LSCB chief warns of safeguarding risks from government review

David N Jones, chair of the Association of LSCB Chairs, said a recently launched government review of LSCBs and SCRs has created a vacuum in the system that is resulting in agencies involved in protecting children withdrawing resources and co-operation.

“It is very dangerous to shake the whole system and leave uncertainty for a period of time,” he said.

“It undermines relationships, which good safeguarding depends on. People are pulling back from co-operation because they don’t think they need to invest in it.

"We are getting feedback from our members who are coming across examples of people saying ‘do we need to put our energies into it when the whole system is going to change?’.

“If the government is pulling this apart then you are at increasing risk of safeguarding failures.”

He called for government to make an urgent public statement clarifying its plans for local safeguarding arrangements and that any changes be introduced gradually and not overnight.

“We are on the verge of significant changes and people need reassurance – we can’t have any more uncertainty,” said Jones.

“We need a clear statement from government over any transition arrangements. We need a serious commitment to the current arrangements while the review process continues and that they won’t change in April, but maybe over the next two years.”

The government review, being undertaken by former president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services Alan Wood, is looking at the role of LSCBs and what the implications would be for boards if SCRs were to be commissioned nationally rather than locally as is currently done. It is due to report by Easter, but Jones described the timescale as “incredibly ambitious”.

He added: “We are looking at reshaping the architecture of safeguarding locally, regionally and nationally. There are a huge number of issues to think through and it is going to add cost to the process.”

In November 2014, the government announced it would look at the potential for centralised commissioning of SCRs.

Between March 2014 and April 2015, the number of SCRs commissioned by LSCBs in England rose 16 per cent to 166.