Who are the 3 Safeguarding Partners?
Later this year, Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) will be replaced by Safeguarding Partners. Find out who these 3 Safeguarding Partners are and how you can prepare for the changeover.
What is a Safeguarding Partner?
The government has announced plans to replace all Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) with 3 so-called Safeguarding Partners by September 2019. Under this new plan, each locality will have access to its own dedicated team of Safeguarding Partners who will work collaboratively to strengthen the child protection and safeguarding system in the local area.
The Safeguarding Partners will be a team of key professionals from three sectors: the local authority; the clinical commissioning group for any area that falls under the local authority; and the chief officer of police for any area that falls under the local authority.
Together, the 3 Safeguarding Partners will be responsible for agreeing on and implementing new safeguarding strategies that should improve multi-agency working capacity and, in turn, improve the provision of safeguarding and child protection agreements in the local area. To achieve this, the Safeguarding Partners must outline exactly how they will work together with all relevant agencies and make clear their arrangements for conducting local reviews.
Can I still contact the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) after September 2019?
No. After the replacement of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) with Safeguarding Partners later this year in September 2019, the board as we know it will no longer exist.
Whether you work in a school or college, as a Childminder, or in any other profession where you might have previously come into contact with the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB), you will need to update your safeguarding policies and procedures to include the Safeguarding Partners as a point of contact in the event of a safeguarding incident, and must remove the Local Safeguarding Children Board from all current materials and training related to safeguarding.
Can I contact the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) until the changeover in September 2019?
Yes. Until the official changeover to Safeguarding Partners in September 2019, professionals are advised to continue following the current safeguarding policies and procedures within their setting and to continue to contact the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) where necessary.
What is a Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)?
Every local authority has its own Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).
The Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) plays a critical role in protecting the welfare of children and young people in your locality. It operates on a multi-agency level and is often the first point of contact for any non-emergency safeguarding concerns that might occur in a school, workplace, at home, or elsewhere. The Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) is in charge of publishing important information related to safeguarding guidance, policies, and procedures for the local area, in line with the current government guidance.
Every Local Safeguarding Children Board has a Chair, and this is usually someone who does not work for social services but has a close relationship with the Director of Children’s Services in the locality. Further representatives from other agencies such as the police, probation services, healthcare services, youth offending teams, and any other individuals or organisations whose work relates to children in the community will also sit on the board.
How can I learn more about safeguarding in my locality?
If you work or volunteer in a role that requires you to come into close contact with children and young people, it is your legal duty to complete a safeguarding training course.
A verifiable safeguarding certificate is the only way you can evidence that you have completed a safeguarding course recently. All verifiable courses will have an expiry date, so you should always keep your training within date and refresh your knowledge when it is due.
We develop our suite of online safeguarding courses with safeguarding experts and all of our courses are updated regularly to keep in line with the most current government and industry guidance and legislation. We take extra care to ensure that our courses reflect the environment you work in and relate all of your learning back to a real-life context, including how and when to contact the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) or Safeguarding Partners, and of course, how to create a safeguarding policy for your setting that reflects the safeguarding provision within your locality.
Where can I take a safeguarding training course?
Safeguarding training can be undertaken online or in a face-to-face environment, but the most convenient way to begin and keep track of your safeguarding training is to take one of our online safeguarding courses.
We specialise in developing sector-specific online safeguarding training. Whether you work in a school or college, as a childminder or nanny, or in a dental practice, we have a safeguarding course that is reflective of your environment.
Which safeguarding course do I need?
If you work in a school or college, our Safeguarding in Education online training course is essentially 3 courses in 1, including e-safety, child protection, and the Prevent Duty.
We also have a Safeguarding in Early Years course for professionals working in an Early Years setting. If you work in Music Education, you might find our Safeguarding in Music Education course to be more relevant in your workplace.
We also have safeguarding courses specific to the following sectors:
If you do not fall into any of the above sectors and would like to discuss your safeguarding training needs with a member of our friendly customer support team, please contact us by emailing hello@smarthorizons.co.uk, use the live chat function on our website, or call us on 01327 552030 today.