Child V Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review

The Child V LCSPR focused on the circumstances prior to the incident resulting in a near fatal stabbing of a 17 year old.

Recommendations

The LCSPR resulted in the following findings and recommendations:

There are risks to children who have social, mental, and emotional health needs whose needs are not met in mainstream schools.

• EHCP reviews must involve health and social care to ensure that there is a multi-agency approach to addressing the educational needs of the children. Where there are limited options or barriers in place, there should be a multi-agency review of the safeguarding risks to the child;

• For the LSCP to seek assurance that the SEND Coordinator is routinely included in the invites and attends Child Protection Conferences, as required.

Contextual safeguarding is an approach that would help the system in developing more constructive ways of working with those at risk of criminal exploitation and adolescents who have had a neglected childhood. 

• For the LSCP to seek assurance that there is an effective multi-agency partnership approach to identify critical indicators of the risk of extrafamilial harm by applying Contextual Safeguarding principles;

• For the LSCP to seek assurance that there is a clear framework that underpins the rationale for the decision making about removing children and young people from the risk list;

• For the LSCP to seek assurance that there is a process in place for regularly reviewing children being removed from a child protection plan without the outcomes being achieved. E.g., If there are expectations on Early Help services to work with the family, EHCP or MACE, then this needs to be risk assessed if these do not make sufficient progress;

• For the LSCP to seek assurance through an independent scrutiny exercise that there are effective problem solving mechanisms in place to address complex adolescent child protection concerns.

The Serious Youth Violence Duty will require Sutton partners to review how they address the changing needs of young people in the borough. 

• The LSCP to seek assurance that the Police effectively share data and plans within the multi-agency system that have an impact on disrupting the potential for serious youth violence;

• The CCG should review the commissioning of CAMHS to ensure that there are arrangements for the service to support those at risk of criminal exploitation;

• The CCG should review the profile of under 18s attending A&E or Urgent Care settings.

Managing organisational and partnership risk: focus on seeing schools as places of safety.

• The LSCP should undertake annual scrutiny of the top 10 children of concern who are approaching transitions e.g., those due to start school, those in year 6 and those approaching 16.;

• For the LSCP to seek assurance that there are effective systems within the Local Authority for sharing data, plans and risks in relation to those children, who are resident in Sutton, who are excluded or missing school for more than four months. This needs to include those children on roll out of borough.

Relationship based practice needs to be strengthened to prevent families withdrawing from the help of services. 

• For the LSCP to seek assurance about how the Local Authority work with parents and adolescents who have found it difficult to relate to professionals to find gather their views on what would hinders and what can improve engagement. 

Partners need to ensure that there are opportunities for all children to have their voice heard by agencies without this being reliant on parental engagement.

• The LSCP to seek assurance from the Local Authority about how children who are out of school are given opportunities to voice their views of their situation;

• This should include looking at the options for a youth worker to be placed within the hospital setting to work with adolescents who attend particularly those who are at risk from violence, mental health problems or substance misuse. 

Contextual Safeguarding needs to be utilised within Child Protection Plans.

• The LSCP should undertake development sessions for those involved in child protection plans for adolescents to:

  • Strengthen the use of contextual safeguarding within the plans;

  • Establish an agreed protocol with the MACE to ensure that there is a discussion between the two systems prior to an adolescent being removed from either’s safety plan.

Sutton need a framework for developing transitional safeguarding within the borough to ensure that the work to meet the needs of children does not end when they reach adulthood. 

• The LSCP should arrange to share the learning from this review with the Safeguarding Adult Board to ensure that the needs of those who are 18-25 who have been at risk of being exploited are provided with constructive opportunities for support;

• For the LSCP and Safeguarding Adult Board to work together to use this case to evaluate the transitional safeguarding work in place within Sutton. This includes ensuring that Child V’s case has been discussed with Adult Social Care, Adult Mental Health, Education, Primary Care, IYS and Police to develop a joint plan for offering support to the young person to keep him safe.