LSCP Business
Why do we have an LSCP?
The function of local safeguarding arrangements are set out in Working Together 2018 and the full local arrangements in the London Borough of Sutton are set out here.
The core objectives of the Sutton Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Board are:
- To co-ordinate what is done by each person or body represented on the Board for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in Sutton; and
To ensure the effectiveness of what is done by each such person or body for that purpose. - Sutton LSCP consider that safeguarding children is everyone's business and it is our role to gain assurance that all agencies providing services to children are complying with legislation and local policy.
How does the LSCP work?
The LSCP brings together representatives of each of the main agencies responsible for promoting children's welfare and helping to protect children from abuse and neglect in Sutton. They meet every two months at the main Board meetings and the work is taken forward through subgroup and task and finish groups.
The Board is independently chaired by Christine Davies CBE. The Lead Member for People Services (Children's and Adult's) is Councillor Marian James who is a full Board member.
The following agencies are represented on the Board, which meets six times a year:
- Children & Family Services;
- Youth Offending Service;
- Youth Services;
- Primary Schools & Secondary Schools;
- The Limes College;
- Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS);
- South West London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG);
- Sutton Community Health Services;
- Royal Marsden NHS Trust;
- Sutton Borough Police & Child Abuse Investigation Team;
- Voluntary Sector (Community Action Sutton);
- South West London & St Georges Mental Health Trust;
- Epsom & St Helier NHS Trust; and
- Probation Service.
Core activity is undertaken through the following LSCP Subgroups:
- Quality Assurance;
- Contextual Safeguarding to safeguard children from child exploitation;
- Children and Young People Engagement and Participation;
- Child Safeguarding Practice Review; and
- Learning and Improvement.
The Partnership Programme Steering Group (PPSG) has the oversight of the delivery of business plan priorities that are delivered by the subgroups.
The Safeguarding Strategic Leadership Group which includes the three statutory partners has the oversight of the full local arrangements.
The full details of the constitution are available here.
Our subgroup structure chart, current Annual Report and Business Plan are available in the 'About Sutton LSCP' section of this website which can be found here here.
Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews
One of the LSCP's roles is to commission and co-ordinate Child Safeguard ing Practice Reviews, which are undertaken when a child dies or is seriously injuried. The full criteria for undertaking a review is set out in Working Together 2018. The Board then has the responsibility to disseminate learning to improve, change, and inform local and national practice. This is monitored in our Child Safeguarding Practice Review subgroup, to improve outcomes for children and young people in Sutton.
Core Business
The core business of the LSCP can be summarised as the independent scrutiny of individual agencies and partnership arrangements to seek assurance that there are effecive arrangements and services in place to safeguard children and young people in Sutton based on the priniciple that safeguarding is everyone's business. The activities involved include:
- Undertaking multi-agency case audits to ensure practice is robust and to identify improvements;
- Monitoring of the implementation of action plans from serious child safeguarding practice reviews and multi-agency case audits;
- Undertaking S.11 compliance audits to seek assurance that local organisations and commissioned providers fulfil child safeguarding responsibilities under the Children Act 2004;
- Supporting practice innovations and organisational developments e.g. the roll out of restorative practice, trauma informed practice and contextual safeguarding approaches; and
- Listening to the voices of children and young people to inform strategic planning and practice developments, which involves undertaking participation and engagement activities to understand the safeguarding needs in the local area.
