What is the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP)
The
Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) external link is the collective name for the Partnership which oversees the implementation of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements within Leeds. The Partnership consists of senior representatives of all of the key agencies in Leeds who are jointly responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. These agencies include, but are not limited to, the relevant NHS trusts, West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Probation Service,
CAFCASS external link, Leeds Adult Social Care and representatives from the third sector, schools and higher education.
The LSCP works closely with other statutory boards including the
Leeds Safeguarding Adults Board external link, the
Safer Leeds partnership and the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board.
Children and young people, their welfare, protection, and the promotion of their best interests are at the heart of everything the LSCP does. Their vision is for Leeds to be a child friendly city in which children and young people are safe from harm in their families, their communities, and their neighbourhoods.
What are the multi-agency safeguarding arrangements
The 2017 amendments of the Children Act 2004 placed the responsibility for safeguarding equally with local authorities, the police and health (Integrated Care Board). Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 placed a duty on the three agencies to work together and define the local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements. It also placed a duty on other agencies to co-operate with the new arrangements, with local areas to decide how this should work in practice.
Details of these arrangements for Leeds were published in September 2019 external link.
The 2023 update to Working Together external link did not remove any of the statutory functions of the multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.
What are the functions of the LSCP
The LSCP has three statutory functions:
- Undertaking Rapid Reviews and, where appropriate, Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews in order to identify good practice and learning from the most serious cases.
- Review all child deaths in line with the national
Child Death Overview external link process guidance in order to identify any matters relating to the death(s) which are relevant to the welfare of children.
- Seek assurance that agencies are fulfilling their safeguarding requirements through partner agencies’ completion of online safeguarding self-assessments.
In addition, the LSCP also:
- develops policies and procedures for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in Leeds
- communicates to partner agencies the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, raising their awareness of how this can best be done
- monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of what is done by partner agencies, individually and collectively, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, and advise them on ways to improve
- participates in the planning of services for children and young people in Leeds
What training is available through the LSCP
The LSCP provides multi-agency safeguarding learning and development opportunities to all practitioners in the city. There are two core safeguarding courses, as well as specialist courses and briefings on subjects such as child exploitation, safeguarding children with a disability, the SUDIC external link process and safer recruitment.
Further information in relation to opportunities available, along with information to help practitioners understand which level of training would be appropriate and how to apply, is available on the
LSCP website external link.
How does the Partnership carry out its work
An Executive Group comprising of representatives of the three statutory partners is responsible for the implementation of the safeguarding arrangements. They meet quarterly to consider the effectiveness of the arrangements and key issues pertinent to safeguarding within the city.
The Leeds Children and Young People Partnership meeting occurs quarterly and is responsible for the work of the Safeguarding Partnership along with the implementation of the
Leeds Children and Young People’s Plan. Representatives of the broader Safeguarding Partnership attend this meeting and it is co-chaired by the LSCP Independent chair and the
Executive Member for Adult and Children's Social Care and Health Partnerships.
The work of the full Board is supported by a number of sub-groups, reference groups and task groups , with work programmes focused on specific areas of responsibility for the LSCP. Each of these groups has senior representation from LSCP partner agencies, and regularly reports their work to the Leeds Children and Young People Partnership meeting.
The work of the Partnership is led and co-ordinated by the LSCP Business Unit. The Partnership publishes an
Annual Report external link on the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements in the city.
What are Rapid Reviews and Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews
As part of its commitment to
learning from practice external link, the LSCP is responsible for initiating a Rapid Review for all Serious Child Safeguarding Incidents (SCSI) which is where abuse or neglect is known or suspected and either a child has died, or a child has been seriously harmed. The purpose of the review is to, in a timely way, identify good practice and establish whether there are any lessons to be learnt from the case, and from the way in which local professionals and organisations worked together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
From these lessons, the LSCP can identify what agencies need to do to improve inter-agency safeguarding. Following a Rapid Review there is consideration as to whether all of the potential learning has been identified or if there is a need to undertake a
Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) external link in order to further consider learning. This is at the discretion of the LSCP.
The LSCP has a Review Advisory Group (RAG) which: considers all potential notifications of SCSIs; undertakes the Rapid Review; makes recommendations to the LSCP Executive as to whether a CSPR should be undertaken; makes decisions about the process for reviews; and oversees each one. CSPRs must be conducted in line with the
Working Together guidance and completed reviews published on the LSCP website. In addition, the LSCP also undertakes reviews such as Practitioner Learning Events and these are also published on the
LSCP website external link.
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