Solihull Local Safeguarding Children Board

The work of the LSCB is carried out through the main board and the following sub-groups:

• Training
• Child Death Review Process
• Practice & Procedures
• Education
• Performance Monitoring

Membership

Membership under review

The LSCB has produced a Business Plan for 2009/10, which outlines the current and future work of the LSCB and its sub groups. The LSCB is currently devising its Business Plan for 2010/11 and will be available online once approved.

Solihull Safeguarding Children Board

Solihull Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) has been created under the Children Act 2004. It is the statutory body responsible for protecting children at risk of significant harm, and contributing to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child and young person.

The responsibilities of the Board are more extensive than their predecessor Area Child Protection Committees (ACPCs), and it is intended to have a more authoritative role in ensuring that agencies serving children collaborate effectively in children's interests.

The Chair of the Board is the Corporate Director, Education and Children's Services who is accountable to the Lead Member, Cabinet member - Education, Children & Young People. Each Board member is accountable to the governing body of their own agency.

The LSCB has the lead responsibility for meeting one of the Government's key objectives for children as set out in the guidance under the Children Act 2004; that of staying safe. This includes prevention of significant harm or the risk of significant harm, as well as the wider remit of ensuring that every child's welfare is safeguarded. In doing so, it contributes to the other four of the government's key outcomes for children, which are:

• Being Healthy
• Enjoying and Achieving
• Making a positive contribution
• Achieving economic well-being

Values of Solihull LSCB

The following shared values guide the work of the LSCB and are promoted by all Board Members.

1. All children and young people have a right to be safe from abuse and neglect.
2. All our work is underpinned by the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
3. Children and young people's well-being and safety will be at the heart of all our work.
4. All children and young people are unique and all our work will consider and address issues of diversity and vulnerability.
5. Agencies and their staff have a shared responsibility to work together and safeguard children and young people and promote their welfare.
6. Prevention strategies will be an important aspect of our work to safeguard children and young people.
7. The active involvement of children, young people and their families will be incorporated in our work.

Core functions of Solihull LSCB:

Solihull LSCB will perform a number of core functions which can be seen as either preventative, proactive or reactive in respect of children and young people up to the age of 18 years who are residing permanently or temporarily in the Borough.

Whilst the LSCB has a broad interest in all children and young people, a significant amount of the work of the LSCB will focus on those children and young people who in the Solihull Child and Family Support Model are defined as having acute needs.

Preventative core functions

Preventive core functions affect all children and young people and are aimed at identifying and preventing maltreatment, or impairment of health or development, and ensuring children and young people are growing up in circumstances consistent with safe and effective care. Solihull LSCB will undertake the following preventive core functions:

• Develop safe recruitment guidance/standards to assist those who recruit individuals who work with children and young people to safeguard children and young people.
• Commission multi-agency training to enable those who work with children/ young people to identify abuse and neglect.
• Work to involve and inform the professional and wider community of what they can do to safeguard and promote the welfare of children/young people.
• Develop a set of standards for organisations who work with children to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people
• Evaluate the effectiveness of what is done by each local agency individually and collectively to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in the area through audit and evaluation including those key people and organisations that have a duty under section 11 of the Children Act 2004 or section 175 or 157 of the Education Act 2002.

Proactive core functions

Proactive core functions aim to target particular groups of children and young people, namely those who are considered to have additional vulnerabilities. Solihull LSCB will undertake the following proactive core functions:

• Promote a level of agreement and understanding across agencies about operational definitions and thresholds for intervention.
• Participate in evaluating thresholds and procedures for responding to children and young people's needs.
• Raise awareness of the vulnerabilities of specific groups of children/young people in the professional and wider community including privately fostered children.
• Ensure local planning and commissioning of children's services takes safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people into account.
• Act as a 'Responsible Authority' under the Licensing Act 2003 with regard to the Licensing Objective 'protection of children from harm'.
• Undertake serious case reviews to ensure lessons are learnt from every child death
• As required, work with other LSCB's address issues that span the boundaries of local areas. e.g. establishing procedures to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people who move between Local Authority areas.

Responsive core functions

Responsive core functions target children and young people who are suffering or at risk of suffering harm and includes work to protect these children and young people. Solihull LSCB will undertake the following responsive core functions:

• Develop and disseminate inter-agency policy and procedures to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people who are suffering or are at risk of suffering maltreatment.
• Develop and disseminate effective local procedures standards for investigating allegations made against individuals who work with children/young people.
• Develop and disseminate effective local procedures for responding to unexpected child deaths.
• Commission multi-agency training to enable those who work with children/young people to respond effectively to children and young people who are suffering or are at risk of suffering maltreatment.

Future core functions

By 1 April 2008, Solihull LSCB is required to have in place a system for analysing information about every child death. This scheme is currently being piloted in 4 areas of the country and feedback from the pilots will influence how this core function will be fulfilled by Solihull LSCB.

In short, Solihull LSCB is required to set up a Child Death Overview Panel to screen all child deaths that will have a standing membership and whose Chair is a member of the LSCB. This panel may be set up with another LSCB.

For more information on Local Safeguarding Children Boards please see http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/ 

Solihull LSCB Challenge and Improvement Tool and Business Plans

The DCSF has produced the Tool in response to a need identified by LSCBs. Its use is entirely voluntary. The Tool focuses on effective governance as a starting point for establishing strong relationships, clear accountability and transparency of operation and purpose. Solihull LSCB agreed to complete the Challenge and Improvement Tool as part of its work programme for 2009/10  and a copy of the completed tool can be to the right of this section.  The information gathered by completing the Challenge and Improvement Tool was used to inform business planning for 2010/11.  The Business Plans for 2009/10 and 2010/11 are to the right of this page. 

Solihull LSCB meeting summary

After each Solihull LSCB meeting a summary will be produced and available online.  Please see the attachments to the right of this page.

Contact us

If you have any concerns about a child or young person do not delay in reporting your concerns, please contact:
Tel: 0121 605 6060 out of hours or 0121 788 4333 at all other times

To provide feedback or if you have a query about the content of this page, please use the following details:

Solihull Local Safeguarding Children Board
The Bluebell Centre
West Mall
Chelmsley Wood
B37 5TN
Telephone: 0121 788 4325
Fax: 0121 788 4414
Email: lscb@solihull.gov.uk