Safeguarding boards to carry out 'Grenfell safety checks'

More than 80 people died as a result of the blaze at the West London tower block, which began in the early hours of 14 June.

Following the tragedy, David Ashcroft, chair of the Association of Independent LSCB Chairs (AILC) has issued a call to all LSCBs to review local housing policy and the quality of emergency planning.

He urges them to ask "hard questions" around the safety of high rise buildings, the quality of housing providers and whether specific risks to children are being considered in local emergency plans.

In a newsletter to AILC members he lists questions LSCBs need to be asking: "Has the work of housing partners and responsible councils to make high-rise buildings safe already been a subject for your board's discussion?

"Has the LSCB questioned how well emergency plans deal with the risks for children and particularly recognised the need for longer term support and engagement beyond the crisis response?"

Such scrutiny of emergency planning is especially important given other threats to chidren's safety such as terrorism attacks, states Ashcroft.

"I hope that LSCBs are remaining steadfast in asking hard questions about how well children are kept safe in our communities, especially when there is fear, disruption and concern," he added.

Writing in his column for the September edition of CYP Now, Sir Paul Ennals, former chair of the National Children's Bureau and independent chair of LSCBs in South Tyneside, Gateshead and Sunderland, says the Grenfell tragedy raises "legitimate questions for us in all parts of the country".

He also urges LSCBs to scrutinise issues such as housing quality and emergency planning and said in all three areas where he is chair such reviews have already taken place.

This has included scrunity of the risk of fire in hospital and school buildings as well as social housing.

"We have always said that "safeguarding is everyone's business". That means that partners on the safeguarding boards should be considering all the real risks to the children in their areas," Ennals' column states.

"When we think about our priorities for keeping vulnerable children safe, most of the time our minds turn to topics such as child protection services, thresholds, or child sexual exploitation. In recent weeks some of us have found our attention drawn further afield, in the light of the tragedy at Grenfell Tower. Is there learning for us across the rest of the country?"

Ennals also calls on councils to consider banning the placement of families with children in high-rise housing, adding that such a ban exists in all areas where he is LSCB chair.

"The assumption is that high-rise blocks are never good places for children to be brought up," he adds.