Safeguarding Young People Barbara Williams Independent Chair of North Tyneside Local Safeguarding Children board

The LSCB ‘The LSCB is the key statutory mechanism for agreeing how the relevant organisations in each local area will co-operate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in that locality, and for ensuring the effectiveness of what they do.’ (Working Together, DCSF 2010)

LSCB Objectives Co-ordination of agency activity to safeguard and promote welfare Ensuring the effectiveness of what is done, in order to: Enable children and young people to have optimum life chances and enter adulthood successfully.

The Scope of LSCBs Prevention. ( Target group – all children and YP) Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable groups Protecting children and YP who are suffering, or who are likely to suffer of significant harm

Potential areas of concern for LSCBs Include: Child sexual exploitation; Children and YP living with domestic abuse, substance abuse or parental mental ill-health; Female genital mutilation; Forced marriage; Children/YP missing from home; Children/YP who may have been trafficked; Children/YP who are looked after.

Local Priorities Protecting children and young people from neglect Listening to the views of children, YP and families Performance Review and Quality Assurance ‘Think Family’ Safeguarding disabled children and YP, and those with complex health needs.

Parental Problems – Potential impact on the safety and wellbeing of young people ( Cleaver et al 2011) Outcome AreaPotential Impact HealthLack of support for developmental change. Increased risk of: early drinking, smoking and drug use mental health problems accident, injury, fear of violence teenage pregnancy and parenthood problems in relationships Education and cognitive ability Education and learning not supported School missed, education disrupted Increased risk of school exclusion Failure to reach potential Poor life chances

Risks (cont) Outcome AreaPotential Impact Emotional and Behavioural Development Increased risk of: conduct disorders including bullying, involvement in crime social isolation and being bullied self-harm feelings of isolation – no-one to turn to going missing IdentityIncreased risk of: lack of positive role models poor self-image and low self esteem Family and Social Relationships Poor or ambivalent relationships with parents. Restricted or lost friendships. Increased risk of being a young carer.

Risks in summary Within the family: Physical abuse Sexual abuse Neglect and emotional abuse Outside of the family: Sexual exploitation Risk taking behaviours including going missing from home Internet abuse/cyber bullying

The Need for a Focus on Young People Learning from Serious Case Reviews (Death or serious injury to older YP accounted for 25% of SCRs between 2003 and Most YP had had involvement with multiple agencies.) Impact of abuse and neglect on life chances Need to break the cycle of abuse and neglect and poor outcomes

What can stand in the way of good practice? Lack of understanding of the causes and consequences of adolescent neglect Links between troubled behaviour and unmet need/abuse and neglect not always recognised Lack of clarity about agency roles and responsibilities Absence of shared understanding about ‘thresholds’ for service provision Services for YP in transition may not be co-ordinated

Achieving good practice What do agencies need to do? Prevention Listening to young people Accessible, responsive universal services Promoting resilience in young people (e.g role of schools and college, promotion of education for citizenship, PHSE) Supporting Parents

Achieving good practice Help when it is needed. Responsive, well co-ordinated services and arrangements for working together Shared understanding of needs between different agencies – underpinned by multi- agency training Priority given to joint assessment of need and early intervention.