There were notable leadership changes to the Delegated Safeguarding Partners (DSPs) during the latter part of 2025/26, with the appointments of three new LSCP Executive members joining the partnership and the inclusion of the Chief Officer for Education to the Executive group.
The key achievements as outlined below encompass the work of both the current and previous LSCP Executive Group members.
Highlights of activity during 2025/26 have been:
- Taken part in the Ofsted inspection of local authority Children’s Services (ILACS) in Leeds in July 2025, where it was identified that leaders in the local authority have excellent relationships with partners and the LSCP is further strengthened by the inclusion of education in the structure and executive group. It highlighted the defined partnership priorities based on local need, learning from reviews, inspection findings and feedback from children and families
- Early activity to enable implementation of the Families First Partnership and reforms, including coordinating a multi-agency event in Leeds in July 2025 to consider the governance and operational structures required for Family Help and multi-agency child protection teams
- Improvements to quality, processes and increased visibility around safeguarding review(s) activity across the partnership, with a focus on ensuring that learning from reviews is shared effectively and efficiently with agencies across the city. There has been an increase in review activity in Leeds during 2025/26 which has meant the partnership has adapted and responded to this challenge positively
- Met with a group of care leavers to participate in a workshop where children and young people spoke with the Executive to learn about their roles, gain a greater understanding of what safeguarding means and the role of the partnership and asked questions and shared their own experiences of services and staff responsible for keeping them safe
- Agreeing a re-set of the LSCP and Executive functions at the Children and Young People Partnership (CYPP) meeting in September 2025, following a detailed consultation with the partnership in the summer. These new arrangements were launched in December 2025 alongside agreement to initiate a Multi-Agency Neglect Project across the partnership for 2025/27
- Continuing to develop opportunities for collaborative work with the Leeds Safeguarding Adults Board and the Safer Leeds Executive, via a Three Board Planning Event in September 2025. The session reaffirmed the three boards’ commitment to collaborative working and continuous improvement across safeguarding and community safety. It identified opportunities to strengthen collective impact by speaking with a unified voice and building resilience, with a focus on strategic oversight and identifying cross-cutting themes
Ian Bennett
Deputy Director of Nursing & Quality, NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
Pete Thorpe
Director, Children & Families, Leeds City Council
Heather Whoriskey
Chief Superintendent, Leeds District Commander, West Yorkshire Police