an independent chair or scrutineer for the Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Schools, if the Executive Group recommends that an independent chair should be appointed, and funding can be identified.

(Councillors Brazil and Whitton attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Children’s Health and Wellbeing (Deputy Chief Officer) (CS/23/04) on the discharge of the Council’s statutory duties through a Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership, circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

The Devon Children and Families Partnership was established in 2017, the Partnership being broader than what was required by the relevant statutory guidance (Working Together 2018). Statutory partners had recently reviewed the scope of the existing partnership and concluded that the remit should be focussed on the primary purpose required and focus on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

The Report therefore set out how the Council’s statutory duties would be discharged by proposed new arrangements through a Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership. The Executive group of the existing Devon Children and Families Partnership had further considered whether the future Partnership should be advised by an independent scrutineer or chaired independently. This would be considered further within other partner agencies.

The planned changes would result in a stronger focus on safeguarding and child protection, less risk of duplication and a more efficient use of resources for the statutory partners. The Partnership Executive had proposed that the Partnership be renamed the Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership (DSCP) with a reduced number of subgroups. The revised governance and structure of the Partnership was set out in section 2.14 of the Report. This would mean the DSCP would more closely align with the other regional safeguarding children’s partnerships in Torbay, Plymouth, Cornwall and Somerset.

Appendix 1 of the Report outlined the proposed Terms of Reference for the Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership Executive and Sub-Groups and Appendix 2 contained the Terms of Reference for the four groups in the Devon SCP produced and agreed by the Executive Group. A review of membership and representation was underway to ensure appropriate levels of delegation and expertise.

A re-branding and communications plan was also being developed to ensure, partners, stakeholders and impacted parties were engaged and consulted throughout the change process.

In summary, the Cabinet noted that the re-focus of the work of the Devon Children and Families Partnership (reducing scope and the number of sub-groups) would enable the Partnership to support the work being undertaken to improve children’s services in Devon, yet still enable the Council and statutory partners to fulfil their statutory obligations.

It was further confirmed in response to Member questions that an annual report would be produced.

The matter having been debated and the options and alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability and carbon impact), risk management, equality and legal considerations and alignment with the Council’s Strategic Plan) set out in the Head of Service’s Report having been considered:

it was MOVED by Councillor Leadbetter, SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and

RESOLVED

(a) that the arrangements proposed by the Chief Executive for the discharge of the Council’s duties as a safeguarding partner to:

(i) co-ordinate safeguarding services in conjunction with the integrated care board and Chief Officer of Police in Devon;

(ii) be part of a strategic leadership group supporting and engaging with other agencies; and

(iii) to implement local and national learning (including from serious child safeguarding incidents);

as required by S16E of the Children Act 2004 and Working Together 2018 and as set out in the Report, be approved;

(b) that the decision about whether to appoint an independent

chair or scrutineer for the Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Schools, if the Executive Group recommends that an independent chair should be appointed, and funding can be identified.