Date: / 30th April 2014
Venue: / James House, James Street, York, YO10 3YZ
Present: / Chair and CYSCB Officers
(SW) Simon Westwood, Independent Chairperson
(JC) Joe Cocker, CYSCB Manager
(CW) Caroline Williamson, Safeguarding Advisor Education, CYSCB
(DC) Dee Cooley, Safeguarding Advisor Children’s Workforce, CYSCB
(HW) Hazel Williams, CYSCB Business Support, Minute-taker
Statutory Partners – Board
(JS) Jon Stonehouse, Director of Children’s Services, Education & Skills, CYC
(JA) Joanne Atkins, Area Manager Public Protection, North Yorkshire Probation Service
(LB) Lindsay Britton, Safeguarding Children Named Nurse, Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
(MT) Maria Taylor, DCI North Yorkshire Police
(MH) Margaret Harvey, Service Manager, Cafcass
(TR) Tracey Ralph, Head Teacher, Westfields Primary School
(BT) Barry Thomas, CYSCB Layperson
(SP) Simon Page, Head of Youth Services
(BB) Bruce Bradshaw, Patient Experience Manager, North Yorkshire & Humberside Area Trust (deputising for Jo Coombs)
(LB) Lucy Botting, NHS Vale of York CCG
Board Members
(DR) Debra Radford, Children’s Service Manager, NSPCC
(CA) Claire Anderton, GP, North Yorkshire Local Medical Committee
(ER) Eoin Rush, AD, Children’s Specialist Services, CSES, CYC, Chair of Executive Board
(DW) David Walmsley, Chair of Learning and Improvement Group, CYC
Advisors
(BS) Barbara Stewart, Consultant Paediatrician, NHS NY 7 York
(SR) Sue Roughton, Designated Nurse, Nurse Consultant Safeguarding Children, NHSNY&Y
(MP) Melanie Perara, Deputy Head of Legal Services, CYC
(JB) Juliet Burton, Safeguarding Development Officer, CYC
(DE) Dot Evans, Head of Service (Operations), CSES, CYC ?
In Attendance for Report or Item
(JK) Judy Kent, CYC, Children’s Trust Unit Manager / Head of Service, Early Intervention
(NM) Niall McVicar, Family Information Service Manager
Participant Observer
(JL) Cllr Janet Looker, Cabinet Member, Education, Children & Young People, ACE, CYC
Observers
(AR) Amanda Robson, North Yorkshire and Humberside ?Area Trust
Absent: / (NS) Nick Sinclair, Pathways Officer, Substance Misuse Team, CYC
  1. Apologies and Deputies

(PH) Philippa Harding, Women’s Service Development (JCoo) Jo Coombs, Director of Nursing and Quality for NHS North Yorkshire & Humber
(TH) Tricia Head, Pupil Referral Unit Headteacher
(MG) Matthew Grant, CP Lead (designated) St Peter’s School
(JS) Jen Slaughter, Associate Director Safeguarding & Child Protection, York Hospitals Foundation Trust
(SW) Steve Waddington, Assistant Director Housing and Community Safety, CYC
(SG) Simon Gumn, Secondary Headteacher, Manor School Academy / Deputy - Bruce Bradshaw
  1. Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the meeting held 29th January 2014 were approved as correct, except that Simon Page had sent apologies.
  1. Matters arising and actions not covered on the agenda
An Action Log has been set up to enable the Unit to monitor actions. Comments on actions:
Action 5 Ensure clear actions required of agencies as a response to the recommendation of the Case File Audit report are communicated - revised date 13th May
Action 8 The Chair of CYSCB and YorOK to agree monitoring arrangement for Revised Threshold guidance between the Boards – Agreed to commission the Children’s Trust to monitor and report to the Board
Action 9 Board Members to send ideas for testing effectiveness of revised threshold Guidance to JC – revised date 12th May
Action 14 Children with sexually harmful behaviours: Board members were requested to make colleagues aware of the work going on and invited to look at the results in the future – (NB a report will be presented to the Board in July (MP))
  1. Chair’s update (SW)
  • Requests to Board members to visit frontline staff and feedback to the Board using a template supplied had been sent to selected Board members, it was agreed to now send to all. The template was to be used as a guide to record an informal discussion..
  • Refreshment of joint protocol on Missing Children with North Yorkshire –DE reported that Nik Flavell and Dot had been to several meetings. Board members discussed the needs in relation to further joint working:
  • to be clear whether York was to be part of a Group or merely had a link to a Group
  • to ensure the right people were attending the right meeting as the two local authorities had unequal structures, North Yorkshire’s being more layered
  • To ensure clarity bearing in mind the language used by each authority varied
  • For a document setting out how groups corresponded and synchronised
  • To synchronise procedures which have separated over recent years identifying where procedures would be common and where a procedure might be specific to one authority
  • Visits to frontline staff – SW had made visits to the Police Safeguarding Hub and to the Social Care Front Door Teams during which the following key points arose:
  • The co-location of the two services was felt to be beneficial to working together
  • A clearer understanding of each agency’s role and responsibilities would be helpful for referrers as expectations were often unrealistic
  • More than one risk assessment model was in use and staff needed to appreciate the differences
  • Improved access to up-to-date research would be welcomed – discussion highlighted the difficulty of time-pressure, the need to point out how research affects practice and the possibility of incorporation into training
  • A joint referral form was due for discussion later on the agenda
  • The need to reiterate what to do if a child was in need – ER mentioned the cubes distributed by Children’s Services signposting the route to referral/information – more to be distributed to other agencies through training
  • Recommendations
  • 300414/1Action: Members to comment on the draft joint protocol to provided a clear framework for accountabilities between the CYSCB, HWBB and the Children’s Trust – comments to JC by 15th May
  • The Board agreed to commission a report from the Executive to advise the Board on any actions required in response to the learning from the first two groups of Ofsted inspections. 300414/2 Action: SW to request Executive to prepare a guide to actions required in response to the learning from the first two groups of Ofsted inspections.
  • All Board members to make every effort during the year to make at least one visit to frontline services and prepare a brief report for the Board (290114/10 Action)
  • Board Members will prioritise their contributions to the Annual Report 2013/14 to enable the report to be completed by the end of June 2014 and shared with the Health and Wellbeing Board by early July. The intention was to provide a critical analysis of good practice, matters for improvement and future priorities. 300414/3 Action: JC to email the expectations of individual agencies by 9th May and reports would be expected by Friday 6th June.
  • Development Day to consider the future structure of the Board, including all sub-groups, agree a business plan for 2014/16 and confirm the five local priorities for improvement –particularly the changes to the work of both the YorOK Board and CYSCB to avoid duplication and the division of CYSCB work into a strategic role for the Board and operational role for the Executive. 300414/4 Action: A date to be set for the Development day in consultation with North Yorkshire and Humberside AreaTrust and Designated Health leads who sit on numerous LSCBs - before the next Board meeting.
  • CCG and Health providers’ joint report –LB agreed to provide the quarterly report which they prepare to provide an assurance overview using an agreed standard and competency framework. This would be separate from the CQC Safeguarding inspections – the LSCB’s accountability for the CQC action plan was discussed and agreed to be limited to Looked After children and safeguarding inspections. 300414/5 Action: CCG Quarterly report to be provided to Board – July 2014 LB

  1. Individual Agency Assurance Reports
North Yorkshire Police
  • The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme – 15 applications have been received and one disclosure made since the scheme went live and more are certain to be made in the future
  • The HMIC Inspection re Domestic Abuse – examples of good practice were picked out as well as criticism in other areas. Good practice included the work of the PVP units and the Making Safe scheme
  • Specialist training in Child Abuse Investigation since January 2014
  • Recommendation – CYSCB and York Safeguarding Adult Board in cooperation with colleagues in North Yorkshire to work together with North Yorkshire Police in developing interdisciplinary investigation training. – SW made Board members aware of a strategic learning event on Domestic Abuse affecting Children aimed at Panel members and senior executives to be funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner. The Board noted thanks to the PCC.
  • Discussion – both Health providers and Mental Health and Education would like to be able to contribute to joint learning events. JC is working on this with North Yorkshire but advised the need for a joint protocol first. The Chair emphasised the need to ensurethat when sharing information it was lawful, necessary and proportionate stressed thatif a professional believes a child may be likely to suffer harm, then they should share the information with local authority children’s social care.
  • Future joint training for CYC and Police to be organised through the Training Sub-Group. 300414/6 Action: Training Sub-Group to consult with MT on interdisciplinary investigation training.
City of York Council
  • The recent inspection gave a useful perspective of the service including a snapshot of risk and performance.
  • Since the Case file audit of the Front Door significant progress had been made in dealing with case-loads through the reconfiguration into the three CIN teams, two Front Door teams and four Child Protection and Looked After Children teams. Moving cases carries risks and an independent case file audit had been commissioned, which so far had raised no issues.
  • CYC had elected to seek further improvement through a Peer Challenge to be undertaken in July led by the Director of Children’s Services from Sheffield focusing on the Front Door, decision-making and the factors raised in the case file audit.
  • DBS checks – a recent review had been completed at the end of March and CYC members of staff were now 100% up-to-date with DBS checks.
  • A Multi-Agency referral form was recommended by the Ofsted Thematic Review of Early Help because of the variation in the quality and coverage of information supplied in referrals to the Front Door. The new form, still to be finalised, comprises a minimum dataset required by the Front Door. It can be used by all agencies but if not they must ensure their referral forms contain the minimum referral data required. DE noted that few referrals are followed up as required by a written referral form within 24 hours, particularly the hospital which habitually sends many forms within one fax.
  • Recommendations accepted:
  • That Board and member agencies take note of the key findings and recommendations emerging form external scrutiny over the past 3 months
  • That the Board actively monitors and promotes a consistent DBS checking and re-checking policy across member agencies300414/7aAction – Agencies to provide assurance re the DBS checking and rechecking policies in their next report to the Board
  • That the Board endorses the use of the new multi agency referral form by all agencies300414/7bACTION - all to ensure their referral forms contain the minimum data set required if not using the referral form.
  • That the Board includes in its next newsletter a summary of the high level emerging messages from those areas already inspected
  • 300414/7 Action: prepare a summary of the high level emerging messages from those areas already inspected for publication in the newsletter – JC – by 15th May

  1. Allegations against Childcare Professionals and Forming a Belief Procedure –CW
This procedure has been developed to cover the cases which are not easily contained in LADO procedures. It has been legally checked by MP who assured the Board it has a statutory basis under the general duty imposed on a local authority by S.47 of the Children’s Act and in particular sub-section (8). However it is a sensitive area with significant consequences for individuals making it critical for the agencies involved to follow the procedure to the letter.
DiscussionMembers discussed whether the responsibility lay with the local authority or the LSCB and it was agreed that the procedures were a requirement in WT 2013, though the LADO was a LA role separate from Board’s safeguarding role. The CYC contribution to the CYSCB covered the LADO role and consequently the Board agreed the procedure.
The Board accepted the recommendation and the LA would also route the procedure through itsown policy decision making mechanism.
ACTION: 300414/12 CSC to have the revised LADO process approved within the local authority’s decision making mechanism by the 30/5/14
  1. Budget Statement
SW had received a response to a letter from all the funders who had been invited to a meeting to discuss the budget. In previous years CYSCB unit had depended on carrying over a surplus from year to year but this had run out. Consequently the budget would be under pressure towards the end of the financial year.
300414/8 Action: to discuss the budget of the CYSCB with funders – SW – by Development Day
  1. Theme - Performance
  • Learning and Improvement summary – (DW)
  • The Learning and Improvement Framework and Terms of Reference have been agreed by the Performance & Improvement Sub-Group.
  • The Performance scorecards were over-detailed and under-populated and needed to be slimmed down, concentrating on improved safeguarding performance
  • Partial data had been provided with the papers and the rest had not been completed until today. It would be more useful when supplied with a meaningful narrative by the Performance and Improvement Sub-Group. In order to supply data for the Board it was necessary to realign reporting within agencies. (JB)
  • Priorities identified were Children Missing from Home, Child Sexual Exploitation, Children Missing from Education, Domestic Abuse and Neglect, the last showing the Board’s past work needed further follow up.
  • Recommendations:
  • The Board endorse :
•The Learning & Improvement Framework.
•The Performance Reporting Cycle
•Terms of Reference for the Performance & Improvement sub-Group
2. CYSCB members wereasked to make a commitment to the Boards performance and learning systems by:
•familiarising themselves with the CYSCB Learning & Improvement documents;
•disseminating the documents to key personnel in their own agencies;
•providing information and data to CYSCB in accordance with the Framework.
3. The Board request an update report to the P&I sub-group or directly to the Board:
•from CSC and NYP on progress with the multi-agency Missing from Home and Care protocol, the identification of a lead name in regard to MfH and progress on CSC recording of all MfH incidents
•from the newly formed CYSCB Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation sub-Group , either to the P&I sub-Group or directly to the Board, on progress with recording, trends, and responses to these trends and issues, in regard to CSE.
•from the designated officer for Children Missing from Education, either to the P&I sub-Group or directly to the Board, on progress with recording, trends and responses to these in regard to CME.
•from the York Domestic Abuse Strategic Board on the York specific Domestic Abuse Strategy and an implementation plan to address York specific issues. Further information is also required from Children’s Social Care in regard to the prevalence of Domestic Abuse as a factor in referrals.
4. Note that the Safeguarding Unit will establish a small task group of key people to respond to the national and local reviews of neglect.
  • Discussion: Members werewelcoming of the data and the challenge within agencies, for example the lack of knowledge of Privately Fostered children in York. They noted the increase in cases of neglect showing the difficulty of making judgements in borderline cases. The need for a timetable for the establishment of new sub-groups and a plea for new people in the groups so the same people were not on all the groups was brought to the Board’s attention. SW supported this request and suggested the Board should follow the example of other local authorities and commission a mapping of the different groups, and Boards linked to the LSCB.
300414/8bAction: DW / SWto ask the H&W Board to provide an update report for the P&ISC and specify that the report should differentiate between abuse of children and adults. This would demonstrate the linkage between the Boards and North Yorkshire Police.
The Board agreed the recommendations as stipulated above.
  • 300414/9 Action: JB will make performance framework available to agencies through a link on the website.
  • 300414/10 Action: SW to commission a mapping of agencies and Boards linked to the CYSCB
  • S11 Audit report (JC)
  • Recommendation: Board members should review their S.11 returns and give evidence of work done where required (including sharing of good practice) by 1st June 2014.
  • Case File Audit – CSE (JC)
  • Discussion: The selection of cases for audit was discussed. They have not been chosen at random due to the lack of a list of all cases. MT advised the Police could provide such a list but cautioned that they were relatively few in number, making a random selection possibly not useful. The Case File Audit Group wasasked to use the terminologyeffective or ineffective, with reasons, when feeding back on audits of assessment.
  • Recommendations:
  • As an area of priority for the CYSCB, the quality of practice in relation to CSE should be subject to ongoing scrutiny under the learning and improvement framework. This will include re-auditing these two cases along with two randomly selected CSE cases in six months.
  • The quality of practice in relation to assessment should be subject to ongoing scrutiny under the learning and improvement framework. This will include a continued auditing focus on the quality of assessments.
  • Dissemination 1) Board members should disseminate the lessons from these audits to all relevant staff within their agency 2) a summary of the findings and lessons to be included in the May 2014 CYSCB newsletter 300414/11 Action:A summary of the findings and lessons to be included in the May 2014 CYSCB newsletter - JC
  • Voice of the Child (NM)
  • Draft YorOK Voice and Involvement Strategy – updated in line with Working Together and following involvement of young people through the Youth Council – 300414/12 Action: Feedback from Board Members to SW through HW before 12 May as Strategy is due to be signed off by the YorOK Board on 12th May.
  • Safeguarding Children Involvement Group action plan –300414/13 Action: Members to feedback comments direct to NM
  • Show Me That I Matter review – this report draws together feedback from children from a number of sources together with steps taken in response. It is necessary to follow up outcomes more closely to make sure improvements are made as promised.
  • UMatter Survey - There are many positive responses but also key issues raised such as around social work assessments and reviews. Discussion: SW appreciated the excellent work of YorOK in this area and would welcome more on the wider environment of children’s lives in the citye.g. safer streets or play spaces; to broaden the Board’s focus.
  • The Board’s attention was drawn to the Digest of information that would be useful to the Board and the design of the new YorOK website which reflected feedback.
  • The Board accepted the recommendations of the report.

  1. List of items Circulated for information/consultation
•Early Help strategy action plan (JK)
  • The effectiveness of the action plan will be monitored through the YorOK Board who will raise issues with the CYSCB – the need for clarity regarding the Early Help Strategy was noted and JK agreed that it was a work in progress.
  • Feedback had been requested by 29th April and approval by the Board was required today before it was taken to the YorOK Board on 12th May.
  • Board members requested further time for feedback, particularly from schools and regarding thresholds. Comments were invited to be sent to SW before 12th May.
  • The Action Plan was approved subject to the above opportunity for comment.

  1. Any Other Business
  • CAFCASS –MH announced that the report following the national inspection of CAFCASS had been published and was available on the CAFCASS website. Seven out of seventeen areas had been inspected, 530 cases, and no safeguarding problems had been raised. The overall assessment had been Good, the organisation’s national governance had been judged Outstanding. She thanked other agencies for their help during the inspection. The Chair congratulated CAFCASS on a positive inspection outcome.

Date & Time of Next Meeting
Wed 23rd July 2014
2.00 – 4.30pm
CAFCASS Offices
James House, James Street, York YO10 3YZ

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