In March 2016 the Government accepted the recommendations of the Wood Report 2015 which summarised the findings of a national review of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs). The recommendations in the report led to a change in legislation to the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and Working Together to Safeguard Children (WTSC), removing the statutory requirement of Local Authorities to have a Local Safeguarding Children Board.
As a result three key agencies now collectively hold new statutory responsibilities for safeguarding; namely the Local Authority (through Children and Families), Health (through the Leeds Health and Care Partnership) and West Yorkshire Police.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 placed a duty on the three agencies to work together and define the local Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements. It also placed a duty on other agencies to co-operate with the new arrangements.
Within Leeds, the Safeguarding Partnership will continue to be known as the Leeds Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) to ensure the well-established and recognised ‘brand’ is preserved.
The LSCP is an independent intermediary body chaired by Jasvinder Sanghera CBE, and will work with all agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in Leeds.
The LSCP is not a public body under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and therefore is not obliged to respond to FOI requests.