New Board Structure & arrangements for the LSCB!
Following the Wood Report 2016 the following recommendations were put into place:
- To replace the existing statutory arrangements for LSCBs and introduce a new statutory framework for multi-agency arrangements for child protection.
- To require all areas to move towards new multi-agency arrangements for protecting children within a prescribed period. Local areas/regions would need to establish a plan which would describe how services would:
- Meet the new statutory framework;
- be coordinated;
- be led by senior officials;
- be evaluated for their effectiveness;
- involve a role for independent scrutiny;
- engage with children and young people; and
- be held to account.
The existing legislative framework underpinning LSCBs should cease to operate as new arrangements come into being.
- To require the three key agencies, namely health, police and local authorities, in an area they determine, to design multi-agency arrangements for protecting children, underpinned by a requirement to work together on the key strategic issues set out in this report and referenced in recommendation 2.
- For new statutory arrangements to require health, local authorities and the police to make clear their leadership responsibility for multi-agency arrangements, to include the identification of a chief officer in each of the agencies to have responsibility and authority for ensuring full collaboration with those statutory arrangements.
- For government to provide guidance on: A) Drawing up a local proposal to provide strategic multi-agency arrangements to protect children. B) The meaning of the terms Child Protection, Safeguarding and Wellbeing, clarifying the part of this spectrum to be covered in multi-agency statutory arrangements.
- For government departments (Department of Health, Department for Education, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Home Office) to provide a clear, joint statement explaining their commitment to multi-agency arrangements and explaining how all local partners will be supported and required to play a full and committed role.