Redcar & Cleveland Safeguarding Children Board

Redcar & Cleveland Safeguarding Children Board(RCSCB) was established in April 2010 after the disaggregation of South Tees Local Safeguarding Children Board.

The purpose of the RCSB is set out in Section 14(1) of the Children Act 2004 as follows:

a) 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 the area of the authority.
b) To ensure the effectiveness of what is done by each person or body for that purpose.

The Local Safeguarding Board Regulations (2009) detail the functions of the Board. Those functions are listed as:-
a) Developing policies and procedures for safeguarding and protecting children in the area of the authority, including:-

The action taken where there are concerns about a childs safety or welfare, including thresholds for intervention.
Agreeing interagency procedures for Section 47 enquiries
Training of persons who work with children or persons who work in services affecting the safety and welfare of children.
Recruitment and supervision of such persons working with children
Investigations into allegations concerning such persons.
Safety and welfare of privately fostered children
Safety and welfare of children witnessing domestic abuse and affected by substance misuse including alcohol.
Safety and welfare of children whose parents have mental health problems
Co-operation with neighbouring Local Authorities Childrens Services and their LSCBs
Communicating and raising awareness of safeguarding children with other persons and bodies.
Structured interface and collaboration with Adult Services including representation on the Adult Safeguarding Board.
Evaluating the effectiveness of what is done by the Local Authority and Board partners with regards to the safety and welfare of children
Participating in the planning of services for children
Conducting Serious Case Reviews and advising Board members on lessons to be learned
Collecting and analysing information about child deaths

b) The LSCB may also engage in any other activity which is conducive to its purpose as set out in Section 14 Children Act 2004.

Role

The work of RCSCB is part of the wider context of services that aim to improve the overall wellbeing for all children within Redcar and Cleveland (e.g. the ECM five outcomes). However whilst the work of RCSCB contributes to the wider goals of improving the wellbeing of all children, it has a particular focus on the Staying Safe outcome.

To promote best practice through collaboration between services working with both vulnerable adults and children in order to improve outcomes for children and families.

The statutory basis of RCSCB requires that it has a clear and distinct identity from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council governance arrangements and does not function as an operational sub group of Redcar and Cleveland Children and Young Peoples Trust. The Board has a statutory mandate to make a significant contribution to Redcar and Cleveland Children and Young Peoples Plan and must be a formal consultee in its development.

RCSCB should not be considered a frontline delivery organisation and it is therefore not accountable for the operational work of member organisations which remains with individual member agencies. Rather, its objectives are to co-ordinate and ensure the effectiveness of the work undertaken by member organisations individually and together. RCSCB should be considered as a scrutinising body.

The core membership of RCSCB has been set out in the Childrens Act 2004 and includes Local Authorities, Health organisations, Police and others. The constitution of the Board is attached below under Downloads.

Communication Strategies of Partner agencies on Safeguarding issues can be downloaded below:

RCSCB has its main meetings every two months. It has a number of Task Groups, which are mainly linked to the core functions of LSCBs. The Task Groups are made up of members from the LSCB and practitioners who have relevant skills and knowledge. There will be a number of standing task groups, some of which will operate on a Tees-wide basis.
The Task Groups are:

Policies and Procedures (Tees)
Monitoring and Evaluation
Serious Case Review Committee
Child Death Overview Panel (Tees)
Participation and Engagement (including the Safe4Us :the Junior Safeguarding Board)
Training Task group (South Tees)