Warwickshire is introducing a new, integrated model for safeguarding children and adults in the county. This means that the Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) and Warwickshire Safeguar...
Warwickshire is introducing a new, integrated model for safeguarding children and adults in the county. This means that the Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) and Warwickshire Safeguarding Adults Board (WSAB) will be replaced by a single body called Safeguarding Warwickshire.
The new model will build on the strengths of both pre-existing safeguarding boards to enable the partnership to develop new ways of working, avoid duplication, and improve outcomes for children, young people and adults.
The creation of Safeguarding Warwickshire follows the Children and Social Work Act 2017, introducing new flexible arrangements for safeguarding children. The local authority, the Police and Clinical Commissioning Groups now have an equal and shared duty to work together (in partnership with other relevant agencies) to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in a local area. Previously, the responsibility for establishing local safeguarding board arrangements has been the sole duty of the local authority.
Warwickshire has taken this opportunity to integrate the safeguarding arrangements for children and adults within a single model to allow for a family focused approach to working across the safeguarding landscape.
The Warwickshire Safeguarding model will be governed by the following structure:
- Warwickshire Safeguarding Executive Board - Accountable body for safeguarding children and adults
- Four subgroups - Education, Safeguarding Reviews, Exploitation, and Prevention & Early Intervention. These groups will report to the Executive Board and link into the wider partnership work
- Warwickshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership Group and Warwickshire Safeguarding Adults Partnership Group - These groups will be responsible for driving quality, learning and improvement work
The new safeguarding partnership will develop and strengthen working relationships with:
- Health and Wellbeing Board
- Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board
- Local Family Justice Board
- Quality Surveillance Groups
- Corporate Parenting Board
- Youth Justice Board
- Youth Cabinet
- Local Healthwatch
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “The new safeguarding model is great news for Warwickshire. We have always worked with the police and our health partners to safeguard children and adults, but the new model will enable closer partnership working, improved information sharing and less risk of duplication.
“Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our residents is one of our priorities as a county council and so we’re very pleased to be part of a multi-agency innovation to help children, families and adults stay healthy, resilient and safe.”
Warwickshire’s new partnership arrangements will officially come into effect from 29 September 2019.
To read more about the new partnership arrangements for safeguarding children and adults in Warwickshire, please go to www.safeguardingwarwickshire.co.uk/