Issue - meetings

The Board considered the Bromley Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report 2017/18.

The Bromley Safeguarding Children Board was the key statutory body overseeing multi-agency child safeguarding arrangements across the Borough.  The Bromley Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report 2017/18 provided an in-depth assessment of the effectiveness of the Bromley Safeguarding Children Board in safeguarding children and promoting child welfare in Bromley during the year.  There had been a key focus on developing, strengthening and improving partnership working and real progress had been made in a number of critical areas including commissioning more local learning, as well as supporting the Local Authority on its improvement journey.  The Bromley Safeguarding Children Board continued to deliver its own improvement plan and had led on the Borough’s response to child sexual exploitation as well as undertaking work involving missing children, gangs and other pathways to harm that could undermine a young person’s chances in life.  A wide-ranging consultation had been completed on the use of technology by children and families and the responses to this had been used to inform the Bromley Digital Footprint report.  A comprehensive work programme to build on the progress made by the Bromley Safeguarding Children Board had been identified for 2018/19, and the Board would continue to work closely with its partners, including working with the Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board on cross-cutting issues such as transition, to ensure that children and young people in Bromley had every opportunity to thrive.

The Chairman led Board Members in commending Jim Gamble for the excellent work of the Bromley Safeguarding Children Board during 2017/18.  An Ofsted Inspection of Bromley's Children's Services was currently underway and initial feedback was expected shortly. 

RESOLVED that the draft Bromley Safeguarding Children's Board Annual Report 2017/18 be approved.