Agenda item

The report sets out Northumberland’s multi-agency safeguarding arrangements (MASA) for children and young people. The safeguarding partners (the Local Authority, the Integrated Care Board and Police) are required to publish a yearly report, setting out what they and relevant agencies have done as a result of the MASA. The purpose of the report is to ensure transparency for children, families and practitioners about the activity agencies have undertaken and how effective these arrangements have been in practice.

The annual report set out Northumberland’s multi-agency safeguarding arrangements (MASA) for children and young people. The safeguarding partners were required to publish a yearly report setting out what they and relevant agencies had done as a result of the MASA. The purpose of the report was to ensure transparency for children, families and practitioners about the activity agencies had undertaken and how effective the arrangements had been in practice. 

A comprehensive introduction to the report was provided by P Mead, NCASP Independent Safeguarding Scrutiny and Assurance Chair.  Members were advised that this was a transition year following a decision to join up the Children’s and Adult Services Partnerships which would provide a better use of resources and align priorities and that the next report would be a joint report. Assurance was provided that this was being done in order to be able to work more effectively and was not about budget savings.  In response to a question, she advised that her biggest concern was how children could be protected throughout the pandemic when there were no “eyes on them”, stating that there was a need to ensure that processes and systems were in place to support parents and prevent the tragedies that had happened elsewhere in the Country.

Members were advised that a report at the next meeting would provide details of school attendance and the work being undertaken to get children and young people back into school following the pandemic and provide assurance of the good systems and oversight provided by the Virtual School Headteacher.

There were challenges nationally regarding mental health provision as there had been an increased demand for services due to the effects of isolation and social media use within a reducing workforce capacity to ensure that the most vulnerable were prioritised.  Following partnership challenge, data from the Mental Health Trust provided some assurance that this was being done and that there was very good early help provision for both children, young people and parents within Northumberland. 

Clarification would be sought from the ICB on whether GPs were providing face to face appointments for children following concerns that some were only being offered telephone appointments.  There was a lot of training and systems in place to ensure the safeguarding of children in Northumberland with the work undertaken by the Midwifery Service highlighted. 

Members questioned the HR implications section of the report and whether additional resources needed to be identified by the Council to pick up work currently being done by other organisations or the voluntary sector if these were to cease for any reason, to ensure early identification of safeguarding issues usually made by them continued.  It was stated that this was a partnership report and there were limitations on what could be included in this report about arrangements for individual partners.  However what this Partnership would do if a service was reduced or withdrawn was provide challenge to whoever was responsible, on what the impact would be and how this would be mitigated.  Any staffing implications for the Council would be part of any future report should additional services be required to be provided.

Members thanked P Mead and the Partnership for their work and comprehensive report.

RESOLVED that the contents of the report and responses to comments from the Committee be noted.