Section 11 of the Children Act provides the LSCP with an opportunity and a framework to undertake an analysis of how effective safeguarding arrangements are across the city. The analysis of all the submissions enables us to produce relevant information and training where gaps in knowledge or understanding are identified.
To support partners in measuring their Section 11 compliance the LSCP BSU developed an online Organisational Safeguarding Assessment which allows any organisation that works with children the opportunity to measure their compliance against Section 11 standards. It also gives the LSCP BSU oversight of all Section 11 returns across Leeds.
This assessment enables organisations to self-assess whether they are meeting their responsibilities to safeguard children and promote their welfare. The LSCP BSU on behalf of the LSCP Performance Management Sub Group, challenge partners both in terms of their responses and any action plan that is developed as a result of their self-assessment. It is clear that partners fully acknowledge the importance of ensuring compliance with Section 11 and clearly demonstrate improvement journeys since their previous Section 11 assessment. Employing strong safeguarding arrangements within an organisation ensures children are better protected.
Work is ongoing to support commissioned and non-statutory organisations that work with children and young people to complete Section 11 returns.
A total of 366 self-assessments were completed between April 2018 and March 2020. A breakdown of these assessments demonstrates:
- 14 completed by statutory services
- 158 completed by commissioned services
- 82 completed by third sector organisations
- 95 completed by early years providers
- 17 completed by schools.
A review into completed Section 11 returns in 2020 highlighted that all statutory organisations and commissioned services were fully compliant, often going beyond what is required. Those agencies that were not fully compliant were generally within the Third Sector and required support in the following areas:
- The ability to measure the impact of safeguarding training back in the workplace and on outcomes for children and young people
- Ensuring the voice of the child was considered when developing a new service or piece of work
- Ensuring that staff access safeguarding training either through the LSCP training offer or accessed through their own ‘in house’ training
- Ensuring that the children they work with understand their right to be safe from abuse.
The BSU are informed of all agencies who are not fully compliant. This results in joint BSU and partnership discussions to support the agency with improvements in their safeguarding governance arrangements.
Evidencing Outcomes of Change
As part of the review of the CCG Safeguarding Children and Adults Policy, revised safeguarding standards for commissioned services are in place to reflect the Section 11 Audit for safeguarding children and regionally agreed commissioning standards for safeguarding adults. An audit tool has been developed to enable providers to evidence compliance with the standards. This is monitored through the CCG contract monitoring arrangements and providers will be expected to develop an action plan to address any areas where they cannot demonstrate compliance.
Children and Families services are also keen to be assured that services that they commission are compliant with Section 11 standards and have adopted a process of reviewing and monitoring standards.
The White Rose Framework has adopted the LSCP Section 11 online process, this has strengthened our ability to ensure that Leeds has oversight of all Section 11 responses across the region where Children Looked After (CLA) may be placed. These returns are monitored and any areas identified for improvement are addressed in partnership locally.
Discussions across the other four safeguarding partnerships across West Yorkshire including Adults Boards have resulted in an agreement that Leeds will lead on having a Section 11 process across West Yorkshire that will ensure a consistent and single approach to Section 11 that all agencies can access.