Voluntary and Community Sector
What to do if you have immediate concerns about a child?
If you have non-immediate concerns for a child, need support or guidance with an Early Help Assessment or TAF, or wish to complete a No Names Consultation please contact the Locality and Community Support Service.
Multi-agency guidance and tools
VCS Safeguarding Policy and Checklist
In collaboration with colleagues from OCVA, Oxfordshire Youth, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council, the OSCB has created a draft safeguarding policy template and checklist specific to the Voluntary and Community Sector. These documents are an example of best practice, which can be adapted by third sector groups.
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy Template
Record Retention and Information Sharing
The NSPCC has published guidelines on child protection records retention and storage. The guidelines cover the storage of child protection records, retention periods, recording concerns about adult behaviour, disclosure and barring check, and the destruction of child protection records.
NSPCC: Child protection records retention and storage guidance
Information sharing is crucial to safeguarding children, please see below for guidance on information sharing and General Data Protection Regulations 2016 (GDPR)
OSCB 7 Golden Rules for Information Sharing
Children and Young People’s Forum (CYPF)
Initiated in early 2015, the CYPF forum creates a space for all voluntary organisations who work with children and young people to come together to form stronger relationships and a collective voice of influence. The forum is organised by Oxfordshire Youth and focusses on best practice and current issues.
For more information on the forum, please see 
Training
The OSCB offers free face-to-face and online training on a variety of safeguarding topics. There is a selection of core safeguarding training courses designed to reflect the needs of delegates and take on board any relevant changes to national and local guidance.
What training should I do?
See here for guidance on which level of training you should complete relevant to your role and/or see the Training Brochure for further information. Please click on Training/Booking system to register or book your place.
News and Updates
VCS Children and Young People’s Forum August 2019
The Children and Young People’s Forum is the third sector forum for everyone working with children and young people (0-25) in Oxfordshire. The forum runs 4 meetings a year and 2 networking sessions.
Over 65 organisations are actively engaged and excited about the recent developments and activities that this forum is enabling to happen. The next networking session is on the 29th August 6pm – 8pm, to book your place please visit – https://oxfordshireyouth.org/event/children-and-young-peoples-forum-4/
Voluntary and Community Sector Children’s safeguarding webpage
The development of this webpage is one aspect of a joint action plan agreed between the Children and Young People’s Forum and the Board to help strengthen safeguarding within the wider community and to raise concerns and emerging issues with the Board.
The Board has worked with voluntary sector representatives to develop a page which provides a summary of essential resources and tools – linked to relevant areas of their website for further information.
The page is intended as a portal for easy access to key information for both larger charities and local community groups. As such the Board would welcome feedback and will use this to review the page next March (2020). Please email comments to OSCB@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Save the Date – Youth in Mind Conference 2020
Oxfordshire Youth are delighted to announce that Youth in Mind will be back on Wednesday 12th February 2020. The day is dedicated to strengthening Oxfordshire’s response to children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Have your say by completing a short questionnaire on the topics you would like us to focus on at the event. To find out more about last years event, see the Youth in Mind 2019 blog
