Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Stockport Safeguarding Children Board.

This report sets out information about the work of Stockport Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB), how the SSCB has conducted its business during 2018-19, what has been achieved, and the SSAB’s relationship with other partnerships.

The Board is invited to comment on the report.

Officer contact: Nuala O’Rourke, 0161 474 5659, nuala.orourke@stockport.gov.uk

The Chair of the Children’s Safeguarding Partnership attended the meeting and submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) outlining the work of Stockport Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB) and how it conducted its business during 2018-19, what had been achieved and the SSCB’s relationship with other partnerships.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·       Clarification was sought in relation to one of the four priorities in the Strategic Plan and the progress to date on whether children who had witnessed domestic violence was included in the progress update. In response it was commented that the progress update did include the children who had witnessed domestic violence and that funding had been received from the Home Office for children affected by domestic abuse to support projects, toolkits, schools, training and to raise awareness among the champions and workers throughout the organisation.

·       Clarification was sought on what was being put in place to address the health trends identified on page 23 of the report. In response it was commented that it had been referred to Public Health who had been asked to put together a plan relating to “movement” for children.

·       Clarification was sought on what was being done with looked after children transitioning to adult services in relation to the areas of weakness identified in the Ofsted Inspections in the SEND provisions. In response it was commented that a written statement of action was received and work was underway to address the issues raised with the SEND Improvement Board, with SEND Social Workers and Transition Social Workers and regular reviews were taking place with the Department of Education. The overall strategy was also being looked at with partners and an overarching action plan has been produced.

·       Concern was expressed that the area that was below the national average was hospital admissions for asthma for under 19 and whether any consideration had been given to where the young people were from and whether this correlated with those areas that had poor air quality e.g. A6, A34. In response it was commented that the data was included to get a feeling of what the children were experiencing in Stockport, but further information would be requested from Public Health to see if there was any correlation between the hospital admissions and where people live.

·       Councillors welcomed the work being undertaken with young people relating to the transition of leaving the children mental health services to go in with the adults and the need for a more age appropriate place for young teenagers to go and receive their therapy.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Stockport Safeguarding Children Board.

This report sets out information about the work of Stockport Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB), how the SSCB has conducted its business during 2018-19, what has been achieved, and the SSAB’s relationship with other partnerships.

The Board is invited to comment on the report.

Officer contact: Nuala O’Rourke, 0161 474 5659, nuala.orourke@stockport.gov.uk

Nuala O’Rourke, Head of Safeguarding and Learning (Stockport Council) attended the meeting to present the Stockport Safeguarding Children Annual Report for 2018/19, which summarised the work of the Safeguarding Board and how it had conducted its business during 2018/19, what had been achieved, and the Board’s relationship with other partnerships.

A number of key initiatives and issues were highlighted to the Board, demonstrating the breadth of activity of the Board, including initiatives around

­   Safe sleep and the need to reduce the number of infant deaths due to co-sleeping

­   Ongoing work around transition from children’s’ to adult services

­   Young persons’ domestic violence advocate

­   Ongoing provision of safeguarding training to partners

The linkages with the work of the Safeguarding Adults Board was emphasised, particularly in taking a broader approach to identifying vulnerabilities and addressing needs within the wider family context.

RESOLVED – That the Safeguarding Children’s Annual Report 2018/19 be noted and Nuala O’Rourke be thanked for her attendance and presentation.