PAPER B1

CHILDREN'S COMMITTEE - 5 NOVEMBER 2001

AREA CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEE: STRUCTURE AND PURPOSE

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL SERVICES & HOUSING

To inform the Committee of the purpose and structure of the Area Child Protection Committee and its function within the Isle of Wight Community.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 A key objective for all Social Service Departments is to ensure that children are protected from significant harm. Social Services' responsibilities towards children should be seen in the context of a broad range of social care and support, so that children and families can be helped and supported in an integrated way which recognises the range and diversity of their needs and strengths.

2.2 "Working Together to Safeguard Children" (1999) sets out Government guidance on inter-agency co-operation to protect and promote the welfare of children. It states:

"Local Authorities, in exercising their social services functions, should ensure that there is an Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) covering their area, which brings together representatives of each of the main agencies and professionals responsible for helping to protect children from abuse and neglect." It describes the ACPC as "an inter-agency forum for agreeing how the different services and professional groups should co-operate to safeguard children in that area, and for making sure that arrangements work effectively to bring about good outcomes for children."

2.3 "Working Together to Safeguard Children" provides the guidance framework for inter-agency working. The specific responsibilities of the ACPC are to:

• Develop local policies and procedures for inter-agency work to protect children
• Audit and evaluate how well local services work together to protect children
• Encourage and develop effective working between services and professionals

• Improve local working based on national and local experience and research
• Undertake case reviews in instances where a child dies or is seriously harmed
• Improve the quality of child protection work through inter-agency training
• Raise awareness within the wider community of the need to safeguard children

2.4 The scope of the responsibilities of the ACPC extend to:

• Children abused or neglected within families, including those so harmed in the context of domestic violence
• Children abused outside families by adults know to them
• Children abused and neglected by professional carers, with in an institutional setting, or anywhere else where children are cared for away from home
• Children abused by strangers
• Children abused by other young people
• Young perpetrators of abuse
• Children involved in prostitution
• Children who misuse drugs and alcohol

2.5 Area Child Protection Committees are accountable for their work to their main constituent agencies, whose agreement is required for all work which has implications for policy, planning and the allocation of resources. The ACPC has a responsibility to promote leadership and strategic direction for child welfare and protection on the Isle of Wight . The ACPC should contribute to and work within the wider children's services planning framework in respect of services relevant to children and child protection, for example, Domestic Violence, Early Years, Youth Offending and the Drug Action Team. The ACPC's programme of work for this year is set out in the annual business plan, this is attached as Appendix A.

2.5 ACPC expenditure, administrations and policy support, is a matter for local agreement. On the Island the main constituent agencies contribute to these arrangements.

3. ACPC STRUCTURE (ISLE OF WIGHT)

3.1 In order to carry out their responsibilities effectively, ACPCs should have members from each of the main agencies responsible for working together to safeguard children. The role and seniority of members should enable them to contribute to developing and maintaining strong and effective inter-agency child protection procedures and protocols, and ensuring that local child protection services are adequately resourced.

3.2 Membership of the ACPC should be determined locally, but should include, as a minimum representation, from:

• Local Authorities (Education and Social Services)
• Health Services (Managerial and Professional expertise)
• Police

• Probation Services
• NSPCC
• Domestic Violence Forum

The ACPC can make arrangements to involve others in its work as needed. Such decisions will be influenced by the particular needs of local committees.

3.3 The Isle of Wight ACPC undertook a review of structure in November 2000. The ACPC was re-configured in March 2001, to provide a more strategic focus to childrens' needs on the Isle of Wight. In addition to representation from key agencies, the Committee has representatives from Child and Family Conciliation, Advisory and Support Service and the Voluntary Sector on the Island. The ACPC meets quarterly.

3.4 In addition to the main committee, four working groups undertake the detailed work relating to aspects of the business plan on behalf of the ACPC. Each group has discrete terms of reference and has management and practitioner representation from all the agencies to encourage participation at all levels within the respective agencies. These groups play an important part in enabling the ACPC to carry out its strategic objectives. The groups are:

• Publicity and Training - to ensure training needs are identified and met within the context of national and local needs and to publicise and promote the work of the ACPC within the local community

• Policies and Procedures - to produce policies, procedures and protocols and review and evaluate existing policies and procedures
• Practice and Prevention - to highlight and disseminate best practice, evaluate particular areas of practice and identify shortfalls
• Serious Cases - to inform inter-agency practice by systematic and rigorous reviews of serious cases and to highlight learning points from national enquiries

A membership list of the ACPC and Working Groups is attached as Appendix B.

4. CONCLUSIONS

4.1 "The welfare of children is a corporate responsibility of the entire local authority, working in partnership with other public agencies, the voluntary sector and service users and carers" (Working Together, 1999). The Island's Corporate Parenting Policy expresses a commitment to the achievement of quality services for all vulnerable children on the Island and to protecting children from abuse and neglect. This aspiration is in keeping with the Government's aims through the Quality Protects programme which commenced in 1998.

4.2 Elected Members are encouraged, through the Quality Protects Programme, to be pro-active in ensuring that the interests of children come first. The multi-agency task of promoting the protection of children on the Island will be enhanced by the understanding and support of Elected Members. Working Together guidance states: "Promoting children's well-being and safeguarding them from significant harm depends crucially upon effective information sharing, collaboration and understanding between agencies and professionals. Constructive relationships between individual workers need to be supported by a strong lead from Elected Members, and the commitment of Chief Officers."

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

Members are invited to note the content of this report and to consider whether they would wish to receive an annual report on the work of the Area Child Protection Committee.

6. BACKGROUND PAPERS

Working Together to Safeguard Children (A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children) - Department of Health, Home Office, Department of Education and Employment 1999

Isle of Wight Corporate Parenting Policy

Contact Point : Jimmy Doyle, Head of Children's Services, 520600/Mary Brimson, Jointly Commissioned Children's Services Manager

C WADDICOR
Director of Social Services & Housing

APPENDIX A

ISLE OF WIGHT AREA CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEE

BUSINESS PLAN 2001 - 2002