What are our priorities?
VEMT
The aim is for children/young people to be free from the risk and harm of exploitation, going missing, or being trafficked
Neglect
The aim is to reduce neglect, reduce the impact of neglect and ensure help and support is provided at the earliest opportunity
Voice of the child
The aim is to create a clear focus on the needs and experience of children and young people
Working together
The aim is to achieve excellent partnership working across all areas
What are we trying to achieve?
VEMT
1. Track the number of children / young people subject to exploitation
2. Reduce the number of children/young people who go missing more than once
3. Increase the percentage of return interviews completed within agreed timescales
Neglect
1. Reduce the number of children who are the subject of a child protection plan for neglect
2. Increase the percentage of outcomes achieved in a family plan
3. Reduce the percentage of neglect cases which involve domestic abuse
Voice of the child
1. Children and young people feel confident to make contact with an appropriate adult if they have safeguarding concerns
2. Improved opportunities for children and young people’s ‘engagement’ with safeguarding issues
3. Increase the influence of the voice of the child in child protection processes
Working together
1. Partners provide quality referrals which are referred appropriately for timely, focused intervention
2. Increase the number of initial health assessments submitted for LAC within timescales
3. Effective information sharing across the partnership
What are we going to do?
VEMT
Prepare – strengthen the identification and assessment of those at risk of all types of exploitation, missing, trafficking
Prevent exploitation – make it more difficult to exploit children and young people
Protect children/young people from exploitation
Pursue perpetrators of exploitation – identify, disrupt, and prosecute offenders
Neglect
Understand neglect – understand the local picture of neglect, to raise awareness of neglect and the thresholds for intervention
Early identification – improve the recognition and assessment of neglect
Effective provision – refine effective and successful interventions which reduce neglect before statutory intervention
Domestic abuse – improve the recognition of the impact of domestic abuse leading to the neglect of children and young people
Voice of the child
Voice of the child – every child to have a voice in the child protection process
Empower young people – every young person can recognise abuse and feel confident to report their concerns
Appropriate support – ensure that services are child-focused
Visibility – ensure that all staff obtain the child’s story and that every child is seen
Peer support – develop skills for young people to support other young people
Working together
Thresholds – strengthen agreed shared thresholds across the partnership
Focused intervention – be assured that children receiving support as a ‘child in need’ receive focused intervention in a timely, appropriate manner
Remove barriers – understand the lessons learned and improving outcomes
Improve information sharing – understand the barriers in order to mitigate issues
Management grip – be assured that there is robust management accountability in cases across the partnership