St Helens Safeguarding Children Partnership: About Us
In December 2015 the Government asked Sir Alan Wood to undertake a review into effectiveness of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB's). His review (published in May 2016) concluded that LSCB's did not work effectively and should be abolished.
The Wood Review proposed a new model of collective working that would ensure better multi-agency collaboration, placing responsibilities on three key agencies to take a strategic lead on safeguarding and the promotion of child welfare in each local authority area. The Wood Review recommendations formed a core part of the Children and Social Work Act 2017.
The revised legislation requires the safeguarding partners (Local Authority, Police and Health) to make arrangements to work together with relevant agencies, as they consider appropriate, to safeguard and protect the welfare of children in the area.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 set out further structural requirements for the multi-agency safeguarding partnership arrangements. It required the safeguarding partners, to discharge a 'shared and equal duty' to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Looking forward, St Helens Safeguarding Children Partnership have undertaken a review of our Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASA) to update our MASA in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023: A guide to multi-agency working to help, safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of children.
As part of this review and in recognition of the important role Education play in the safeguarding of children, St Helens Safeguarding Partners have taken the decision to incorporate Education as the 4th Key Partner to strengthen the response of the previous 3 Key Partners (Merseyside Police, St Helens Children’s Social Care, and Cheshire & Merseyside Integrated Care Board – Health).
The MASA outlines the aims, accountability and ways of working of the St Helens Safeguarding Children Partnership, and how we will deliver these new arrangements to ensure effective practice across St Helens and to safeguard all children.
St Helens Safeguarding Children Partnership Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangement are available to view here.
St Helens Safeguarding Children Partnership Organisational Structure
