Agenda item

Report CEF20031

The annual report of the Bromley Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (BSCP) covered the period from April 2019 to March 2020. It was a statutory requirement for safeguarding partnerships to publish this report under Working Together 2018. In line with statutory guidance and best practice, the report would be submitted to the Chief Executive, Leader of the Council, the local police and crime commissioner and the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel and the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care.

The Independent Chairman of the Bromley Safeguarding Partnership introduced the report explaining that it had been a year of transition for the Partnership.  The Committee noted that the Safeguarding Partnership’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic had been a positive, although it has been a difficult period..  The challenges posed by the pandemic had forced partners to use technology in a way that was unimaginable only a year ago.  The report in the agenda pack outlined the work and reviews undertaken by the Partnership during the year.  As the Partnership neared the end of the reporting year it had recognised that it was going into a crisis scenario in terms of the Covid-19 pandemic and had taken action to test contingencies, meeting with key partners from statutory and non-statutory sectors and focusing on an agenda around the health and wellbeing of the work force and trends around issues emerging from the lack of line of sight created by the pandemic.

The Committee noted that one of the key achievements was the ability of the Partnership to create a ‘lessons learnt’ paper in the early weeks of the first lockdown which provided an overview of the early and emerging themes.  It was recognised that it may have been helpful to have shared this paper more broadly, including with PDS.  These lessons learnt had also been used to develop a minimum standards survey  around planning by partners for a potential second wave.

The Partnership was now giving consideration to a more collaborative approach to scrutiny of safeguarding arrangements and was looking to chair a bi-annual Scrutiny Board.

The Chairman of the Safeguarding Partnership, in response to a question, noted that within some partner organisations there had been a tremendous turnover of staff which had contributed to uncertainly within the Partnership.  Levels of attendance at meetings were now improving, and this was something that was closely monitored and challenged.

Members of the Committee were reminded of the risks that came with the exponential increase in the use of technology and social media arising from the impact of the pandemic.  Almost everyone now had a greater online presence and with this came threats to those more vulnerable members of society which should not be ignored.  Members of the Committee were encouraged to download the Safer Schools App that had been developed by the Partnership as this provided helpful advice and guidance regarding online safety.

In terms of whether more could be done by elected representatives, the Chairman of the Safeguarding Partnership emphasised that there was always more that could be done.  Going forward, more effective collaboration would be useful.  The Committee also noted the importance of the direct line of sight from the Council’s leadership.  The BSCP Independent Chair and the Chairman discussed the value of a PDS Chair attending the new bi-annual Scrutiny Board.  The BSCP Independent Chair agreed to send the Chairman details of the first meeting and Terms of Reference.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.