What is Local Safeguarding Children Board? - Local Safeguarding Children's Board - The London borough of Barking and Dagenham.

What is the Local Safeguarding Children Board?

Local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs) are the key statutory mechanism for agreeing how the relevant organisations in each local area will cooperate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, and for ensuring the effectiveness of what they do.

The scope of the LSCB role falls into three categories:

They engage in activities that safeguard all children and aim to identify and prevent maltreatment, or impairment of health or development, and to ensure that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with safe and effective care
They lead and coordinate proactive work that aims to target particular groups; and
They lead and co-ordinate arrangements for responsive work to protect children who are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm

LSCBs should have a clear and distinct identity within local Children’s Trust governance arrangements. It is the responsibility of the LA to appoint the LSCB Chair. Membership of the LSCB is made up of senior managers from different services and agencies in a local area, including the independent and voluntary sector. In addition, the Board receives input from experts, for example, the designated nurse or doctor.

Barking and Dagenham Safeguarding Children Board Model

To assist the LSCB there are six sub committees and a main Board group. The six sub committees are:

Practice, Policies and Procedures;
Performance Management committee;
Professional Development Committee;
Serious Case Review Sub committee;
Child Death Overview Panel; and
Children and young people’s safety group.

These operate in a dynamic and pro-active manner, to consider and deliver the Boards main functions, the main Board provides overview and scrutiny of the all sub committees.

The work and direction of these groups will be based on the Barking and Dagenham Safeguarding Children Board Business Plan, their experience with practice in partner agencies and the directives of the Local Safeguarding Children Board. The Chair of each group will report to the LSCB Board twice yearly on progress of the sub committees.

Statutory guidance on LSCBs

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010) sets out how individuals and organisations should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It replaces the previous version of Working Together, which was published in 2006.

Chapter 3 of Working Together sets out the role, functions, governance and operation of LSCBs.

Contact:

Avraamis Avraam

Interim Group Manager, Safeguarding and Quality Assurance

Room 163

Civic Centre

Dagenham

RM10 7BW

Tel: 020 8227 2318

Email: avraamis.avraam@lbbd.gov.uk