Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board
Content
This website aims to provide useful information to ensure making and keeping children safe is everybody’s business.
Information
For parents and carers
For children and young people
For professionals
For members of the public
Interagency procedures manual
TrainingBusiness Priorities 2012-14
The Board provides strategic direction and challenge across the relevant local agencies in Oxfordshire. Following the 2011/12 annual report the OSCB redefined its priorities to:
1. Improving understanding of parental risk factors
2. Developing work on child sexual abuse in order to tackle child sexual exploitation and intra-familial abuse
3. Developing performance information to promote improvement and accountability
4. Monitoring and challenging agencies’ self-assessment of safeguarding arrangements
Recent Developments
Child Sexual Exploitation - Interested in our work on tackling Child Sexual Exploitation(CSE)? Then check out our professionals page on CSE. The page contains the multi-agency strategy, Oxfordshire's multi-agency procedures and the Child Sexual Exploitation Screening Tool. If you want to know more about CSE, you can book on our full day course on Child Sexual Exploitation here.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013 - The new version is out now and can be downloaded by following this link
News
May 2013
Oxfordshire child exploitation trial
On 14 May, the jury at The Old Bailey found seven men guilty of offences including rape, facilitating child prostitution and trafficking. The Judge will be determining sentences at a later date. Because of the serious nature of these crimes the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board are conducting an independent serious case review to understand the detail and consider whether the right systems are in place to protect children.
Read a statement from Oxfordshire County Council’s Chief Executive. Professionals should familiarise themselves with the Oxfordshire Professionals’ Handbook on Child Sexual Exploitation and the Oxfordshire Child Sexual Exploitation Screening Tool.
Positive Peers Project
C4EO has published promising practice details of Positive Peers, a peer education project for schools in Tower Hamlets. It involves a network of Trained Peer Supporters helping students experiencing emotional distress to make healthier and better choices. Further information: C4EO
First Aid Advice for Under-18s
The British Red Cross has launched a campaign giving first aid advice to under-18s so they can help friends who have self-harmed by taking dangerous substances. A poll by the charity reveals that 42% of young people surveyed said that they, or someone they knew, had self-harmed. NHS figures show that between 2001 and 2011, cases of self-poisoning in England, Wales and Northern Ireland increased by 44% from 79,000 to 114,000. Further information: British Red Cross
April 2013
Child Protection in Sport Unit
A new publication from the Child Protection in Sport Unit provides guidance on keeping children safe at events, activities and competitions. Child Protection in Sport Unit
Reforming Children's Homes to Tackle Child Sexual Exploitation
The Department for Education has announced measures to reform children's homes to tackle child sexual exploitation. The measures are based on the recommendations of the final report of an expert group set up in response to the Children's Commissioner's report on sexual exploitation and a parliamentary inquiry in to children going missing from care. Measures include: children's homes carrying out a risk assessment of the local area to make sure children are safe from gangs and other threats; the decision to place children in care far from home should only be made by a senior official. Expert group on the quality of children's homes - final report
Health and Wellbeing Board Charter for Disabled Children
Every Disabled Child Matters and the Children's Trust Tadworth have developed a Disabled Children's Charter to help the new Health and Wellbeing Boards fulfil their responsibilities towards disabled children and their families. The Charter outlines 7 commitments focusing on health outcomes which Boards who sign the charter will agree to meet, providing evidence after one year of how they have met them. Disabled Children's Charter for Health and Wellbeing Boards (PDF); Why sign the charter? (PDF); How to meet your charter commitments (PDF)
NSPCC report - How Safe Are Our Children?
The NSPCC has published How safe are our children? providing the most up-to-date and robust child protection data from each of the four nations of the UK. Findings include: more than one child a week dies due to maltreatment and one in five children today has experienced serious abuse at some point in their life; there has been a 40% increase in members of the public contacting the NSPCC with child welfare concerns over the past 3 years; more children are coming off child protection plans or registers after shorter periods and not being re-registered. How safe are our children? (PDF)
March 2013
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013
The new version of Working Together to Safeguard Children has been released today (21st March 2013). You can download a copy on the Department for Education's website or by following this link.
February 2013
Supporting Children through Bereavement and Trauma
Ofsted has published a good practice resource highlighting the work of the South Whitehaven Sure Start Children’s Centre in supporting children and families through bereavement and trauma. Further information: South Whitehaven Children's Centre - good practice example (PDF version)
NSPCC Spotlight Paper on Substance Misuse and Parenting
The NSPCC has published the first in a series of Spotlight Papers building on the findings of their report ‘All babies count: prevention and protection for vulnerable babies’. Recommendations include: professionals trained to identify and assess the needs of substance misusing parents, especially in the perinatal period; provision of evidence based parenting programmes for all substance misusing parents and their children. Visit NSPCC Inform for more information
Research - Action for Children - The State of Child Neglect in the UK. This research surveyed 6000 people including the general public, a range of professionals and 27 local authorities. Key findings include: 14% of professionals reported a rise in suspected child neglect over the last 12 months; one third of the general public surveyed who had concerns about a child did not tell anyone because they did not feel they had enough evidence. Further information:
The state of child neglect in the UK: recommendations for the UK Government (PDF version)
Ofsted Report – Arrangements to Safeguard Children who go Missing
This report draws on evidence from 105 cases in 10 local authority areas. Findings include: there is little reliable data on missing children; poor data recording meant local authorities struggled to collate children's views to inform planning. You can access the report on this link: Missing children (PDF version)
Worried About A Child?
There are a number of organisations you can speak to but if you think a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999. You can also get advice and help from NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or get help via email on help@nspcc.org.uk.
You do not need to know everything about the child and what is happening just to be worried, or feel that everything is not right.
If you are:
- concerned that a child may be suffering physical, sexual or emotional abuse or is being neglected
- are a child or young person and you are being abused or neglected
- are a parent or carer and you feel you are harming your child or are close to doing so,
please contact the Children's Social Care team on one of the following numbers:
Access to Information and Services Team (in office hours): 0845 050 7666
Emergency Duty Team (outside office hours): 0800 833 408
Banbury Assessment Team: 01865 816670
Oxford Assessment Team: 01865 323048
Abingdon Assessment Team: 01865 897983
OSCB Leaflets
Below are two of the recently developed leaflets produced by the OSCB:
- The 7 Golden Rules for Information Sharing (.pdf, 1.92Mb)
- OSCB Aide Memoire - key contacts and what to do if a child discloses (.pdf, 1.82Mb)
- 10 lessons from SCRs and 10 pitfalls in assessment (.pdf format, 1.10Mb)
- Serious Case Review Summary Document (.pdf format, 3.82Mb)
- Child Protection Conferences - a guide for parents and carers (.pdf format, 1.67Mb)
- Child Protection Conferences - a guide for children and young people (.pdf format, 1.58Mb)
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