The BSCP has agreed the priorities for 2024/2025 which are:
- Needs are identified and responded to at the earliest opportunity, by ensuring the Neglect Strategy is embedded into partnership working.
- To protect children and young people from sexual abuse.
- Improving how we work together with families before and after birth to safeguard babies.
- Implementing Working Together 2023.
A Task and Finish Group has been established to oversee implementation of Working Together 2023. Work is underway to prepare the annual report for 2023/2024 which will be published in September.
The Safeguarding Babies Task and Finish Group has agreed its work programme for the year, which will include work to safeguard vulnerable babies such as looking at how effective our safer sleeping toolkit is working in practice, gaining assurance that staff are promoting the ICON messages, measuring ourselves against national guidance and embedding the bruising in non-mobile babies.
The Scrutiny, Performance & Assurance Subgroup is developing an audit schedule for 2024/2025, with work already underway for the Section 11 Audit - with the challenge day taking place in July to gain assurance of the efficacy of the safeguarding partnership.
New Guidance on Working Together to Safeguard Children
New statutory guidance on multi-agency working to help, protect and promote the welfare of children was published on Friday, 15 December 2023.
Working Together 2023