1.4 Multi-Agency Arrangements to Safeguard Children |
AMENDMENT
In June 2021, a definition of safeguarding was added to reflect the latest amendments to Working Together to Safeguard Children.
Working Together to Safeguard Children defines Safeguarding as:
- Protecting children from maltreatment;
- Preventing impairment of children's mental and physical health or development;
- Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
- Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
Strategic arrangements for safeguarding children in England have changed and Local Safeguarding Children Boards have now been replaced by local Multi-Agency Arrangements to Safeguard Children.
The Children and Social Work Act 2017 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 places the responsibility for ensuring strong multi-agency safeguarding systems on the three statutory partners for an area, namely the Local Authority, the Commissioning Group, and the Chief Officer for Police.
The three safeguarding partners will agree on ways to co-ordinate their local safeguarding services; act as a strategic leadership group in supporting and engaging others; and implement local and national learning including from serious child safeguarding incidents. The three safeguarding partners have a shared and equal duty to make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in a local area.
These new arrangements are very different to LSCBs and it is important that all practitioners read and understand their own local arrangements:
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