The Government’s

Response to Lord
Laming: One Year
On

March 2010
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Contents

Ministerial Foreword 1
1. Introduction 3
2. Progress 7
National leadership and accountability 7
Local leadership and accountability 10
Supporting children 11
Inspection and regulation 12
Supporting the frontline 14
Improvement, learning and change 23
3. Challenges and Moving Forward 26
‘Do it now, do it right, intervene early’ 26
Leading well and working together 26
Learning and change 27
Regional improvement and support 28
Understanding need, performance and data 28
Confidence and trust in the safeguarding system 29
Annex A The Government's Response to Lord Laming 30
Annex B Serious Case Review (SCR) template for
executive summaries 72
Annex C Government Office (GO) Children and Learner Teams 74
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Ministerial Foreword

The protection of children in England: action plan – The Government’s response to Lord Laming set
out our shared commitment to do everything possible to deliver improvements in safeguarding
practice following the publication of Lord Laming’s report, The Protection of Children in England:
A Progress Report, in March 2009.
A year on, this is a good time for us to take stock of, and learn from, progress so far and to
consider what our priorities should be in the year ahead.
A great deal has been achieved. The Social Work Transformation Programme is already delivering
results; over 50,000 people have registered for information on how to become a social worker in
response to our national recruitment campaign. The Action on Health Visiting Programme has
raised the profile of this important profession and introduced new requirements to monitor their
numbers and case loads. A new Police Child Protection Delivery Plan has been commissioned
which will set out recommendations for future improvements to police capability and practice to
enhance the delivery of child protection within forces.
Of course, what makes the most difference to vulnerable children and their families is what
happens day to day at the front line. We want to pay tribute to the many thousands of social
workers, teachers, police officers, doctors, nurses, health visitors and many others who support
and protect children and young people. This year, as in all years, they are making a positive
difference to children’s lives across the country.
Keeping vulnerable children safe is vitally important, and immensely demanding, work.
We recognise too that many professionals and practitioners are working in challenging local
contexts. Demand has increased in many services, especially, though not exclusively, in children’s
social care. The progress made through the Every Child Matters reforms means that increasingly
the most vulnerable children and young people are being better identified and supported. That is
good news.
Increased demand, however, brings new challenges. The tight fiscal climate requires robust
prioritisation and a relentless focus on ensuring consistently high levels of professional practice.
It also means that we all need to be prepared to ask ourselves some hard questions about what
works best, whether we could be doing things differently, and where and how the greatest,
sustainable improvement can be achieved.
Early intervention and prevention have a critical role to play. Many local areas are examining their
investment in preventative services to explore how they can make the best use of universal
services such as schools, Sure Start Children’s Centres and primary care and community health
services to support children who may not require specialist child protection services but who are
still vulnerable and in need of regular support. Our forthcoming paper on Early Intervention
contributes to the debate on this important area of work. We have also strengthened partnership
working by putting Children’s Trust Boards on a statutory footing and giving them the
2 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

responsibility for the Children and Young People’s Plan, which is a joint strategy setting out how
the Children’s Trust partners will co-operate to improve outcomes for local children and young
people. This will help to ensure that the responsibility for intervening early and well is clearly
understood and can have real impact.
Lord Laming asked Government to be more explicit in its strategic priorities for safeguarding and
protecting children. That is why, since its establishment last summer, the National Safeguarding
Delivery Unit has been working to strengthen and co-ordinate cross-Government safeguarding
work to bring greater coherence. Over the coming months, the Unit will maintain the necessary
focus, energy and drive to deliver Lord Laming’s recommendations, as well as providing support
and challenge to local partners in driving up the quality of frontline practice.
We are very grateful to Sir Roger Singleton, the Chief Adviser on the Safety of Children, for his
advice and support over the past year which has helped to shape and strengthen safeguarding
policy across many areas. We welcome The Chief Adviser on the Safety of Children: First annual
report to Parliament, published 17 March. This provides valuable insights into priorities for the
next year and we are committed to responding positively to the challenges he has set.
In the challenging times ahead, it will be ever more important to remain firmly focused on
securing the best possible outcomes for children and young people. Progress is being made and
we are in no doubt about the strength of commitment among national and local partners and
professionals at the front line. But this will be another tough year for many working to promote
children’s safety and wellbeing, particularly those who are most closely involved in child
protection and safeguarding. The stakes are high, and the task is hugely challenging, but there
could be nothing more important.
Keeping children safe is our highest priority and we are determined that it will remain so. We are
committed to working across Government and with our national and local partners to do all we
can to support, and where appropriate to challenge, with the aim of delivering the best possible
outcomes for children and young people.

Ed Balls Alan Johnson

Andy Burnham Jack Straw

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1. Introduction

‘Relationships are crucial; it’s not about structures, it’s about making it work out
there for children’
 Social Worker
1 The Children’s Plan reaffirmed that children, young people, their families and carers are at
the heart of our vision for the future. The Children’s Plan: Two Years On published at the
end of last year, highlighted the success of the Every Child Matters reforms and the
foundations that have been secured by bringing professionals together around the needs of
children, young people, their families and carers.
2 We have been working with partners to take forward the recommendations from Lord
Laming’s report last year with a firm focus on improving practice in order to secure better
outcomes for children. This has been within a rapidly changing context in which new
challenges have emerged. We have seen a significant rise in demand for children’s services,
particularly children’s social care. The latest set of national data available up to March 2009
indicates that referrals to children’s social care services have increased by 2%, initial
assessments by 9% and core assessments by 15%1. There have also been sharp rises in the
number of children entering the care system, up 9%2, and in the number of children who
are the subject of a child protection plan, up 17%3. Many local areas will be experiencing
significant challenges around workforce capacity and competing priorities.
3 As Lord Laming reminds us, getting safeguarding practice right needs a clear and distinct
focus but it also needs to be a central part of children’s services overall, complemented and
reinforced by early intervention and preventative work with children, young people, their
families and carers. People with the right skills, doing the right thing at the right time, make
the crucial difference to children’s outcomes and their futures.
4 Getting it right every time for every child is an enormous challenge, made all the more
demanding by the tight financial climate. It is important that we all use those challenges as
a spur to smarter prioritisation, innovative thinking, and more dynamic learning.
5 The Government will continue to provide clear national leadership and support and is
committed to talking openly and constructively with partners to understand and respond to
new challenges. It is particularly important that we learn together and across the whole
system about new solutions, emerging practice and innovation including:

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4 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

●● the role of universal services in developing comprehensive, inclusive and early support
for families, given that this is where people see children and young people day to day,
know them well and may be best placed to identify risk factors and provide the support
they need;
●● the most effective arrangements for sharing safeguarding responsibilities across the
partners of Children’s Trust Boards and through the associated statutory Children and
Young People’s Plan;
●● what makes for effective work with families whose children are on the edge of the care
system – making best use of the advice from the national task group on the roll-out of
family intervention, led by Kim Bromley-Derry (President of the Association of Directors
of Children’s Services and Director of Children’s Services, Newham) and learning from
evidence including the pilots on Family Group Conferencing and Multi-Systemic Therapy;
●● the potential of developing ‘Total Place’ policies and the impact that local arrangements
might have for children, young people and families, including the performance of
services, reductions in duplication and inefficiencies;
●● cost effective practice, particularly through the sector-led commissioning support and
service transformation programmes;
●● the interventions and services that produce the best outcomes for children including
those which deliver less well and should therefore stop or change;
●● a range of effective interventions and services where there is known vulnerability for
children and their families; and
●● improved support and capacity for social workers set out in Building a safe, confident
future, the comprehensive reform programme recommended by the Social Work Task
Force.
6 Lord Laming challenged us all to deliver ‘a step change in the arrangements for the
protection of children from harm’. The cross-Government National Safeguarding Delivery
Unit (NSDU), which reports directly to Cabinet through its Families, Children and Young
People Sub-Committee, is working to ensure that at national level there is strong,
co-ordinated leadership across the safeguarding system. The Unit will provide support and
challenge to local authorities and their partners to help improve the quality of frontline
practice. In all its work, the Unit will focus on practical solutions that are developed in
partnership with those responsible for delivering services to children, young people and
their families and carers.
7 Decisions made locally over the next few months will also have a fundamental impact in the
longer term. Making sure that preventative services, often delivered through universal
services, play the most effective role they can in supporting children is key. This is
particularly the case for children who may become the subject of a child protection plan
and those who live in homes where there is violence, substance misuse or an adult with
mental health difficulties. A tight financial climate requires partners to be more enquiring
about what works best and where the most improvement can be achieved. It also places an
even higher premium on rigorous, high quality local knowledge about the needs of children,
young people, their families and carers in local communities. The local needs assessment
required to underpin and inform the new statutory Children and Young People’s Plan will be
a critical tool in the prioritisation and planning for children’s services as we move forward.
 Introduction 5

8 The ‘Think Family’ reforms set out in the Families and Relationships Green Paper4 published
in January 2010 aim to ensure that there is a co-ordinated local response to families with
additional needs. Since April 2009, all local authorities have received funding to support
these reforms and introduce targeted services for children, young people, their families and
carers. Details can be found on www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/thinkfamily including
guidance setting out joint working arrangements between children and family services and
adult drug/alcohol and mental health services, probation, prisons and police services.
9 Family Intervention Projects (FIPs) are an important part of the Think Family programme.
These provide intensive support to families with complex needs, including those with
children who may need safeguarding. FIPs now operate in every authority and
supported over 3,000 families in 2009-10, with a planned expansion in capacity to 10,000
families a year from 2011-12.
10 There are many encouraging developments in safeguarding services:
●● child protection is now one of the priorities for the National Police Protective Services
Board which reports to the Home Secretary on major challenges to public safety such as
terrorism and serious crime. A child protection delivery plan, which will set out a series
of recommendations for areas of future improvement to police capability and practice in
child protection is being developed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and
will be finalised in the spring. Together with the recent Policing White Paper, which
reaffirms the importance of the police contribution to safeguarding, this work will help
raise the profile of child protection and safeguarding within police forces and ensure that
both Child Abuse Investigation Units and frontline officers are fully equipped to deliver
their commitments on safeguarding and child protection;
●● there has been extensive work to strengthen safeguarding arrangements in the NHS,
taking account of the findings from the Care Quality Commission in July 2009. The
Operating Framework for the NHS – the high-level document which sets out the priorities
for NHS organisations for the year ahead – states that it expects NHS organisations to
continue to monitor and embed the minimum safeguarding arrangements in 2010-11
and to build on this to improve services and outcomes for children. The Operating
Framework highlights the importance of the Healthy Child Programme and outlines new
arrangements for PCTs to monitor workforce and caseload figures for health visitors;
●● in addition, the Chief Executive of the NHS has commissioned Sir Ian Kennedy to
undertake a review of NHS services for children, to explore the cultural obstacles that
might stand in the way of sustained improvement in the provision of care for children
and to consider what can be done to develop the contribution of the NHS to
safeguarding children. He is due to report in spring 2010;

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6 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

●● the quality of safeguarding arrangements is now a limiting judgement in the Ofsted

inspection framework for schools. A school which is inadequate for safeguarding is likely
to be judged inadequate for overall effectiveness. The ‘21st Century Schools’ White
Paper5 also provides a new opportunity for schools to plan for the best use of their own
school improvement resources. This may include consideration about wider support to
improve outcomes for children and young people, such as parenting support
programmes or co-located health and social care professionals;
●● early years provision is now a key part of the safeguarding landscape. We recently
announced we had reached the target for at least 3,500 Sure Start Children’s Centres to
be in place by March 2010. These centres provide easy access to a range of universal
services, with a particular focus on vulnerable children and families. In all their
inspections of children’s centres, which will start in April 2010, Ofsted will make a
judgement on the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements. If these are judged
inadequate, this is likely to limit the overall judgement;
●● Lord Laming reported that he was concerned about the delays in care proceedings and
the consequent impact on the needs of children, young people and their families and
carers. It is positive progress that the announcement to abolish fees from April 2011 has
been made. The new system-wide target to reduce unnecessary delay in care and
supervision proceedings is due to come into force from April 2010 and will be an integral
part of the overall efforts, nationally and locally, to ensure that the significance of care
proceeding arrangements for children and young people is recognised; and
●● Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of
Constabulary where appropriate, also began a three year programme of full inspections
of safeguarding and looked after children services in all local authorities in summer 2009.
11 While a good deal of progress has been made nationally and locally, there is much more still
to do. Ofsted’s unannounced inspections of contact, referral and assessment arrangements
in local authorities thus far have identified that at least half of those visited had a priority
area for action. A priority for Ofsted during the coming year is to draw out the learning from
these inspections and the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit will consider the most helpful
and efficient means of ensuring that the learning from these inspections and other evidence
sources is used, shared and acts as a catalyst for further improvement.
12 The purpose of this short report is to provide an overview of progress against Lord Laming’s
recommendations and set out future priorities. A detailed progress update is at Annex A.
This report summarises that progress and sets out how the National Safeguarding Delivery
Unit will seek to make a difference over the coming year. The Unit’s priorities have been
developed alongside practitioners and key stakeholders, though the Unit is still keen to hear
further suggestions about potential areas for focus – www.dcsf.gov.uk/nsdu.

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2. Progress

National Leadership and Accountability

National leadership
13 Lord Laming rightly emphasised the importance of strong, national, cross-Government
leadership of safeguarding. A new Ministerial sub-group of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on
Families, Children and Young People comprising the four key Secretaries of State – from the
Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Department of Health, the Ministry of
Justice and the Home Office – now meets quarterly with Sir Roger Singleton, the
Government’s Chief Adviser on the Safety of Children, to review progress and consider joint
improvement priorities. There are also regular meetings of an Implementation Programme
Board comprising senior officials across Government, and the inspectorates, in order to
provide systematic scrutiny and challenge to progress on the implementation of Lord
Laming’s recommendations.
14 These arrangements are helping to develop more coherent, strategic leadership which
should result in more consistent prioritisation, clearer messages to the sector, and more
effective impact on outcomes for children and young people.

Chief Adviser on the Safety of Children

15 Sir Roger Singleton has been appointed to a new independent role as the Government’s
Chief Adviser on the Safety of Children and has been in post since 1 April 2009. His aim is to
ensure that the Government remains absolutely focused on driving through improvement
and change in its safeguarding work programme. Sir Roger is supported by an expert
advisory group whose advice is supplemented by regular visits to local areas where frontline
practitioners are able to inform his challenge to Government.
16 The Chief Adviser’s first annual report on the safety of children in England is being laid
before Parliament to the same timetable as this report.

The National Safeguarding Delivery Unit (NSDU)

17 In response to Lord Laming’s specific recommendation, the NSDU was established in July
2009. Staff in the Unit are drawn from the four key Government departments, local
government, other local safeguarding partners and frontline practitioners. This blend of
skills and experience will be important to the Unit’s potential success in supporting and
challenging local areas effectively and driving stronger national leadership.
8 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

18 The NSDU’s interim progress report and work programme for 2009-10 was published in
December 2009 and is available at www.dcsf.gov.uk/nsdu. It sets out how the Unit will:
●● drive forward improvements in safeguarding standards, with better, more consistent
practice across the country;
●● ensure a strong, co-ordinated cross-Government lead on safeguarding, maintaining the
profile of safeguarding within Government and ensuring that this is reflected in clear and
consistent strategic priorities and performance systems through local authorities, health
and police;
●● monitor and report on progress on safeguarding children, including progress on the
implementation of the Government’s action plan in response to Lord Laming’s report;
and
●● increase public and professional confidence in arrangements for safeguarding children.
19 In the year ahead, the Unit will also work alongside local and regional partners to develop
innovative programmes which make a difference in practice. It will focus on developing
practical solutions that are developed in partnership with those responsible for delivering
safeguarding services.

Safeguarding national indicators and targets

20 As Lord Laming highlighted, a key role for central Government is making sure that there is
an effective system of performance management to drive forward a strong focus on
improving outcomes for children. Legislation is now in place to enable new statutory
safeguarding targets for local areas to be agreed and the results of the recent
NSDU consultation on new safeguarding indicators will feed into the overall exercise to
review the National Indicator Set.
21 There is still more work to be done, however. The lack of readily available outcome
measures, and the long lead in times necessary to establish and embed new data collections
to support them, means that it is necessary to pursue a two stage approach to this work.
The next stage will be to develop new, more outcome focused and multi-agency
performance measures, based on new data collections.
22 It is widely acknowledged that national indicators and associated targets can only form part
of a coherent and meaningful performance management framework. As we move into next
year, the NSDU is committed to supporting the development of a robust local performance
framework, which describes the quality and impact of services and interventions, as well as
the quantity of work being undertaken. This priority will be taken forward in partnership
with national and local leaders and will form the basis for optional improvement work, as
opposed to being a centrally mandated performance framework.

Working Together to Safeguard Children

23 Working Together to Safeguard Children is the key statutory guidance used by safeguarding
professionals. Getting this right is essential for a safe system. In revising it, we have
consulted extensively with national stakeholders, local partners and front line practitioners
to ensure that it is stronger where it needed to be and even more useful for frontline
practitioners. The final version of this guidance is being published in parallel with this
 Progress 9

report. It now clarifies how the Local Safeguarding Children Board and Children’s Trust
Board relate to one another; strengthens the importance of multi-agency training and
effective supervision; and places an increased emphasis on the importance of all
practitioners listening to and focusing on the needs of the child, when making critical
judgements.
24 Chapter 8 of Working Together, on Serious Case Reviews (SCRs), was revised in December
2009, following a separate public consultation exercise, and made clear that the prime
purpose of the SCR is to learn from the review and to improve practice. This chapter has
been further updated to stress the importance of full and thorough executive summaries,
with a practical template as a guide.
25 The challenge is now to support local areas as they implement the revised Working
Together guidance. The NSDU work programme discussed later in this report, is specifically
aimed at achieving this with a very clear focus on practice.

Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs)

26 LSCBs have a significant safeguarding leadership role. The Ofsted-led integrated inspections
of safeguarding and looked after children services indicate that LSCBs are making a
difference to their local services and there are examples of them leading programmes of
outstanding partnership work on safeguarding, as well as several focused campaigns that
are making a difference to cyber bullying and to public awareness of the signs of neglect.
To support them in this work, new LSCB practice guidance6 has been issued today for
consultation. It includes sections on governance, accountability and developments relating
to LSCB functions as well as advice on the effectiveness of LSCB partnership working, the
strengths and weaknesses of different models of delivery in terms of Board structure and
membership, and information on the issues to consider when monitoring and evaluating the
delivery of safeguarding training. Research7 published today has found that LSCBs have
addressed a number of weaknesses of Area Child Protection Committees. It also found
that the most effective LSCBs had been realistic about what they were able to achieve and
had focused upon the core business of ensuring that work to protect children was properly
co-ordinated and effective.
27 In many cases, appropriate and relevant information is made available to LSCBs, but Lord
Laming noted that in some situations practitioners still feel uncertain about when they can
share information. The Government has introduced a duty in the Children, Schools and
Families Bill that (subject to it becoming law) would require information to be supplied on
request to an LSCB to enable or assist in the performance of its functions. This provision will
help remove this uncertainty and give greater confidence to practitioners that they can
share appropriate information with the LSCB.

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7 The evaluation of arrangements for effective operation of the new LSCBs in England.
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10 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

Local Leadership and Accountability

Children’s Trusts Boards
28 Strong local leadership is essential, particularly for safeguarding where the strategic
co-ordination of many services is so important. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and
Learning (ASCL) Act 2009 aims to strengthen the strategic leadership of Children’s Trusts,
driving better partnership and effective prioritisation that makes a difference. Every local
area is required to have a Children’s Trust Board from April 2010 and, importantly,
responsibility for preparing, publishing, monitoring and reviewing the local strategic
Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP) transfers from the local authority alone to the
Children’s Trust Board as a whole. Individual partners remain responsible for
implementation and delivery. This formally recognises the shared responsibility of all
partners for safeguarding and should help to create a new shared commitment to assess
and prioritise against the local needs of children, young people, their families and carers.
The CYPP will set out the joint strategy describing how Children’s Trust partners co-operate
and prioritise their safeguarding including within their plans.

Directors of Children’s Services and Lead Members

29 Statutory guidance in July 2009 set out the expectations for Directors of Children’s Services
(DCSs) and lead members for children’s services in relation to safeguarding. The National
College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services now provides a training
programme for DCSs and demand for this training is high. The programme has been
welcomed by DCSs and the high uptake of places is very encouraging. Detailed design work
has begun on the Aspirant DCS programme. A mentoring programme is also running for
newly appointed DCSs which is progressing well with 21 serving or recently retired DCSs
registering to become accredited mentors. The NSDU is working closely with the College to
ensure that change and improvement priorities for safeguarding are developed together
and are incorporated into the leadership programmes where appropriate.
‘I have found the coaching support provided as part of the DCS Leadership Programme
incredibly useful. It’s tailored for me and supports my professional and personal
development. I found my coach to be challenging in a way that helps me think outside of the
box, as well as supportive in acting as a sounding board. I would encourage DCSs on future
programmes to invest time in and engage with the coaching as quickly as possible to make
the best possible use of it. I have so far found this to be one of the best elements of the
leadership programme.’ Director of Children’s Services
30 The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes (C4EO) has held a series of national safeguarding
workshops for senior leaders (including Lead Members) from among the Children’s Trust
partners. These are reinforced by an extended programme of research briefings. Further
regional workshops, focusing on working with resistant families, are taking place in March
and April 2010.
 Progress 11

Public confidence
31 The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 requires every LSCB to appoint
two lay members. As well as bringing their own insights and skills, they will play a key role in
opening up the safeguarding system to wider public scrutiny with the aim of improving
transparency and public understanding and engagement in child safety issues. To support this
development, during 2010-11, the NSDU will be considering what support it can make
available to LSCBs in respect of its new lay members. The Unit will also consider, in
partnership, how it can become closely involved with and be able to represent accurately, the
views and experiences of children and young people on safeguarding issues and priorities.

Supporting Children
32 Lord Laming’s report reaffirmed the importance of focusing absolutely on the child and their
needs. There is a great deal of work underway to ensure that the voice of the child is central
to professional practice in safeguarding and child protection.
33 The Office of the Children’s Commissioner, 11 Million, has prioritised safeguarding for 2010-
11. They will be considering the needs of children and young people at risk of harm from
adults who abuse alcohol, drugs and other illegal substances. They will also be exploring and
promoting the best ways to support and encourage professionals working with families to
identify and intervene earlier to safeguard children and young people at risk of harm,
including working with families who have refused to engage with or accept help from social
workers, despite exhibiting clear signs of need.
34 The Children’s Rights Director for England has a statutory duty to ascertain the views of
children in care, receiving social care services, or living in boarding or residential schools or
colleges. Earlier this year, he published a report giving children’s views on their own rights
and responsibilities. The children’s right scored highest of all by children was the right to be
protected from abuse. Other rights that were scored highest by the children and young people
were, the right not to suffer discrimination, the right not to be treated in a way that is cruel or
meant to make a child feel bad about themselves, and the right not to be bullied. Children also
placed taking responsibility for their own safety fourth in their list of their own responsibilities. 
35 The Director publishes a programme of consultations and reports each year. Over the past
year, reports have been published on children’s experiences of living in particular settings
such as children’s homes, secure units, residential special schools and residential further
education colleges, and on children’s experience of prejudice. Current consultation work for
publication includes the experience of admission into care and prevention of admission,
experience of being a ‘corporate child’, and children’s experiences of fairness and
unfairness. Consultation work by the Director feeds directly into national and local policy; all
children’s views reports are sent to Government ministers and opposition spokespersons, to
local councils, and to Ofsted. Many consultations and reports are carried out specifically to
feed children’s views on the development of national policy, for example, children’s
proposals fed into the development of planning, placement and review regulations under
the Children and Young Persons Act 2008.
36 Many LSCBs are also prioritising work to ensure that children and young people have the
opportunity to influence service provision. Examples include an independent chair of a LSCB
12 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

appearing before the Youth Parliament to answer questions on the Board’s work and LSCBs
that have established children and young people’s shadow safeguarding boards.
37 Nowhere is it more important that the voice of the child is heard than where there are
concerns about their welfare and safety. The revised Working Together to Safeguard
Children guidance includes specific references to the child being seen alone, where
appropriate, by the lead social worker. Further it requires that the social worker records
when the child is seen and if seen alone.
38 There are other groups of children whose voice may be at risk of not being heard. The
support provided for children who are not yet in need of specialist services but who are
nonetheless vulnerable is critical. Too often their needs can rapidly escalate if they do not
get the support they need.
39 The forthcoming paper on Early Intervention is designed to help Children’s Trust Boards as
they think through how to improve their early intervention arrangements in developing new
Children and Young People’s Plans. Many areas are already making good progress with early
intervention. Effective use of the Common Assessment Framework offers a mechanism to
enable professionals to share and lead interventions, whilst prioritising those children and
young people most in need of services. Its use, and the subsequent interventions provided,
often by universal services such as schools, are of fundamental importance in ensuring that
such children get the right level of support and, where possible, from a professional who is
already familiar with the child and their family environment. Further reference to common
assessment is made in paragraph 52 of this report.

Inspection and Regulation

40 A rigorous, joined up inspection framework is a key element in ensuring that the local
safeguarding system is safe in every area.

Ofsted
41 To date, over half of local authorities have received an unannounced inspection of their
contact, referral and assessment arrangements by Ofsted. All will have been inspected by
summer 2010. Typically these inspections have provided reassurance that there are safe
and secure systems in place in most local areas. Where aspects of service provision
requiring further improvement have been identified these have often related to issues such
as the analysis of risk of significant harm, delays in allocating cases, timeliness and quality of
assessment, quality of case recording and the effectiveness of supervision. A three year
programme of full inspections of safeguarding and looked after children services, conducted
jointly by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of
Constabulary where appropriate, has been put in place. To date, 15 inspections have been
published.
42 Ofsted has also put improved systems in place to ensure that there is greater and deeper
learning from Serious Case Reviews (SCRs). SCRs will now be shared in confidence with
partner inspectorates and executive summaries with the Association of Chief Police Officers,
Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities, to promote learning. Importantly,
Ofsted will also shortly publish for consultation its revised framework for the evaluation of
 Progress 13

SCRs. It is anticipated that the depth and impact of learning and change will be central
criteria in the judgements as to whether an SCR is adequate.

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

43 New registration arrangements for the NHS from April 2010 (and for the independent sector
in October) will be more focused on ensuring that safeguarding arrangements are in place
and delivering well. CQC has also strengthened its own staffing in this area. Nine regional
safeguarding leads have been appointed to provide advice and support to the field and four
dedicated inspectors (plus a team leader) will bring the complement of staff with specific
safeguarding expertise to 19. A National Adviser post to provide advice and expertise at
senior level has also been created. Central information and helpline staff have also been
fully trained in the identification of safeguarding alerts, and they have access to appropriate
advice and support from within the team. CQC, working jointly with Ofsted, also participate
in the integrated inspections of safeguarding and looked after children, and detailed
findings are shared with local health partners and contribute to assessment of compliance
with regulation of provided services.
44 In July 2009, CQC published the report of its review of arrangements in the NHS for
safeguarding children8 (commissioned by the Department of Health from its predecessor
body, the Healthcare Commission). The review found that most NHS Trusts had the right
people and systems in place for safeguarding children, but also identified areas where
further improvement was required. Work is now underway within the NHS to address these
issues and CQC will monitor improvement, and link this to the Essential Standards9.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC)

45 HMIC has introduced a more structured system for the inspection of specialist police work,
including the work of Child Abuse Investigation Units. Child protection and safeguarding sits
within the wider role of Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP). Each Police Force was graded
on PVP in 2007 and a ‘lessons learned’ report from this inspection was published in 2008.
PVP, as part of the suite of ‘Protective Services’, will be subject to examination and analysis
in spring 2010. This is expected to generate targeted fieldwork to feed into the Police
Report Card (previously known as Rounded Assessment) for 2010-2011. In addition, a
revised inspection framework for PVP has been developed and, subject to agreement, the
child protection element of this will be also be piloted this spring.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMI Probation)

46 The Chief Inspector of Probation has consistently promoted the inspection of the
safeguarding and public protection aspects of both Probation and Youth Offending work.
New inspection programmes started in 2009, which continue and further develop this
approach. With both programmes:

8 Safeguarding Children – A review of arrangements in the NHS for Safeguarding Children – http://www.cqc.org.uk/
publications.cfm?fde_Id=12694
9 Essential Standards of Quality and Safety – CQC December 2009 www.cqc.org.uk
14 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

●● the inspection methodology centres on assessing the quality of work done with a
representative sample of cases – how often was the right thing done with the right
individual in the right way at the right time;
●● key criteria are the assessment, planning and management of safeguarding and public
protection work in each individual case; and
●● an inspection of cases is carried out in every area of England and Wales at least once
every three years.
47 Each of the new inspections of Youth Offending work since April 2009 has included the
award of a highly visible ‘safeguarding score’.

Supporting the Frontline

48 People working at the front line deserve our total support and continuous encouragement.
They are making the most important decisions on a day to day basis about the lives of
children and young people. Effective safeguarding and child protection rely on social
workers, police, GPs, paediatricians, nurses, health visitors, teachers, court staff and many
others working cohesively together for the good of children and young people.

Information sharing
49 Effective information sharing between professionals is an essential feature of working
together. The cross-Government Information Sharing Guidance, Information Sharing:
Guidance for practitioners & managers provides a clear, up to date and sound framework.
In addition, the Embedding information sharing toolkit, published in January 2010, focuses
on the organisational and cultural aspects of embedding good practice in information
sharing. It describes activities that are specifically designed to address the key barriers and
drivers of effective information sharing and presents real examples of these activities from
local areas. The guidance, toolkit and other supporting materials are available at www.dcsf.
gov.uk/everychildmatters/informationsharing.
50 What happens at local level to support good information sharing is vitally important. Local
areas need to address all relevant aspects of governance, strategy, process and front-line
delivery. Practitioners must have confidence in the ongoing support of their managers and
organisations and have sources of good local advice they can draw upon. Many areas are
achieving this by establishing clear information sharing policies, by training, and through
other means, such as the appointment of information sharing champions across the various
professions. National support for this work will continue, including stronger messages
across all government departments to reinforce the importance of good and appropriate
information sharing. DCSF has been working closely with the Department of Health to
develop a leaflet with a very specific focus on health, children’s centres and information
sharing, to address some of the key issues practitioners have raised in this area. The leaflet
will be based upon, and will complement, the existing cross-Government guidance on
information sharing and is for all staff working in, and with, children’s centres. The content
has been through a rigorous consultation exercise with a wide range of interested parties
and has received very positive feedback from key health stakeholders and practitioners. The
leaflet will also be accompanied by a practical toolkit produced by Together for Children.
 Progress 15

An example of how one organisation is championing information sharing, and building

information sharing principles into their organisational governance is Devon Children’s
Trust.
The Devon Children’s Trust Board has established a framework that sets out the core
objectives and standards for sharing information related to children, young people and
families to which all partners subscribe.
The objectives of this framework are:
●● to produce an effective and practical Children’s Trust Information Sharing framework
for Devon;
●● to provide guidance and training for practitioners in order to support them to share
information appropriately and improve outcomes for children and young people; and
●● to provide consistent guidelines to practitioners working with children and young
people in Devon.
The top-level document in the framework is primarily concerned with the exchange of
personal information across the partnership. It includes core objectives and standards
related to:
●● sharing of personal information where decisions have to be made on a case-by-case
basis;
●● pre-planned sharing of personal information for specific purposes;
●● storage, retention and disposal of personal information;
●● subject access requests;
●● handling of complaints; and
●● review of the framework.
The framework is complemented by a Practitioner Guide (based on the cross-Government
information sharing guidance) that aims to improve practice by giving practitioners
clearer guidance on when and how they can share information legally and professionally,
using training and sources of advice on information sharing in each of the partner
organisations. There is also a leaflet for children and young people, and a series of
agreements supporting pre-planned sharing of information about children, young people
and their families for specific purposes.

51 ContactPoint, a national online directory for people who work with children and young
people, continues to be implemented. Practitioner training and use of the system began in
the ‘Early Adopters’ in May 2009, and across England from October 2009, building up use
according to local plans. Local authorities are working with partner organisations to support
them through implementation. Practitioners using ContactPoint are positive and report that
they are already seeing benefits from its use, including better communication and more
integrated working across children’s services. The recently published ContactPoint: Lessons
Learned from the Early Adopter Phase, available at www.dcsf.gov.uk/ecm/contactpoint
provides further details.
16 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

Consultant Paediatrician: ‘ContactPoint was a very easy tool to use. It allowed me to

rapidly access relevant information about a child for whom there was suspected
non‑accidental injury. This information was invaluable in supporting further management
of the case and the whole process took less than five minutes, whereas previously a lot of
time would have been spent making phone calls and trying to track people down for
information.’
Education Welfare Officer: ‘From my experience, ContactPoint is already proving to be an
important tool to help ensure that children and young people get the support they need in
a timely, joined-up way. As an education welfare officer it is essential that I have the best
possible information available about the children I work with. In each case where I have
used ContactPoint, I have been able to quickly get in touch with the right people.
More importantly, the children received the support they required.’

Common Assessment Framework

52 The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is promoted in statutory guidance. Local
authorities and Children’s Trust partners including schools, primary and community health
services have been implementing and refining the processes and practices around its use
since April 2006. Evidence shows that there is variation in the way common assessment is
used locally and there is a need for clarity about its relationship and purpose alongside
other types of assessments for children and young people. The Department for Children,
Schools and Families has responded to the need for greater consistency and clarity in the
use of common assessment, setting out some standard principles for assessment, National
CAF Process Standards for Children’s Trusts. The Department has also developed a National
Quality Framework for the CAF process in the form of guidance and tools. This is intended to
support local Children’s Trusts in introducing arrangements to ensure that the common
assessment process is being administered to a high standard across all children’s services
(including Sure Start Children’s Centres, schools, primary and community health services
and voluntary sector organisations). For information on the Quality Framework see www.
dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/resources-and-practice/IG00662/. To further support the
consistent and effective use of the CAF, a new electronic system – National eCAF – is being
introduced in a steady and incremental way and will initially be made available in six ‘Early
Adopter’ organisations on 22 March 2010. National eCAF is not limited to operating within
single local authority areas and will therefore help practitioners and services work more
effectively across borders, which has particular benefits for families who receive services
from more than one local authority area or who move home.
53 We recognise, however, that we need to do more to ensure that common assessment is
used consistently across the Children’s Workforce and Children’s Trusts. We are establishing
a working group on early support and intervention, and will ask it to advise on how we can
construct efficient and effective early identification and assessment of additional needs
across the universal and targeted services of local Children’s Trusts.
 Progress 17

Hull City Council CAF Team

The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a key part of delivering frontline services
that are integrated and focused around the needs of children and young people. Used
effectively, the CAF can:
●● improve integrated working by promoting coordinated service provision;
●● improve responses to children and young people who do not require formal child
protection services but who are vulnerable and/or’ in need’; and
●● identify and target the most appropriate and effective services to address the needs
of the child or young person.
Good system design incorporating the benefits of CAF can increase the efficiency and
capacity of staff and, ultimately, lead to better outcomes.
Hull City Council, like many local authorities, has established a CAF Team, which is
co-located with the Children’s Social Services Central Duty Team, meaning it is available
for quick, on-site consultation relating to individual cases and joint visits to children and
families. Because of this close working, enquiries to the Central Duty Team do not always
generate a formal referral, given the signposting and advice that CAF workers are able to
provide both to callers and colleagues.

Integrated Children’s System

54 Following the Social Work Task Force (SWTF) advice about the Integrated Children’s System
(ICS) in May 2009, the DCSF changed its approach to the regulation of IT systems in
children’s social work, introducing greater flexibility. It has embarked on a programme of
support to local authorities to take ownership of their own systems, including working with
expert social workers and their managers to develop guidance for local authorities about
how their computer systems can be simplified and how usability can be improved. Two sets
of simplifications and guidance were issued by the DCSF, shortly to be followed by another.
As set out in Building a Safe and Confident Future: Implementing the recommendations of
the Social Work Task Force, published today, the ICS improvement programme will continue
in 2010-11, supported by a £15 million grant to local authorities for further improvement to
local systems.

Police
55 The National Police Protective Services Board (NPPSB), which reports directly to the
National Policing Board, is driving the work programme to ensure that all police forces
deliver effective protective services for the public. These are often services that are less
visible to the public but are crucial to ensuring that local communities are protected from
a wide range of potential threats such as organised crime or major crime.
56 The NPPSB has prioritised a focus on improving the policing approach to child protection
and has commissioned ACPO to develop a child protection delivery plan. The plan, which
will be finalised in spring 2010, will be led and owned by ACPO and will focus on the police
contribution to child protection.
18 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

57 ACPO has undertaken a wide consultation process in developing the plan. The plan
considers what measures can be put in place on a national, regional and local level to
improve the police response and equip officers to better protect children. The plan will help
to ensure the police are fully equipped to perform their key role in safeguarding children
and will support improvements to leadership, resourcing, and police training and
awareness.
58 The plan also attempts to provide synergy between a number of areas of work going on
within other agencies, such as HMIC, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
(CEOP) and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), all of which have an interest
in the delivery of child protection within policing. ACPO has considered those areas
highlighted in Lord Laming’s report that the service can build upon, for example, the need
for tailored training for officers working in specialist units. Good progress has been made on
the provision of training for specialist staff and senior police leaders by the NPIA.
59 The outcomes of the delivery plan will go forward to inform force child protection policy
and practice. This, along with the recently revised ACPO Guidance on Investigating Child
Abuse and Safeguarding Children provides a comprehensive toolkit for forces to incorporate
into practice. The revised guidance, which supports the multi-agency approach in Working
Together to Safeguard Children, was published by NPIA and ACPO in November 2009 and is
available at www.npia.police.uk/en/14532.htm
60 The Government has also announced its intention to place CEOP on a statutory footing,
with formal non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) status and the inclusion of the
national lead for missing and abducted children within its remit. This commitment reflects
the importance the Government attaches to this area of work. CEOP will be key to the
delivery of the improvements proposed within the police child protection delivery plan.
Good progress is also being made on the protection of children living in households where
there is domestic violence. The commitments in the Together We Can End Violence against
Women and Girls Strategy published by the Home Office in November 2009, include the
intention to ensure that there is a Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) in
every geographic area by 2011. MARACs are multi-agency meetings which have the safety
of high risk victims of domestic abuse as their focus. They provide an important vehicle to
ensure the protection of children living in those households. In the 12 months to September
2009, for example, over 33,000 cases were brought to a MARAC with over 46,000 children
considered in the safety planning as well. By 2011, the intention is for MARACs to be
protecting at least 50,000 victims a year, with these victims supported by Independent
Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). However more needs to be done to ensure that the
needs and safety of children are carefully considered and appropriately actioned by every
MARAC and that there are effective working relationships between MARACs and LSCBs. In
furtherance of this objective, the NSDU will be working with the National MARAC Steering
Group partners to identify improvement priorities and to engage and work well with local
areas.
 Progress 19

Case study: Blackpool Multi-Agency Risk Assessment

Conference (MARAC)
Hannah is a 15 year old girl who was referred to the Children’s Independent Domestic
Violence Adviser (IDVA) service following the domestic abuse she witnessed between her
mother and her mother’s former partner. Following a number of incidents Hannah felt
unsafe within her own home. Hannah was also experiencing conflict with other children
in school. Hannah’s mother was being supported by an Independent Domestic Violence
Advisor and requested support from a Children’s IDVA for her daughter. The CIDVA
arranged for the Schools Learning Mentor to have regular support sessions at school
during which Hannah discussed emotions/experiences, identified her support network
and arranged a safety plan. Hannah then went on to participate in a 5 week confidence
and self-esteem building group. During the one to one sessions and the group activities
Hannah has developed an increased awareness of domestic abuse. She has grown in
confidence from having the opportunity to talk about her experiences and from mixing
with other young people who have had similar experiences to herself. She has also
formed positive relationships with a group of girls in school. Hannah says that she feels
safer within her own home as she is aware of ways in which she can keep herself safe.
Hannah’s mother commented, ‘I would like to thank you for all your work with my
daughter. She has benefitted tremendously from the work done and now has the
confidence to face life again after all we have been through’

Health
61 Following the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) review of safeguarding arrangements in the
NHS in England, the Chief Executive of the NHS, David Nicholson, wrote to NHS chief
executives in December 2008 and again in July 2009 asking all Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)
and Trust Boards to assure themselves that they have robust arrangements in place in
relation to child safeguarding, setting out a list of minimum arrangements for assurance.
Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts, wrote in parallel to NHS
Foundation Trusts. Department of Health meetings with each Strategic Health Authority
(SHA) in the autumn suggest that there has been a significant focus on and challenge to
safeguarding in PCTs over the last year. All SHAs now have an assurance framework in place
and all NHS organisations have been asked to publish a statement of compliance with the
assurance requirements on their website.
62 There has also been progress on specific themes highlighted in Lord Laming’s report.
The Action on Health Visiting Programme, developed jointly by DH and the Community
Practitioners and Health Visitors Association (CPHVA), has led the response to Lord Laming’s
challenges to strengthen the confidence, competence and capacity of the health visiting
workforce. Through extensive engagement with the profession and across the NHS, the
programme has made good progress in raising the profile of the profession; defining five
key dimensions of the health visitor’s role, including working with vulnerable families and
protecting children; disseminating good practice; and promoting health visiting as a career.
Action in hand on professional development includes support for clinical development with
a new e-learning programme for the Healthy Child Programme, and investment in clinical
leadership fellowships, with health visitors as a priority. Initiatives to build capacity include
action on recruitment, retention and return to practice.
20 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

63 In parallel, health visiting capacity for safeguarding was discussed with each Strategic Health
Authority during DH/SHA meetings on safeguarding in autumn 2009 and SHAs set out plans
to strengthen capacity in a sustainable way where needed. To reinforce this, the Secretary
of State for Health has introduced a new requirement, confirmed in the NHS Operating
Framework for 2010-11, for PCTs and SHAs to monitor health visitor numbers and caseload
sizes from April 2010.
64 Improving information sharing in Accident and Emergency (A&E) Departments and other
urgent care settings has been another focus for attention. The CQC’s review published in
July 2009 covered policies and systems in A&E, including systems for checking whether a
child is the subject of a child protection plan, and systems for flagging where there were
safeguarding concerns about a child. These issues were further followed up as part of the
process of SHA and board assurance set in train following the CQC report. The Department
of Health is also working with NHS Connecting for Health and urgent care clinicians on
proposals for better IT systems support for information sharing in A&E and other urgent
care settings.
65 Staff development and support has been an important theme on which DH has worked
closely with the professions. The roles of designated and named health professionals for
safeguarding children are of fundamental importance. A range of support has been put in
place to help them. All SHAs have commissioned safeguarding leadership programmes for
designated and named professionals and some have also extended these programmes to
staff in other groups. Where these programmes have been evaluated, the feedback has
been very positive. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is working to
explore the potential benefits and feasibility of developing more formal, managed clinical
networks for child protection. The professional learning for health professionals in their
initial training is also significant. The Department of Health has led a review of safeguarding
training for NHS staff, working closely with NHS and professional leaders. The review
identified a need for greater clarity about what training should be received and how
frequently. In response, the Department will work with its partners to produce a training
matrix which describes learning outcomes, maps existing training courses, and outlines
training pathways for different professional groups. The Royal Colleges have also agreed to
update existing intercollegiate guidance on roles and competencies for health care staff in
safeguarding children.

Portsmouth Primary Care Trust

Portsmouth City Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) have developed a handbook for
practitioners ‘Safeguarding Children, Everyone’s responsibility’ which has been circulated
to all staff as a practical tool to help them in delivering the PCT’s vision and policies for
safeguarding children and young people in Portsmouth. It emphasises the importance of
focusing on the needs of the child, answers some typical questions that may occur to
health professionals when they suspect that a child is at risk of harm and provides
sources of additional help. It is available at www.dcsf.gov.uk/nsdu
66 The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the British Medical Association (BMA)
wrote to all GPs in autumn 2009 to raise the profile of child protection training.
The Department of Health wrote in parallel to all PCTs to remind them of the requirements
to support child protection training. GPs who wish to provide services to NHS patients are
required to apply to join a ‘Performers List’ maintained by their local PCT. Amendments to
 Progress 21

the Performers List Regulations for general practice, are being considered as part of
strengthening the PCT role in ensuring suitability and eligibility of clinicians for the role. The
amendment being considered is to ensure that primary care contractors cannot be included
in the Performers List Regulations unless they are registered with the Independent
Safeguarding Authority.

Social Work Reform10

67 Social workers play a vital role in the delivery of safeguarding children services. They need
to be highly skilled in their interactions with children, young people, their families and
carers, drawing on sound professional understanding of the activities and interventions
which will make a difference. They need to be able to do all of this where possible in
partnership with the children, young people, parent or carers with whom they are working.
At the same time, social workers must be able to make and defend complex professional
judgements about when statutory powers should be used to ensure that children are safe.
They need to be able to listen to children and young people and be able to use the
knowledge and skills of other professionals to support their work. They must also be
resilient in dealing with the emotional impact of routinely engaging with children and
families in distress or crisis, including those families who are resistant to support and
intervention.
68 In May 2009, Government announced a range of initiatives to support the recruitment,
retention and development of children and families’ social workers, underpinned by an
additional £58 million between 2009 and 2011. Since then we have launched our Be the
Difference and Help Give Them a Voice social worker recruitment campaigns which so far
have prompted over 53,000 people to register for information on how to become a social
worker. The expansion of the children and families’ Newly Qualified Social Worker (NQSW)
programme announced in May has also been successful, with 2,000 NQSWs projected to
take part this year. Step Up to Social Work, the new employer-based graduate fast track
route into social work is on track to begin in the autumn and since our Return to Social
Work Scheme was set up last summer, 600 former social workers have registered their
interest in returning to the profession with the scheme.
69 In December 2009, the Social Work Task Force made 15 recommendations for the reforms
that are necessary so that Government, employers and social work educators all fully
support the social work profession and its continued improvement and development.
The Government accepted the Task Force’s recommendations and committed to taking
forward the comprehensive reform programme it proposed. While the work of the Task
Force and its report span both adult and children’s social work, Lord Laming’s specific
recommendations in relation to children’s social work contributed to the Task Force’s
problem analysis and final recommendations, and will be taken forward through that
reform programme. The Government has already established the Social Work Reform Board
to drive the programme, and today publishes its Implementation Plan for Social Work,
Building a Safe and Confident Future: Implementing the recommendations of the Social
Work Task Force which sets out how it will work with the profession, employers,
the regulator, educators and people who use social work services to put these reforms in
place. The plan sets out how a new independent College of Social Work will be established

10 www.dcsf.gov.uk/swrb/
22 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

that will promote a strong culture of professional development, as well as establishing a

powerful voice for the profession.
70 The plan also describes how a new career framework for social workers will be developed
which encourages excellent social workers to stay in frontline practice and is reflected in
pay arrangements. Other elements of the plan include, reviewing the initial training
curriculum and the introduction of an assessed first year in employment for new social
workers with the anticipation that, subject to consultation and parliamentary approval, this
will be in place for 2016. New standards for employers will also be introduced which will
ensure that social workers have manageable workloads and high quality supervision. Over
time and subject to consultation and parliamentary approval, there will also be a move to a
‘licence to practise’ model of regulation which will ensure that the highest standards of
practice are maintained by members of the profession and supported by their employers.
The Government will invest more than £200 million in social work reform and support to
students in 2010–11. In Children’s Services, this includes continuing the Children’s
Workforce Development Council (CWDC) programmes to support recruitment, retention
and remodelling and a £23 million Local Social Work Improvement Fund that local
authorities will be able to access through CWDC to use flexibly in response to local needs
in consultation with practitioners and local safeguarding partners.

The local social work improvement programme

71 It is essential that local authorities have effective systems for responding to contacts and
referrals about possible children in need (including those children and young people who
are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm) and can ensure that all vulnerable children,
young people and families have the right support at the right time. This requires social work
expertise to be deployed well and to best effect and it requires Children’s Trust Boards to
maximise the impact of their shared professional resources. Many local areas are
developing effective ‘initial pathway support’ teams, led by senior social workers with both
qualified and unqualified staff who provide clear signposting and onward referral where
appropriate and who can support robust common assessment in universal services. Such
teams are often multi- disciplinary and include police officers, teachers, housing staff and
health visitors. Key to those that are successful seems to be the presence of a range of staff
with specialist knowledge about housing, education, health and social care, all of whom can
navigate their way through the systems they know well, finding appropriate signposts or
solutions without necessarily deploying statutory social care services. Leadership by a senior
social worker is, however, critical to the assessment and prioritisation of contacts.
72 Lord Laming was clear in his recommendation that good systems should be developed to
manage referrals concerning vulnerable children and young people. To achieve this requires
professional social work assessment and in particular, of the risk factors presented at
contact and referral. But not all cases will require a statutory social care service or response.
Prioritising well means that resources can be used most effectively. This approach will be
fundamental in establishing consistent high quality early support in order to help children
and young people at the right time but also ensuring that local social work teams are able
to be effective where the need is greatest.
 Progress 23

Improvement, Learning and Change

Regional support
73 Regional Government Offices, working with regional partners including SHAs, have a vital
role in supporting and challenging local area safeguarding priorities for improvement.
Support currently ranges from advice and challenge on the terms of reference and follow-
up to Serious Case Reviews; support before and after inspection; the facilitation of regional
partnerships and safeguarding networks; and direct support to LSCBs. The new and
increased Safeguarding Adviser capacity in Government Offices will help to improve the
impact of this work. Safeguarding Advisers work as part of the NSDU and, from April this
year, will support the delivery of national, as well as regional, safeguarding priorities.

Serious Case Reviews

74 SCRs are an important part of learning lessons following the death of, or serious incident
involving, a child or young person where abuse or neglect is known or suspected to have
been factors. Lord Laming made a number of recommendations to further develop the
process of SCRs to strengthen their impact. As a result, the relevant chapter of the statutory
guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children has been revised and places increased
emphasis on learning and improvement. It makes clear that executive summaries should
accurately reflect the full overview report and include information about the review
process, key issues arising from the report, the recommendations and the action plan. The
full revised Working Together guidance published alongside this report clarifies further the
requirements for executive summaries and makes clear that LSCB annual report should
include progress updates on actions taken in response to current and recent SCRs. A
template for executive summaries is at Annex B.
75 There are many examples where local areas are acting on the learning from Serious Case
Reviews:
24 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

●● The Fire Service in East Sussex are running a campaign on fire prevention as a result of
issues raised in a SCR. Research conducted locally by Brighton University indicated that
approximately one in nine households experience a fire in the home caused by children
(though many of these are not reported or result in the Fire & Rescue Service being
called). Under the banner of ‘learning not burning’ a local radio station is broadcasting a
series of advertisements for two weeks to promote the scheme. Information is also
available on line and a confidential email and telephone hotline have also been created.
The aim is to encourage more people to seek help so that issues can be identified and
resolved at an early stage. The campaign will be evaluated to assess its impact.
●● Portsmouth LSCB ran a creative awareness raising campaign offering advice to parents
and carers about the potential risks of co-sleeping. The campaign was carried out as a
result of issues raised in SCRs. This was an excellent example of multi-agency working
between midwifery services and health visiting and multi-agency working to progress the
awareness raising campaign. It involved the development of clinical guidance, advice
leaflets for parents and carers, information posters and the production of printed bibs
with safe sleeping messages for all children born in Portsmouth. Since this campaign the
number of child deaths due to overlay in Portsmouth has reduced to zero.
●● Reading LSCB made use of an Overview Author and a Headteacher to feed back learning
to local schools from a SCR relating to an older child. They are also undertaking an
impact assessment with their partner agencies to ensure that there is evidence of
change in practice and outcomes for children as a result of implementing the lessons
from SCRs.
●● Oxfordshire LSCB has led some work on closer working with the Multi-Agency Public
Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in the local area as a result of learning from a SCR.
The report from MAPPA was used within the process as an IMR which ensured that
their review was fully integrated into the SCR process. This has led to strategic MAPPA
Board of Thames Valley and the Oxfordshire LSCB developing a closer understanding of
working practices in each area. One of the outcomes is a conference led by SMB on
Safeguarding in MAPPA to be held in July 2010 where these lessons can be shared across
the South East region.
76 Securing good SCR authors and panel chairs is also essential. The NSDU has been leading on
the development of a national training programme for SCR overview report authors and
panel chairs. Pilots have already begun following a successful tendering process. The
regional Government Offices, in partnership with local LSCBs, and regional improvement
partners have also already co-ordinated training to Individual Management Review authors.
Discussions will continue about the future training needs of the sector.
77 The NSDU has also commissioned research from the University of Warwick to understand
what more needs to be done to stimulate learning from serious case and child death
reviews across the safeguarding system for children and young people. It is also
commissioning separate work to identify when, and under what circumstances, varying
methodologies could be used when undertaking SCRs, to assist with the effective learning
of lessons.
78 Recurring circumstances in the death or serious injury of children and young people, include
adult substance misuse, domestic violence and the mental ill health of a parent or carer.
Lord Laming emphasised the importance of identifying these vulnerable children early on
 Progress 25

and ensuring that services working with the adults make appropriate referrals to children’s
social care services. Progress has already been made, including the revision of the Working
Together guidance, the Home Office strategy on Violence against Women and Girls11; the
protective policing reforms; the national focus on the quality of health visiting and
preventative services that can intervene early. NSDU aims to continue to support
improvement through its learning and change priority and the planned ‘intervening early’
programme for 2010.

Solution Focused Therapy and other research

79 The executive summary published in May 2009 of the SCR on the case of Baby Peter
undertaken by Haringey Safeguarding Children Board raised concerns about the use of
Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) within the context of child protection. NSDU has
commissioned a systematic review of the research findings on the effectiveness of this
method of intervention which will be completed by autumn 2010.
80 The Government has also commissioned a full programme of research into safeguarding,
child protection and assessment, the details of which are at www.dcsf.gov.uk/nsdu. NSDU
will be working with stakeholders to consider how best to disseminate the findings from
this research and support their application in practice.

Child neglect
81 Many practitioners and much recent research (including SCRs) also raise the issue of long
term child neglect. NSDU and the DCSF have therefore jointly commissioned new training
resources for practitioners and managers to support their work with children and families,
where children are being or are likely to be neglected. The training resources are designed
to provide support for practice, and to help professionals understand their responsibilities
when undertaking assessments, and when intervening in circumstances where there is
concern about child neglect. These training resources are due for completion in early 2011.
In addition, NSDU has recently published a practitioner’s guide for use when working with
neglected adolescents. This is available at www.dcsf.gov.uk/nsdu/research.shtml.

Safeguarding data
82 Access to high quality data is fundamental in supporting planning, performance and
improvements for safeguarding. Some local areas have made good progress in their use of
existing data but others would welcome further support on improving the data that is
available to them. This includes considering comprehensive data that will help inform an
understanding of need and create a better local understanding of safeguarding performance
across the breadth of the Children's Trusts Board. It is also important that we develop ways
of understanding the experiences of children, young people and their families, and of
everyone working in the system about the strengths and areas for development in
safeguarding and child protection. Nationally, data in respect of safeguarding children and
young people must also improve. Further information about this priority area for NSDU is
referenced in paragraph 91 of this report.

11 www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/vawg-strategy-2009
26

3. Challenges and Moving

Forward

83 As this report illustrates, priority is being given to safeguarding and child protection across
Government. New solutions are also being sought in answer to increases in demand, at a
time when resources are becoming more difficult to obtain.
84 NSDU has been created to support the system, nationally, regionally and locally as it
develops its improvement priorities. The Unit will learn from what is and is not working and
will help to encourage innovation. It will stay tightly focused on the needs of children,
young people and their carers. The work programme for the Unit over the next two years is
designed around six priority areas which have been established with the close involvement
of national stakeholders, partnership network colleagues and front line practitioners. There
is still work to do to design and fill in the detail in partnership with stakeholders, but we
remain convinced that support in these areas will make a difference. With the help of
regional and local leaders there are positive opportunities ahead.

‘Do it now, do it right, intervene early’

85 This priority is likely to include support for early work with vulnerable families through
piloting and evaluation of ‘first response’ services. In particular, local responses and support
for children and young people affected by domestic violence, adult mental ill health and/or
substance misuse will be prioritised. Early assessment and intervention are integral to this
programme, as is the concept of ‘front doors’, considering all universal services where
children, young people, their families and carers access services.
86 Additionally this priority will examine:
●● learning from family assessment and early intervention;
●● professional support at the point of contact and referral to local children’s social care
services, including the development of effective common assessment and early
intervention prior to referral to children’s social care; and
●● learning from the ‘Total Place’ pilots, including how to make best use of resources.

Leading well and working together

87 This priority area aims to look more closely at practice improvement through the revised
statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children. Specifically this work
programme area will support:
●● professional safeguarding practice networks in Government Office regions, including
tailored support for designated and named safeguarding professionals;
 Challenges and Moving Forward 27

●● the development of Children’s Trust Boards, their safeguarding responsibilities and

leadership of change;
●● safeguarding, leadership and learning in collaboration with the National College
leadership programme for Directors of Children’s Services and aspirant Directors;
●● leadership, practice and the role of Local Safeguarding Children Boards;
●● a programme of national expert and good practice seminars;
●● a project to support the implementation of ‘best and next practice’, engaging with
families who are not willing or able to accept support and help; and
●● a learning set approach to ‘child centred practice’ and listening to children.

Learning and change

88 The theme of this work area is focused on innovation and learning: for example, finding
ways to change and improve practice through the use of learning from SCRs, Serious
Incident Notifications and interventions that have worked in protecting a child or young
person. It will include learning from inspection, intervention and strengths in the
performance of services. Child Death Overview Panels and their learning and improvement
will also feature as a part of this priority area. There will be an emphasis on peer learning
and support, as well as inter-professional and multi-agency learning opportunities. The work
will also be informed by the findings of the Department of Health’s review of safeguarding
training for NHS staff.
89 Some challenges remain which the NSDU will consider in the year ahead. These include:
●● the need for strong strategic leadership across all central government departments to
prioritise the necessary changes in professional practice that SCRs recommend;
●● better sharing of innovative ideas about early learning from serious incidents which does
not prejudice any judicial or other processes that have started;
●● learning from the most common themes emerging from SCRs and ensuring that any
improvement is well embedded at the frontline and in professional practice;
●● ensuring that the initial training programmes for all safeguarding professionals take
account of the lessons emerging from SCRs; and
●● finding mechanisms for learning which use local leadership capacity more effectively and
which really improve professional practice.
28 The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

Regional improvement and support

90 Additional resource for safeguarding advisory capacity in regional Government Offices
provides new opportunities to ensure that local areas are able to access the improvement
support and challenge they require. The new Safeguarding Advisers have specialist skills and
knowledge of safeguarding and have worked in a senior capacity within local services. They
work on behalf of NSDU as an integral part of the Children and Learner Teams in Government
Offices. In doing so, they work alongside the new Children and Learner Strategic Advisers
(CLSAs) and wider cross sector teams within the region who have a role and interest in
safeguarding. A description of the role of Safeguarding Advisers in the Government Offices is
available at www.dcsf.gov.uk/nsdu and a summary is at Annex C. This area of the NDSU work
programme will also support the further development of improvement and change networks
in the region, encouraging alignment with existing improvement partners. Some Strategic
Health Authorities (SHAs) have developed safeguarding improvement teams or are taking
other action to share good practice. They are doing this in close collaboration with regional
Government Office staff and the networks will continue to align closely with regional health
colleagues. Specific projects integral to this priority area include:
●● regional Serious Case Review integrated learning clinics;
●● regional and local needs assessment seminars; and
●● regional learning from inspection and intervention.

Understanding need, performance and data

91 The importance of an effective and robust needs assessment was emphasised in Lord Laming’s
report. A good understanding of the needs of children, young people, families and carers is
the basis upon which local priorities and Children and Young People’s Plans are agreed.
Management information about current and potential demand, alongside data about
performance, impact and outcomes, is fundamental to planning and prioritisation. The
national and regional data are also an important element of planning and improvement.
In the year ahead, NSDU intends to:
●● support the development of local needs assessments, ensuring their alignment with the
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for every local area;
●● work to support local areas in developing their own performance monitoring systems
informed by national indicators as well as other local measures that are useful for their
own locality and particular services; and
●● support the development of national targets and indicators alongside better national data
with a focus on measuring impact and difference in safeguarding outcomes and the
performance of services.
 Challenges and Moving Forward 29

Confidence and trust in the safeguarding system

92 The circumstances in which professionals undertake their safeguarding responsibilities remain
challenging, as we know. In the year ahead, NSDU intends to prioritise work to support
improved public and professional confidence in the system. Integral to this is ensuring that
children and young people remain absolutely central to all safeguarding improvement. One
option NSDU is considering is the establishment of a ‘young NSDU’, working with some of our
voluntary sector partners to get a good representation of children and young people from
across the country to help the work of the Unit. Further possible options to support this
priority area include:
●● establishing a network of new lay members from LSCBs. Such a network could offer
considerable potential for learning, in addition to providing a forum for advice and support;
and
●● seeking out local areas where there is community engagement with safeguarding priorities
and reviewing the impact and difference that this can make.
93 The NSDU looks forward to working with partners nationally, regionally and locally to progress
this important programme of work in the year ahead.
Annex A: The Government’s Response

30
The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On
to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58
Recommendations

Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation

Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
1 The Home Secretary and the Secretaries These four Departments are committed to working In order to establish, implement and monitor explicit strategic
of State for Children, Schools and together on strategic priorities for the front line priorities for the protection of children and young people a Ministerial
Families, Health and Justice must and will ensure effective co-ordination through a sub-group of the Cabinet’s Families, Children and Young People Sub-
collaborate in the setting of explicit new Ministerial sub-group and the new cross- Committee was set up in July 2009. This sub-group has overseen the
strategic priorities for the protection of Government National Safeguarding Delivery Unit establishment of a National Safeguarding Delivery Unit (NSDU, see
children and young people and reflect (see Rec 2). recommendation 2), the publication of the NSDU work programme
these in the priorities of frontline and revisions to the statutory guidance Working Together to
services. Safeguard Children. The four Secretaries of State continue to meet
quarterly with the Chief Adviser on the Safety of Children to give
effective, co-ordinated national leadership across the safeguarding
system.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
2 A National Safeguarding Delivery Unit be We announced on 12 March the appointment of The NSDU became operational on 1 July 2009 to oversee the
established to report directly to the Sir Roger Singleton to the new role of Chief Adviser implementation of Lord Laming’s recommendations for the protection
Cabinet Sub-Committee on Families, on the Safety of Children. Sir Roger will advise the of children. Working with the new Chief Adviser on the Safety of
Children and Young People. It should Government on the effective implementation of Children, the NSDU continues to focus on national safeguarding
have a remit that includes: policy and report annually to Parliament on priorities, working with central, regional and local partners.

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

safeguarding progress, including the delivery of the
●● working with the Cabinet Sub- The NSDU has established a Partnership Network to ensure its work is
recommendations from Lord Laming’s report as set
Committee on Families, Children and firmly rooted in what is happening at the frontline and to pursue
out in this action plan.
Young People to set and publish specific issues impacting on effective frontline safeguarding practice.
challenging timescales for the Sir Roger took up this new role, which is a three The Unit will continue to work with this Network in 2010-11. An
recommendations in this report; year appointment, on 1 April 2009. He will submit Interim Progress Report & Work Programme was published on 18
his first report to Parliament in April 2010. December 2009 and the priorities for the year ahead are set out in the
●● challenging and supporting every
main narrative to this report.
Children’s Trust in the country to To assist him in his new role, Sir Roger is
implement recommendations within establishing a new Chief Adviser’s Expert Group. The Chief Adviser’s Expert Group was established in May 2009. The
the agreed timescales, ensuring Group operates largely virtually and has met formally twice, in
The Chief Adviser will work with Government to
improvements are made in leadership, October 2009 and March 2010. The Group has most recently
establish a cross-Government National
staffing, training, supervision and supported the Chief Adviser in producing his first annual report. A full
Safeguarding Delivery Unit (NSDU) to give strong,
practice across all services; list of Group members can be found at www.dcsf.gov.uk/singleton/
co-ordinated national leadership across the system.
expertgroup.shtml.
●● raising the profile of safeguarding and
With expert staff from DCSF, Home Office, the
child protection across children’s In addition, the Chief Adviser has maintained regular contact with
Department of Health, the Ministry of Justice, local
services, health and police; safeguarding professionals, through visits to local authorities, NHS
agencies and the voluntary sector, the Unit will
services, police forces and Her Majesty’s Court Services to inform his
●● supporting the development of provide support and challenge to local authorities,
annual report published on 17 March 2010.
effective national priorities on promote dynamic learning and good practice
safeguarding for all frontline services, development, including through sector-led The NSDU has reported regularly to the new Ministerial subgroup.
and the development of local approaches, and act as a bridge between national
performance management to drive policy development and local implementation. The
these priorities; Unit will also support the development of explicit
strategic priorities, and related national targets,
where appropriate, for the protection of children

31
 32
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

●● leading a change in culture across and young people for frontline services. Regional
frontline services that enables them to Government Office staff will work as part of the
work more effectively to protect National Safeguarding Delivery Unit and will link as
children; appropriate with Strategic Health Authorities and
their networks of professionals.
●● having regional representation with
expertise on safeguarding and child A ‘Partnership Network’ will be established to work
protection that builds supportive with the Unit and the Chief Adviser to pursue
advisory relationships with Children’s specific issues impacting on effective frontline
Trusts to drive improved outcomes for safeguarding practice.
children and young people;
The Unit will publish a detailed work programme
●● working with existing organisations to by September 2009 and will support the Chief
create a shared evidence base about Adviser in preparing his annual progress report to
effective practice including evidence- Parliament on safeguarding progress and on the
based programmes, early intervention implementation of this action plan.
and preventative services;
The Unit will be operational by 1 July 2009.
●● supporting the implementation of the
It will be hosted within the DCSF and will report to
recommendations of Serious Case
the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Families, Children
Reviews in partnership with
and Young People through a new Ministerial sub-
Government Offices and Ofsted, and
group comprising Secretaries of State from DCSF,
put in place systems to learn the
Home Office, Department of Health and the
lessons at local, regional and national
Ministry of Justice which will meet quarterly,
level;
together with the Chief Adviser.
●● gathering best practice on referral and
assessment systems for children
affected by domestic violence, adult
mental health problems, and drugs
and alcohol misuse, and provide advice
to local authorities, health and police
on implementing robust arrangements
nationally; and
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
●● commissioning training on child
protection and safeguarding and on
leading these services effectively for all
senior political leaders and service
managers across those frontline

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

services responsible for safeguarding
and child protection
3 The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Families, The Cabinet Sub-Committee will take regular The DA(FCY) Ministerial sub-group meets quarterly with the Chief
Children and Young People should ensure reports on safeguarding and the new Ministerial Adviser to monitor progress and to consider joint priorities for
that all government departments that sub-group (see Recommendation 2) will meet improvement. A cross-Government programme board comprising
impact on the safety of children take quarterly, with the Chief Adviser, to provide an senior officials, is in place to oversee the implementation of the
action to create a comprehensive even stronger focus. recommendations arising from Lord Laming’s progress report.
approach to children through national
strategies, the organisation of their
central services, and the models they
promote for the delivery of local services.
This work should focus initially on
changes to improve the child-focus of
services delivered by the Department of
Health, Ministry of Justice and Home
Office.
4 The Government should introduce new The Government has brought forward amendments The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, which
statutory targets for safeguarding and to the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and gives the Secretary of State the power to set statutory safeguarding
child protection alongside the existing Learning Bill to allow for the Secretary of State to targets, received Royal Assent in November, shortly after the launch of
statutory attainment and early years amend the set of statutory targets which apply to a consultation exercise on the proposed new safeguarding indicators
targets as quickly as possible. The all areas. The current set of statutory targets and targets in October 2009. This work will now be taken forward as
National Indicator Set should be revised covers early years and school attainment targets part of the forthcoming review of the National Indicator Set.
with new national indicators for and the proposed amendment to the Bill will
safeguarding and child protection extend this to a number of safeguarding targets
developed for inclusion in Local Area within the revised list of indicators. The precise
Agreements for the next Comprehensive number of statutory targets will be decided in the

33
Spending Review. light of further discussion with partners.
 34
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

5 The Department of Health must clarify Work with NHS Chief Executives to clarify The Chief Executive of the NHS, David Nicholson, wrote to NHS chief
and strengthen the responsibilities of accountabilities and management arrangements executives in December 2008 and again in July 2009 asking all Primary
Strategic Health Authorities for the has already begun, following David Nicholson’s Care Trusts (PCTs) and Trust Boards to assure themselves that they
performance management of Primary 1 December 2008 letter to the NHS. We shall build have robust arrangements in place in relation to child protection and
Care Trusts on safeguarding and child on this in alignment as far as possible with work in safeguarding, setting out a list of minimum arrangements for
protection. Formalised and explicit response to Recommendation 4, to develop new assurance available at www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/
performance indicators should be statutory targets and their indicators. Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_102864
introduced for Primary Care Trusts.
Monitor wrote in parallel to NHS Foundation Trusts. All Strategic
Health Authorities (SHAs) now have an assurance framework in place
and Working Together provides statutory guidance on the roles and
responsibilities of SHAs in relation to performance management and
child safeguarding.

Child safeguarding has been included in the core standards for Core
Quality Commission (CQC) registration and the NHS Operating
Framework for 2010–11 requires NHS organisations to continue to
monitor and embed their child protection and safeguarding
arrangements and to build upon these to improve their services and
outcomes for children.
6 Directors of Children’s Services, Chief To be developed as part of revised Working All relevant organisations share a duty in accordance with section 11
Executives of Primary Care Trusts, Police Together to Safeguard Children guidance. of the Children Act 2004 to ensure that their functions are discharged
Area Commanders and other senior with regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of
service managers must regularly review children. The new guidance for Children’s Trusts, also being published
all points of referral where concerns in March, reaffirms the shared responsibilities of statutory partners in
about a child’s safety are received to understanding local need, prioritising against that need and
ensure they are sound in terms of the articulating those priorities in the statutory Children and Young
quality of risk assessments, decision People’s Plan for the local area. Chapter 3 of Working Together to
making, onward referrals and multi- Safeguard Children, published on 17 March 2010, further specifies that
agency working. Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) should keep under review
the volume and sources of contact and referral to local authority
children’s social care services, monitoring the quality and action taken
in response, including feedback to the person making the referral.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
7 All Directors of Children’s Services who This will be included in revised statutory guidance Revised statutory guidance on the Roles and Responsibilities of the
do not have direct experience or on Lead Members and DCSs and reflected in Lead Member for Children’s Services and the Director of Children’s
background in safeguarding and child revised Working Together to Safeguard Children Services (DCS) published in July 2009 highlights the particular
protection must appoint a senior guidance. importance of senior managers working with the DCS having relevant
manager within their team with the skills and experience in child protection and safeguarding. The revised

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

necessary skills and experience. version of Working Together to Safeguard Children, published today,
re-emphasises this important requirement.
8 The Department for Children, Schools C4EO extended programme to include an The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes (C4EO) has hosted national
and Families should organise regular additional strand on Protecting children living in safeguarding workshops for senior leaders across Children’s Trusts as
training on safeguarding and child families where they are at high risk of abuse, harm well as lead members. These are reinforced by an extended
protection and on effective leadership for or neglect for delivery. programme of research briefings. Further such regional workshops,
all senior political leaders and managers focusing on working with families who are difficult to engage, are
Research briefings will be published in early June
across frontline services. taking place in spring 2010.
2009 on C4EO’s website and findings will be
disseminated through four national workshops, to Safeguarding and child protection are reflected in the leadership
take place in June with 600 places available to: programme for serving DCSs being delivered by the National College
Chief Executives, DCSs, Lead Members, Chairs of for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services and will be covered
Local Safeguarding Children Boards, Assistant in the programme for aspirant DCSs which is currently in development.
Directors (Safeguarding); and senior leaders from The NSDU is also working with the College to ensure that there is good
the Children’s Trust partners, such as health and alignment of national improvement priorities for safeguarding and the
the police. influence and experience of local leaders.  

C4EO will also extend the scope of regional

workshops planned for November 2009.

Following C4EO’s programme detailed here, DCSF

and the NSDU will discuss with the Improvement
and Development Agency and the Society of Local
Authority Chief Executives the extent to which this
meets the needs of their members and will develop
further training as appropriate.

35
 36
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

9 Every Children’s Trust should ensure that To be developed in revised Working Together to The Children and Young People’s Plan regulations, and the Children’s
the needs assessment that informs their Safeguard Children guidance and reflected in the Trusts: statutory guidance on co-operation arrangements, including
Children and Young People’s Plan NSDU work programme in which an early priority is the Children’s Trust Board and the Children and Young People’s Plan
regularly reviews the needs of all children expected to be the development of exemplars of also to be published in March, specify the provision of a local needs
and young people in their area, paying needs analyses which draw out clearly the assessment for children and young people as a foundation for the
particular attention to the general need implications for safeguarding children and the statutory Children and Young People’s Plan locally. The needs
of children and those in need of impact on services that need to be provided. assessment should include the safeguarding needs of local children
protection. The National Safeguarding and young people who require safeguarding from harm. The
Delivery Unit should support Children’s safeguarding role for regional Government Offices has been revised
Trusts with this work. Government and makes clear that Safeguarding Advisers alongside the Children and
Offices should specifically monitor and Learners Strategic Advisers, will support and challenge Children’s
challenge Children’s Trusts on the quality Trusts in the development and implementation of robust Children and
of this analysis. Young People’s Plans, which should be informed by robust and
comprehensive needs analysis.
10 Ofsted should revise the inspection and Ofsted have designed the new school inspection The new school inspection framework was implemented on
improvement regime for schools giving framework which will apply from September 2009 1 September 2009. Safeguarding is now a limiting judgement across
greater prominence to how well schools so that it will have a stronger focus on all inspections. All inspectors have been trained against the new
are fulfilling their responsibilities for child safeguarding. The current inspection framework framework. The NSDU in the year ahead plans to support the
protection. already includes a judgement about whether development of a programme which helps schools alongside other
safeguarding arrangements are satisfactory but this Children’s Trust Board partners to develop effective safeguarding
will be strengthened in the new framework with a arrangements.
grading on a scale from 1(outstanding) to
4(inadequate) for a school’s safeguarding
arrangements. Any school which receives a grade
of 4 will also be likely to be awarded an inadequate
grade for its overall performance and will need
therefore to make urgent improvements. These
arrangements will ‘raise the bar’ about the
importance of safeguarding for schools and will
also facilitate the identification and dissemination
of best practice.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
11 The Department for Children, Schools To be reflected in revised Working Together to The revised Chapter 5 of Working Together to Safeguard Children,
and Families should revise Working Safeguard Children guidance. published on 17 March 2010, reiterates the importance of expertise
Together to Safeguard Children to set out and support to manage contact and referrals where there are
clear expectations for all points where concerns about children and young people. Revisions to Chapter 4
concerns about a child’s safety are stress the importance of specialist training for these roles and Chapter

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

received, ensuring intake/duty teams 2 references the local authority’s responsibility to ensure relevant staff
have sufficient training and expertise to receive this high quality training. The revised statutory guidance for
take referrals and that staff have Children’s Trusts also makes clear that the Children’s Trust Board
immediate, on-site support available should ensure that clear arrangements for early intervention are set
from an experienced social worker. Local out in the Children and Young People’s Plan.
authorities should take appropriate
A revised version of What To Do If You Are Worried a Child is Being
action to implement these changes.
Abused, the best practice guidance, will be revised by the summer to
reflect changes in Working Together.
12 The Department of Health and the We shall work with the College of Emergency The CQC’s review of NHS safeguarding arrangements, published in July
Department for Children, Schools and Medicine, representatives of other A&E staff and 2009, included policies and systems in A&E Departments, including
Families must strengthen current other key stakeholders to take forward work to systems for checking whether a child was the subject of a child
guidance and put in place the systems ensure systems, guidance and training protection plan, and systems for flagging where there were
and training so that staff in Accident and arrangements are in place so that all A&E safeguarding concerns about a child. These issues were further
Emergency departments are able to tell if departments are playing their full part in followed up as part of the process of SHA and board assurance set in
a child has recently presented at any identifying and dealing appropriately with children train following the report. NHS Connecting for Health (CfH) has
Accident and Emergency department and at risk. In doing so, we shall consider the undertaken a high level feasibility study looking at NHS-focussed IT
if a child is the subject of a Child information technology options within the solutions for sharing relevant information in A&E and other urgent
Protection Plan. If there is any cause for Department of Health Informatics Directorate and care settings.
concern, staff must act accordingly, co-ordinate this work with our broader look at
The Department of Health is now working with CfH and clinicians to
contacting other professionals, safeguarding training of health professionals and
develop recommendations for the next phase of the work programme,
conducting further medical examinations with the Government’s revision of Working
including preliminary assessment of the resource implications of
of the child as appropriate and necessary, Together to Safeguard Children guidance.
different options. This will also take into account the potential
and ensuring no child is discharged whilst
contribution of ContactPoint within NHS safeguarding requirements.
concerns for their safety or well being
remain.

37
 38
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

13 Children’s Trusts must ensure that all To be reflected in revised Working Together to The revised Chapter 5 of Working Together to Safeguard Children,
assessments of need for children and Safeguard Children guidance. published on 17 March 2010, includes a specific reference to the child
their families include evidence from all being seen, alone when appropriate, by the lead social worker. It also
the professionals involved in their lives, requires that the social worker should record when the child is seen
take account of case histories and alone as well as at other times. It also sets out that assessments of
significant events (including previous children in need, including where it is suspected that a child is
assessments) and above all must include suffering harm, should involve all professionals who are involved with
direct contact with the child. the child and family members. In addition, specialist assessments may
need to be commissioned from, for example, a child and family
psychiatrist or Drug Action and Alcohol Team (DAAT) in order to
inform the decision making process about a child’s safety and welfare.
Working Together to Safeguard Children stresses the importance of
information about the family’s history and functioning being obtained
as part of the assessment process and, in particular, about difficulties
being experienced due to domestic violence, mental illness and
substance misuse.
14 Local authorities must ensure that To be developed further and feed into the revision The Department for Children, Schools and Families will shortly be
‘Children in Need’, as defined by Section of Working Together to Safeguard Children publishing a document on early intervention for vulnerable children
17 of the Children Act 1989, have early guidance. and young people which is designed to contribute to the debate about
access to effective specialist services and what else needs to happen to make early intervention more
support to meet their needs. systematic, coherent, evidence based and cost effective. The revised
version of Working Together to Safeguard Children, published on
17 March 2010, also makes clear the responsibilities of local
authorities in this area.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
15 The Social Work Task Force should We have already introduced guaranteed Building a Safe and Confident Future: Implementing the
establish guidelines on guaranteed supervision for participants in the Newly Qualified recommendations of the Social Work Task Force, the implementation
supervision time for social workers that Social Worker pilot, which will be extended to all plan for social work reform has been published by the Government
may vary depending on experience. entering the profession in statutory and third alongside this report.
sector roles from September this year.

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

In its final report, the Social Work Task Force recommended clear
We welcome the Social Work Task Force’s national requirements for the supervision of social workers and set
commitment to taking forward this out its expectations of the minimum frequency levels of that
recommendation as part of their work to ensure supervision. The implementation plan sets out how Government,
that high quality and effective supervision is employers and the profession will ensure that this is taken forward. As
embedded throughout the social work workforce. a first step, it is important that all employers, together with their
workforce, undertake the organisational health check recommended
The Secretaries of State for Health and Children,
in the Social Work Task Force’s report.
Schools and Families would like the Task Force
particularly to advise about:

●● how much supervision time social workers need,

and;

●● how Government, employers and social workers

can ensure that guidance in relation to
supervision time is fulfilled in practice.

39
 40
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

16 The Department for Children, Schools Guidance on high quality supervision for children Chapter 4 of Working Together to Safeguard Children makes it clear
and Families should revise Working and families’ social workers is critical. Building on that social workers should have appropriate supervision and that it is
Together to Safeguard Children to set out work underway by CWDC on training on effective an important part of the support that employers should provide to
the elements of high quality supervision supervision, as part of the revision of Working social workers. It also reproduces the critical elements of social work
focused on case planning, constructive Together to Safeguard Children guidance, and on supervision which were set out in the Social Work Task Force’s final
challenge and professional development. the advice of the Task Force, the Government will report.
consider the best place for that guidance.
Building a Safe and Confident Future: Implementing the
In addition, through the comprehensive reform recommendations of the Social Work Task force, the implementation
programme for social work the Government wants plan for social work reform published by the Government alongside
to ensure that high quality supervision is supported this report makes it clear how Government, employers and the
by training and development, standards and the profession will ensure that this is taken forward through the Social
structure and the capacity of the workforce. It will Work Reform Programme.
set out how it will do this in the light of the Task
Force’s further advice.
17 The Department for Children, Schools We will work with local authorities to reform the Following the Social Work Task Force’s advice about ICS in May 2009,
and Families should undertake a ICS and to reflect the Social Work Task Force’s the DCSF changed its approach to the regulation of IT systems in
feasibility study with a view to rolling out advice that there should be locally-owned, locally- children’s social work, introducing greater flexibility. It has embarked
a single national Integrated Children’s led systems on the basis of a greatly simplified set on a programme of support to local authorities to take ownership of
System (ICS) better able to address the of national requirements. The Government’s their own systems, including working with expert social workers and
concerns identified in this report, or find approach will be to remove unnecessary and their managers to develop guidance for local authorities about how
alternative ways to assert stronger prescriptive national requirements from the ICS, their computer systems can be simplified and how usability can be
leadership over the local systems and while providing more effective support to local improved.
their providers. This study should be authorities and professionals in commissioning and
Two sets of simplifications and guidance were issued by the DCSF,
completed within six months of this developing high quality local systems.
shortly to be followed by another available at www.dcsf.gov.uk/
report.
everychildmatters/safeguardingandsocialcare/
integratedchildrenssystem/ics/.

As set out in Building a Safe and Confident Future: Implementing the

recommendations of the Social Work Task Force, the ICS improvement
programme will continue in 2010-11, supported by a £15 million grant
to local authorities for further improvement to local systems.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
18 Whether or not a national system is We will take immediate action to: Following the Social Work Task Force advice about the Integrated
introduced, the Department for Children, Children’s System (ICS) in May 2009, the DCSF changed its approach to
●● free up national requirements in relation to the
Schools and Families should take steps to the regulation of IT systems in children’s social work, introducing
ICS. We will authorise local authorities and
improve the utility of the Integrated greater flexibility. It has embarked on a programme of support to local
suppliers, in discussion with professionals, to
Children’s System, in consultation with authorities to take ownership of their own systems, including working

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

remove or revise forms and exemplars in local
social workers and their managers, to be with expert social workers and their managers to develop guidance for
ICS systems, giving them more flexibility to use
effective in supporting them in their role local authorities about how their computer systems can be simplified
their professional judgement in deciding how
and their contact with children and and how usability can be improved. Two sets of simplifications and
they will comply with statutory requirements;
families, partners, services and courts, guidance were issued by the DCSF, shortly to be followed by another.
and to ensure appropriate transfer of ●● support local authorities in implementing Phase As set out in Building a Safe and Confident Future: Implementing the
essential information across 1C of the ICS, while relaxing the deadline to recommendations of the Social Work Task Force, the ICS improvement
organisational boundaries. allow them to focus on fixing problems with programme will continue in 2010-11, supported by a £15 million grant
local systems that they regard as a priority; and to local authorities for further improvement to local systems.
●● improve support to local authorities through
carrying out a usability review of each ICS
product, providing procurement support and
issuing guidance on how the ICS can be used to
support practice.

●● We agree with the Social Work Task Force that,

over time, the ICS should be reformed to reflect
the Task Force’s forthcoming advice on
professional roles, practice and support in social
work. We will therefore work closely with the
Task Force to ensure that happens.

41
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Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

19 The Department for Children, Schools To be reflected in revised Working Together to The revised Chapter 5 of Working Together to Safeguard Children,
and Families must strengthen Working Safeguard Children guidance guidance. published on 17 March 2010, reaffirms that all referrals to local
Together to Safeguard Children, and authority children’s social care about the welfare or safety of children
Children’s Trusts must take appropriate should be met by, or followed up with, a conversation between a
action to ensure: professionally qualified social worker and the referrer. The purpose of
that conversation is to establish the nature of these concerns, how
●● all referrals to children’s services from
and why they have arisen, what appear to be the needs of the child,
other professionals lead to an initial
young person and their family and the nature of the referrer’s
assessment, including direct
involvement with the child and family. In particular, the social worker
involvement with the child or young
needs to identify clearly whether there are concerns about
person and their family, and the direct
maltreatment and whether it may be necessary to take urgent action
engagement with, and feedback to,
to ensure the child or children are safe from harm. The information
the referring professional;
provided at referral and the agreed local authority response is
●● core group meetings, reviews and recorded in the children’s social care electronic records system.
casework decisions include all the
The guidance makes it clear that it is the local authority’s responsibility
professionals involved with the child,
to decide whether to undertake an initial assessment based on the
particularly police, health, youth
information provided by the referrer, other professionals involved
services and education colleagues.
with the child and family and that held in existing children’s social care
Records must be kept which must
records. An initial assessment will be undertaken where there are
include the written views of those who
concerns about a child’s welfare, including that the child is or may be
cannot make such meetings; and
suffering harm, such that this is possibly a child in need under section
●● formal procedures are in place for 17 of the Children Act 1989. Professionals making referrals to
managing a conflict of opinion children’s social care should be provided with feedback on how their
between professionals from different referral is being taken forward. This should happen within one working
services over the safety of a child. day of a referral being received. During an initial assessment the lead
social worker should see and speak to the child, including alone when
appropriate. The guidance also emphasises the importance of all
professionals who are involved with, or have knowledge of, a child and
family, attending core group meetings, reviews and other key decision
making meetings, wherever possible, or alternatively preparing a
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
written report and delegating a colleague to attend and participate on
their behalf.

Chapter 3 sets out that the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)
should consider developing protocols for resolving different

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

professional opinions about a specific case.
20 All police, probation, adult mental health To be reflected in revised Working Together to The revised version of Working Together to Safeguard Children,
and adult drugs and alcohol services Safeguard Children guidance. published on 17 March 2010, states clearly the need for all
should have well understood referral professionals (working in both adult and children’s services) to refer
processes which prioritise the protection their concerns to local authority children’s services in all circumstances
and well-being of children. These should where they believe a child may be suffering, or be likely to suffer
include automatic referral where harm, including, but not exclusive to, circumstances where the source
domestic violence or drug or alcohol of such concerns involve domestic violence, parental drug or alcohol
abuse may put a child at risk of abuse or abuse, mental health difficulties and/or learning disabilities. Local
neglect. agreements and protocols for assessing and managing risk are a
fundamental part of the arrangements put in place to manage such
referrals and are a matter for local Children’s Trust Boards to resolve.
Arrangements for shared common assessment and early support are
also part of the local solutions to this recommendation.

The newly revised Children’s Trusts: statutory guidance on

co-operation arrangements, including the Children’s Trust Board and
the Children and Young People’s Plan requires the Children’s Trust
Board to make an assessment of the local needs of children and to
prioritise those needs in their statutory plans. Vulnerable children
living with violence, the mental ill health of a parent, or a substance
abusing adult, should be included in any analysis of local need and the
local response to that need should be agreed by statutory partners
and prioritised appropriately in the Children and Young People’s Plan.

43
 44
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

21 The National Safeguarding Delivery Unit The NSDU will publish its work programme by Five ‘Think Family’ guidance documents have been produced to
should urgently develop guidance on September 2009 and we expect this guidance to be support local implementation of whole family ways of working and
referral and assessment systems for identified as an early priority. respond to safeguarding concerns.
children affected by domestic violence,
adult mental health problems, and drugs The Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF), Department
and alcohol misuse using current best of Health, National Treatment Agency, alongside the NSDU, have
practice. This should be shared with local jointly published guidance on the development of local protocols
authorities, health and police with an between drug and alcohol treatment services, LSCBs and children and
expectation that the assessment of risk family services.
and level of support given to such Joint DCSF/Ministry of Justice guidance setting out how prisons,
children will improve quickly and probation trusts and children’s and family services should work
significantly in every Children’s Trust. together to better support the children and families of offenders has
also been issued.

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has published guidance,
endorsed by DCSF, that sets out a ‘Think Family’ approach for
professionals working with parents suffering with mental ill health.

The Home Office, DCSF, Association of Chief Police Officers, Youth Justice
Board and National Policing Improvement Agency have also produced
guidance for neighbourhood policing managers and practitioners on early
intervention and prevention to show how this can have a real impact on
reducing crime and anti-social behaviour. The guidance demonstrates the
role the police have to play in ‘Think Family’ service delivery.

The Associations of Directors of Adult and Children’s Services have

published a model local protocol for local authorities to adopt which
sets out how services to support young carers and their families
should work more closely together to address the support needs of
the person being cared as well as the young carers.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
The NSDU interim work programme, published in December 2009, also
prioritises work in this area. The Unit has been working to identify any
gaps in existing guidance on referrals, identify current or emerging
best practice and recommend any further action that will help
Children’s Trusts, professionals and LSCBs to better identify, assess

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

and intervene appropriately to meet the needs of children who may
be suffering harm as a consequence of parental domestic violence,
substance misuse or mental health difficulties. Further work with local
Children’s Trust Boards, health, police and specialist third sector
organisations will continue in 2010–11 as part of the NSDU’s
prioritised work programme to support the improvement of local
professional practice and support for children, young people, their
families and carers.
22 The Department for Children, Schools To be reflected in revised Working Together to The Local Safeguarding Children Boards (Amendment) Regulations
and Families should establish statutory Safeguard Children guidance. Mental Health Trusts 2010 will, from 1 April 2010, require the local authority to take
representation on Local Safeguarding are already statutory members of LSCBs. reasonable steps to ensure representation of schools on LSCBs.
Children Boards from schools, adult Working Together to Safeguard Children reminds LSCBs that the work
mental health and adult drug and alcohol of drug, alcohol and mental health services should already be included
services. in the work of LSCBs through the representation of existing statutory
members.

45
 46
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

23 Every Children’s Trust should assure To be reflected in revised Working Together to The revised version of Working Together to Safeguard Children,
themselves that partners consistently Safeguard Children guidance. published today, includes a new section in Chapter 2 which focuses
apply the Information Sharing Guidance specifically on information sharing and makes it clear that the
published by the Department for Children’s Trust Board has a role in ensuring that all Children’s Trust
Children, Schools and Families and partners follow the Government’s Information Sharing Guidance.
Department for Communities and Local NSDU and DCSF are also working with policy and delivery partners to
Government to protect children. ensure that key messages are reinforced in guidance and
activities around embedding good practice in information sharing are
locally actioned, emphasising the importance of effective information
sharing in both early intervention and safeguarding. To support this
local action, the DCSF, in conjunction with NSDU, has developed a
toolkit of activities designed to address the key organisational and
cultural barriers and drivers of effective information sharing.
24 The Social Work Task Force should: ●● The Government is committed to developing a Building a Safe and Confident Future: Implementing the
supply strategy for social workers in both recommendations of the Social Work Task Force, the implementation
●● develop the basis for a national
children and families social work, and this will plan for social work reform has been published by the Government
children’s social worker supply
form a critical part of the comprehensive reform alongside this report.
strategy that will address recruitment
programme to be set out in the autumn. In the
and retention difficulties, to be In its final report , the Social Work Task Force recommended a single
immediate term, the Government is already
implemented by the Department for nationally recognised career structure which should:
taking a number of actions to address
Children, Schools and Families. This
recruitment and supply challenges in the ●● classify the main stages of a career in social work (from first year
should have a particular emphasis on
workforce, including: student onwards);
child protection social workers;
●● a national marketing and recruitment campaign ●● make clear the expectations that should apply to social workers at
●● work with the Children’s Workforce
to launch later this year; each of these stages;
Development Council and other
partners to implement on a national ●● a Return to Social Work Scheme to support ●● link eventually to a national framework for Continuing Professional
basis, clear progression routes for former social workers back into the profession; Development (also recommended by the Social Work Task Force),
children’s social workers; the forthcoming Masters in Social Work Practice and the ‘licence to
●● a Graduate Recruitment Scheme to sponsor high
practise’ (also recommended by the Social Work Task Force); and
quality graduates to undertake social worker
training;
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
●● develop national guidelines setting out ●● Recruitment and retention pilots in two regions ●● be used by employers and unions to agree pay and grading
maximum case-loads of children in with high vacancy and turnover rates. We have structures which properly reward social workers in line with their
need and child protection cases, already committed to creation of a new role of skills, experience and responsibilities – including those social
supported by a weighting mechanism Advanced Social Work Professional in children workers who stay in frontline practice.
to reflect the complexity of cases, that and families’ social work which will be

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

The Social Work Task Force was in favour of a whole-system approach
will help plan the workloads of implemented as part of a full career framework
to managing social workers’ workloads and recommended clear,
children’s social workers; and for children and families’ social workers. This
universal and binding standards for employers to cover how frontline
will be in place in the autumn to enable
●● develop a strategy for remodelling social work should be resourced, managed and supported-including
experienced social workers to stay in frontline
children’s social work which delivers clear requirements governing supervision- so that high quality practice
practice. We expect that this role should form
shared ownership of cases, is an achievable aim for all social workers.
part of a full career structure for social workers,
administrative support and multi-
which includes practice-focused as well as The implementation plan published on 17 March 2010 sets out how
disciplinary support to be delivered
managerial progression routes. the Task Force’s recommendations will be achieved.
nationally.
The Government will work with employers to In addition to this, over the past year through the DCSF-funded social
implement clear progression routes for social work programme being implemented by the Children’s Workforce
workers in both adult and children’s services as Development Council:
part of its comprehensive reform programme for ●● over 53,000 people have registered for information on how to
social work. This will be based on the advice of the become a social worker in response to our national recruitment
Task Force about how clearer progression routes campaigns
can best support social workers in developing their
careers and improving the service they provide. ●● 600 former social workers have registered their interest in returning

The Government is committing to take steps, based to the profession through the Return to Social Work Scheme
on the advice of the Social Work Task Force, to ●● 330 high calibre graduates are being sponsored to undertake
ensure that social workers have manageable case Masters-level training through the Graduate Recruitment Scheme
loads which enable them to work effectively and with a further 200 due to start on the employer-based Step Up to
efficiently to secure the best possible outcomes for Social Work entry route into social work later this year;
service users.
●● and the assessment process for the Advanced Social Work
Professional role will begin from summer 2010

47
 48
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

It looks to Social Work Task Force to ensure,
through its recommendations, that the steps take
to do this – including guidelines on appropriate
caseloads – can be implemented effectively in ways
that will improve practice and not lead to
unnecessary bureaucracy.

We are already exploring a number of different

approaches to remodelling in social work, including
through CWDC’s current Remodelling the Delivery
of Social Work pilots and the Social Work Practices
pilots. We will set out our plans in relation to
remodelling as part of the comprehensive reform
programme we will bring forward in the autumn,
based on the advice of the Social Work Task Force.
25 Children’s Trusts should ensure a named, To be reflected in the revised Working Together to Both the revised Working Together and the Children’s Trust Board
and preferably co-located, representative Safeguard Children guidance. guidance, also being published in March, highlight the importance of
from the police service, community workforce development and of integrated frontline delivery of services
paediatric specialist and health visitor are to maximise effectiveness.
active partners within each children’s
social work department.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
26 The General Social Care Council (GSCC) The Government will consider radical reforms of The Social Work Task Force made a number of recommendations on
together relevant government the social work education system if this is what the strengthening the quality and consistency of initial social worker
departments should: Task Force recommend. education.
●● work with higher education The Secretaries of State for Health and Children, The implementation plan for the Task Force’s recommendations,

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

institutions and employers to raise the Schools and Families look to the Social Work Task Building a Safe and Confident Future: Implementing the
quality and consistency of social work Force, with the support of GSCC and working recommendations of the Social Work Task Force, describes the ways in
degrees and strengthen their closely with employers and Higher Education which the GSCC, HEIs, employers, the profession, and the Government
curriculums to provide high quality Institutions (HEIs), to advise on the improvements will work together – in consultation with social workers, students and
practical skills in children’s social work; necessary to social work degrees and post graduate service users to strengthen initial social work education.
training, and the system which provides them. The
●● work with higher education The Task Force has also recommended a review of the content and
Government currently spends approximately £160
institutions to reform the current delivery of social work degree courses. As stated in the
million each year on funding and bursaries for
degree programme towards a system implementation plan, a review of the skills, knowledge and experience
initial social work training. It is critical that this
which allows for specialism in outcomes required of social work degree graduates will be conducted
resource supports high quality university education
children’s social work, including over the next year and any changes to the degree will start to take
which effectively prepares student social workers
statutory children’s social work effect from September 2012 and mandatory from September 2013
for their future roles. Universities, employers and
placements, after the first year; and (including revised requirements for practice placements). The practical
the General Social Care Council must be able to
skills requirements of all social workers, including those in the children
●● put in place a comprehensive work together to secure this.
and families’ sector, will be considered as part of this review as will
inspection regime to raise the quality
The Government will implement Lord Laming’s the potential impact of the recommended Assessed Year in
and consistency of social work degrees
recommendation in the light of the Task Force’s Employment in boosting these practical skills before the social worker
across higher education institutions.
recommendations about how and when social is awarded full registration.
workers should be able to specialise in their
The Task Force also recommended more transparent and effective
training in order to ensure that they are fully
regulation of social work education to give greater assurance of
effective in practice.
consistency and quality. The implementation plan sets out the
The Government will implement Lord Laming’s commitment to a new regulatory framework for initial social work
recommendations about inspection of higher education (undergraduate and masters). This work will be taken
education in the light of the Task Force’s forward by the GSCC in consultation with stakeholders and will be
recommendations. brought into effect at the earliest possible juncture.

49
 50
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

27 The Department for Children, Schools  We have committed to development of a practice- The Social Work Task Force recommended a more coherent and
and Families and Department for based Masters programme for social workers, effective national framework for the continuing professional
Innovation, Universities and Skills should which will be implemented as part of the development of social workers, along with mechanisms to encourage
introduce a fully funded, practice-focused comprehensive reform programme. a shift in culture which raises expectations of an entitlement to
children’s social work postgraduate ongoing learning and development. The Masters in Social Work
To support the professional development of all
qualification for experienced children’s Practice will be incorporated into this framework as one of its main
social care staff, including social workers,
social workers, with an expectation they features and will be piloted in the children and families’ sector from
Government already allocates £18 million a year
will complete the programme as soon as autumn 2011.
through the area-based grant.
is practicable.
This recommendation further cements
Government’s commitment to the professional
development of social workers and the new
practice-based Masters in social work will be
implemented in the light of the Task Force’s
recommendations.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
28 The Department for Children, Schools Social workers coming into this country need to It is vital that employers ensure that their social work employees,
and Families , working with the Children’s meet the highest standards, and also to be well whether trained within the UK or abroad, are appropriately inducted,
Workforce Development Council, General supported. From September, all those joining supported and supervised and have workloads commensurate with
Social Care Council and partners should statutory and third sector children’s services will be their skills and experience. To help employers in this regard, we have
introduce a conversion qualification and able to access the “newly qualified social worker” made the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s children and

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

English language test for internationally support package which includes induction and families’ Newly Qualified Social Worker programme open to all new
qualified children’s social workers that protected time for training and supervision. social workers joining statutory and third sector children’s services
ensures understanding of legislation, whether they have been trained within the UK or abroad.
We will take forward Lord Laming’s
guidance and practice in England.
recommendations about conversion qualifications The Government has accepted the Social Work Task Force’s
Consideration should be given to the
and language tests in the light of the advice of the recommendation that a new Assessed Year in Employment and
appropriate length of a compulsory
Social Work Task Force about the qualifications and Licence to Practise should be introduced. The assessed year model will
induction period in a practice setting
basic skills requirements which should be in place provide a clear benchmark for support to, and assessment of different
prior to formal registration as a social
for English as well as overseas trained social groups of social workers. Models for ensuring that support and
worker in England.
workers. appropriate assessment for these groups will be developed in parallel
with the assessed year for new entrants and requirements for
assessment will be introduced as part of legislation to introduce the
license to practice. The first year in which the Assessed Year in
Employment is expected to become a statutory requirement is 2016.
As part of this work, we will consider the needs of and implications for
those trained within the UK or outside the European Economic Area
(EEA). For those trained in the EEA we will also take into account our
legal obligations under EU law.
29 Children’s Trusts should ensure that all To be reflected in revised (revised Working Chapter 4 of Working Together outlines that LSCBs should ensure that
staff who work with children receive Together to Safeguard Children guidance and in the all staff who work or have contact with children are appropriately
initial training and continuing NSDU’s work programme. trained to understand normal child development and to recognise
professional development which enables potential signs of abuse and neglect. LSCBs should provide an
them to understand normal child assessment of their progress in ensuring that all staff who work with
development and recognise potential or have contact with children are appropriately trained through the
signs of abuse or neglect. LSCB annual report to the Children’s Trust Board.

51
 52
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

30 All Children’s Trusts should have To be reflected in revised Working Together to Working Together further highlights the key role that LSCBs play in
sufficient multiagency training in place to Safeguard Children guidance and in the NSDU’s ensuring the single-agency and inter-agency training on safeguarding
create a shared language and work programme. and promoting the welfare of children. LSCBs should provide an
understanding of local referral assessment of their progress in ensuring that all staff who work with
procedures, assessment, information or have contact with children are appropriately trained through the
sharing and decision making across early LSCB annual report to the Children’s Trust Board.
years, schools, youth services, health,
The Children’s Trust Board (Children and Young People’s Plan)
police and other services who work to
(England) Regulations 2010 laid on 9 March also refer to the need for
protect children. A named child
each plan to set out how Children’s Trust partners will co-operate on
protection lead in each setting should
the training and development of the local children’s workforce.
receive this training.
Guidance on Sure Start Children’s Centres for local authorities and
centres themselves is clear that Sure Start Children’s Centres
Managers should appoint a lead person whose job it is to ensure every
member of staff is competent in their knowledge of child protection
and knows what the procedure is for reporting and recording child
protection issues.

This will be underlined in the children’s centres statutory guidance

which explains the provisions relating to children’s centres and the
new Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) in the ASCL Act 2009. The
guidance recommends that local authorities should ensure that the
named safeguarding lead in the children’s centre is required to liaise
with local statutory children’s services agencies as appropriate,
attends a child protection training course and is trained in inter-
agency procedures and undertakes refresher training at two yearly
intervals. The named lead should ensure that induction for new staff
includes child protection procedures and that parents are made aware
that centre staff have a duty to share child protection issues with
other professionals and agencies.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
31 The General Social Care Council (GSCC) We agree with the Social Work Task Force that The Social Work Task Force recommended the development of a clear
should review the Code of Practice for there should be a Code of Practice for Social Work national standard for the support social workers should expect from
Social Workers and the employers’ code which is distinct from wider social care. We will their employers in order to do their jobs effectively. The development
ensuring the needs of children are work with GSCC to develop in this in the light of of this Employers’ Standard is being taken forward by the profession,
paramount in both and that the the Task Force’s work on describing social work employers, Government and other stakeholders working together

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

employers’ code provides for clear lines roles and purpose. through the Social Work Reform Board. Building a Safe and Confident
of accountability, quality supervision and Future: Implementing the recommendations of the Social Work Task
The DCSF and DH will support GSCC in reviewing
support, and time for reflective practice. Force describes how this will be done.
the Code of Practice for Employers and will seek to
The employers’ code should then be
legislate appropriately at the earliest opportunity. As part of this programme, in 2010–11, the GSCC will review their
made statutory for all employers of social
Codes of Practice for social care workers and for employers having
workers.
regard in particular to their purpose in the context of the new reform
programme, their relationship to the new Employers’ Standard and
also to the service inspection frameworks of CQC and Ofsted. GSCC
will then act on the outcome of this review in consultation with DH,
DCSF and other key partners. The Codes of Practice are UK-wide and
the GSCC’s work will be done in conjunction with Northern Ireland,
Scotland and Wales.

It is important that the employers of social workers are clear about

when and how to engage the GSCC in matters of potential social
worker misconduct. Therefore in 2010–11 GSCC will also develop, and
take forward, a programme of employer engagement to ensure that
the employers of social workers understand when and how they
should be engaging with, and notifying, the GSCC about potential
social worker misconduct cases.

53
 54
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

32 The Department of Health should The Action on Health Visiting programme was The Action on Health Visiting Programme has progressed work on
prioritise its commitment to promote the agreed at a joint Department of Health/Community raising the profile of health visiting, defining roles, and disseminating
recruitment and professional Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association good practice. The report on Phase 1 of the programme, published in
development of health visitors (made in (CPHVA) summit on 5 May. It will be taken forward October 2009, included agreed definitions for the five key dimensions
Healthy lives, brighter futures) by in partnership with the CPHVA and other of health visitors’ roles, including working with vulnerable families and
publishing a national strategy to support stakeholders. Action will be prioritised to increase protecting children. Phase 2 of the programme is focusing on building
and challenge Strategic Health Authorities workforce capacity and capability and to clarify the capacity through action on recruitment, retention and return to
to have a sufficient capacity of well contribution of health visitors to the Healthy Child practice; promoting health visiting as a career; and supporting
trained health visitors in each area with a Programme, to working with vulnerable children professional development.
clear understanding of their role. and families and to safeguarding.
Health visiting capacity for safeguarding was discussed with each SHA
during DH/SHA meetings on safeguarding in autumn 2009 and SHAs
set out plans to strengthen capacity where needed. The Secretary of
State for Health has introduced a new requirement, confirmed in the
NHS Operating Framework for 2010–11, for PCTs and SHAs to monitor
workforce and caseload figures for health visitors from 2010.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
33 The Department of Health should review The universal Healthy Child Programme (HCP) is Phase 2 of the Action on Health Visiting Programme includes the
the Healthy Child Programme for 0-5 year key to the prevention of child abuse and neglect development of an e-learning programme on the Healthy Child
olds to ensure that the role of health and the early identification of safeguarding Programme (HCP). Action to support commissioning has included the
visitors in safeguarding and child concerns. This is reflected in the updated development of a contract specification and work on contract
protection is prioritised and has sufficient programme published by the Department of Health currencies. Safeguarding is being embedded in a range of products to

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

clarity, and ensure that similar clarity is in March 2008. To strengthen the contribution of support professional practice, including guidance on the HCP two year
provided in the Healthy Child Programme the HCP to safeguarding, we shall clarify the role review, published in October 2009. The HCP for 5-19 year olds,
for 5 – 19 year olds. and responsibility of the health visitor in the HCP launched in October 2009, includes a discrete section on safeguarding.
through the Action on Health Visiting Programme,
Family Nurse Partnership, which is a £36 million programme providing
and work with the service to promote the
intensive support for vulnerable first time young mothers and their
commissioning and implementation of the HCP
families, is now delivering to over 3,400 families and expansion
across England.
continues with a view to reaching 7,000 families by 2011.
The HCP is now being extended to cover 5-19 year
olds. It will be an early intervention and public
health programme setting out the good practice
framework for the delivery of services for 5-19 year
olds and their families to promote optimal health
and well-being. It will include a universal service
that is offered to all families with additional
services for those with specific needs and risks. The
safeguarding needs of children and young people
will be fully embedded within this extended HCP.

At the same time, we shall expand the Family

Nurse Partnership programme in England to 70 test
sites by 2011. Evidence suggests that this intensive
preventive programme from early pregnancy to 2
years has the potential to prevent child
maltreatment and improve the outcomes of
vulnerable, first time young parents and their
children.

55
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Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

34 The Department of Health should Sheila Shribman (National Clinical Director for The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the British
promote the statutory duty of all GP Children, Young People and Maternity Services) Medical Association (BMA) wrote to all GPs in autumn 2009 to raise
providers to comply with child protection and David Colin-Thome (National Director for the profile of child protection training, linking this with both
legislation and to ensure that all Primary Care) will consider, with the Royal College accreditation and appraisal. The Department of Health wrote in
individual GPs have the necessary skills of General Practitioners and other key primary care parallel to all PCTs to remind them of the requirements to support
and training to carry out their duties. stakeholders, joint work on effective ways to child protection training. GPs who wish to provide services to NHS
They should also take further steps to enhance GP training and development. We shall patients are required to apply to join a ‘Performers List’ maintained by
raise the profile and level of expertise for co-ordinate this work with our broader look at their local PCT. Amendments to the performers list regulations for
child protection within GP practices, for safeguarding training of health professionals. general practice are being considered as part of strengthening the PCT
example by working with the Department The Department of Health is already supporting the role in ensuring suitability and eligibility of clinicians for the role.
for Children, Schools and Families to College in developing the practice accreditation
The Department of Health alongside the NDSU is continuing to engage
support joint training opportunities for scheme, which will include standards for
with the GP profession and others to develop further action to raise
GPs and children’s social workers and safeguarding. We shall also build on other
the profile and level of expertise for child protection within GP
through the new practice accreditation initiatives in Healthy Lives, brighter futures to
practices, including through accreditation. The development of
scheme being developed by the Royal support greater involvement of GPs in children’s
revalidation for doctors will mean that in the future, all doctors will be
College of General Practitioners. health, including engagement on Children’s Trust
required to demonstrate that they are up-to-date and fit to practise
Boards.
medicine. This will include, where their role requires it, that doctors
We are going beyond promoting “the statutory can show that they have current knowledge of child protection
duty of all GP providers to comply with child legislation and guidance.
protection legislation” by proposing to amend the
Performers List Regulations to ensure that primary
care contractors cannot be included in a
performers list (and therefore perform primary
medical, dental, or optical services) unless they
have had a Vetting and Barring Scheme check.

By the terms of their contract, GPs will need to

ensure that any staff they engage to carry out
regulated activity have had similar checks.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
35 The Department of Health should work Dr Sheila Shribman (National Clinical Director for The review of safeguarding training for NHS staff has been completed
with partners to develop a national Children, Young People and Maternity Services) will and the report of the review has been shared with contributors and
training programme to improve the work closely with NHS and professional leaders to stakeholders. To address a lack of sufficient clarity about what training
understanding and skills of the children’s ensure the children’s health workforce benefits should be received and how frequently, the Department will produce
health workforce (including from high quality training and support. As a first a training matrix which describes learning outcomes, maps existing

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

paediatricians, midwives, health visitors, step, this will involve a stocktake of current training training courses, and outlines training pathways for different
GPs and school nurses) to further support programmes to get a clear picture of what is professional groups. The Royal Colleges have also agreed to update
them in dealing with safeguarding and currently being delivered and where the gaps are. existing intercollegiate guidance on roles and competencies for health
child protection issues. care staff in safeguarding children.
The Department of Health is sponsoring the Royal
College of Paediatrics and Child Health to develop
further components of its child protection training,
and is also working with the College to scope work
to develop clinical networks for child protection
within the NHS.

57
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Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

36 The Home Office should take national Working with the Association of Chief Police The Home Office chaired National Police Protective Services Board
action to ensure that police child Officers, the Association of Police Authorities, and (NPSSB) has formally commissioned a child protection delivery plan
protection teams are well resourced and the National Policing Improvement Agency the from the Association of Police Officers (ACPO). ACPO have worked
have specialist training to support them Home Office will be developing a new Strategic with a range of partners including Her Majesty’s Inspection of
in their important responsibilities. Framework for delivering Protective Services that Constabulary, National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and local
will, for the first time, provide a clear structure for forces to finalise the plan which focuses on the police contribution to
driving the delivery of all protective services – child protection and sets out areas for future development to ensure
those services which are not so visible to the public the police service is fully equipped to deliver on the improvements
but are crucial to ensuring that local communities that Lord Laming set out in this report.
are protected from a wide range of potential
ACPO has undertaken a wide consultation process across all police
threats such as organised crime or major crime.
forces and key ACPO areas in developing the plan. The plan considers
Child Protection will be one of the first priorities
what measures can be put in place on a national, regional and local
for implementation of the new Framework, making
level to improve the response by forces, and equip officers to better
clear that nationally the Police Service, including
protect children. The plan will help to ensure the police are fully
every Police Force, must ensure that they have the
equipped to perform their key role in safeguarding children and will
right arrangements and the right levels of resource
support improvements to leadership, resourcing, and police training
in place locally to protect children and young
and awareness.
people from abuse.
The plan also attempts to provide synergy between a number of areas
of work ongoing within other agencies, such as HMIC, the Child
Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and the NPIA, all of
which have an interest in the delivery of child protection within
policing. ACPO has considered those areas highlighted in Lord Laming’s
report that the service can build upon, for example, the need for
tailored training for officers working in specialist units.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
Lord Laming also recommended that the Home The outcomes of the Delivery Plan will go forward to inform force
Office must ensure that child protection teams child protection policy and practice. This, along with the recently
have specialist training to support them in their revised ACPO Guidance on Investigating Child Abuse and Safeguarding
work. The NPIA will continue their development Children (available from www.ceop.police.uk) provide a
of the Specialist Child Abuse Investigators’ comprehensive toolkit for forces to incorporate into practice.    

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

Development Programme. The Programme is being
The NPIA has updated the Specialist Child Abuse Investigators’
updated to take account of the new ACPO
Development Programme and this is now available to all police forces.
Guidance on Investigating Child Abuse and in
This programme is the foundation stone for child abuse investigation
Working Together guidance. The updated
by the police service, but is just one aspect of child abuse investigation
Programme will be available to Police Forces by
professional development that is currently being progressed by the
December 2009. This training programme ensures
NPIA. Other examples include six new Child Homicide modules which
that those police officers working in child
will also be made available later this year for Senior Investigating
protection have access to detailed, accredited
Officers, Heads of Criminal Investigation Departments and Borough
training that prepares them for this difficult and
Commander Detective Inspectors.  
complex area of policing. In addition to the
specialist training for those in child protection In addition in January of this year, the Government announced its
teams, NPIA will also develop new training modules intention to place the CEOP on a statutory footing with formal Non
for child protection supervisors and Senior Departmental Public Body status. This commitment reflects the
Investigating Officers dealing with child homicides importance the Government attaches to this area of work. Creating
to ensure that Police Forces have access to training CEOP as an NDPB will contribute to the multi-agency step change
for officers at all levels. envisaged by Lord Laming in the delivery of child protection work.

59
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Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

37 The Care Quality Commission, HMI The Care Quality Commission’s Annual Health All NHS providers of health and adult social care services will be
Constabulary and HMI Probation should Check of all NHS trusts in England includes required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from
review the inspection frameworks of assessing the quality of safeguarding arrangements April 2010 under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, with
their frontline services to drive against core standards criteria. By 1 May, all NHS independent providers registering from October 2010. Registered
improvements in safeguarding and child bodies had declared compliance or otherwise with bodies must comply with Essential Standards of Quality and Safety
protection in a similar way to the new a set of Standards including C2, specifically relating which include requirements for safeguarding, partnership working,
Ofsted framework. to child protection arrangements. These training and quality of care. A range of mechanisms, including
declarations include where possible a commentary inspection, will contribute towards CQC’s risk-assessment systems of
for the LSCB for each trust providing support or ongoing compliance for providers. The quality of commissioning of
further information relating to the organisation’s services is assessed separately by CQC and findings from the joint
performance in this area. CQC will be rigorous in its inspection programme will contribute to this assessment. The joint
assessments of services and will take follow-up inspection programme with Ofsted will be feeding key information
action taken against non-compliance where into the risk-based assessment systems for healthcare providers.
necessary.
Ofsted’s new and strengthened inspection programme and framework
From 2010, the new regulatory framework is now firmly in place. To date, over half of local authorities have
established by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 received an unannounced inspection of their contact, referral and
takes effect, which includes all of the independent assessment arrangements by Ofsted, and the first cycle will be fully
healthcare sector, adult social care and the NHS, complete by summer 2010. Fifteen full inspections of safeguarding
and covers children, young people and adults. The and looked after children services, carried out jointly with CQC, have
secondary legislation setting out the arrangements been published, and the full cycle as planned will be completed by July
that a registerable service must have in place to 2012. The clarity and focus of inspection, and the precision with which
become registered is supported by compliance areas for development and for priority action are identified, are
guidance being produced by CQC, which explains expected to support improvement in the quality, timeliness and
what this means in practice for specific services. consistency of service provision, and the effectiveness with which
There is a major section on safety and children are safeguarded. A priority for Ofsted during the year is to
safeguarding, which will be refined to draw out the learning from these inspections, and the NSDU will
accommodate the recommendations of the Laming consider the most helpful and efficient means of ensuring that the
review and form the basis of a robust CQC learning is used and shared and acts as a catalyst for further
assessment and enforcement model. improvement.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
A 3-year Ofsted-led rolling programme of The Chief Inspector of Probation has consistently promoted the
safeguarding inspections commences in June 2009, inspection of the safeguarding and public protection aspects of both
under the Comprehensive Area Assessment Probation and Youth Offending work. New inspection programmes
arrangements. These inspections also include started in 2009, which continue and further develop this approach.
assessment of the arrangements for care of looked With both programmes:

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

after children – a particularly vulnerable group
●● the inspection methodology centres on assessing the quality of
often linked to safeguarding concerns. The CQC is
work done with a representative sample of cases – how often was
committed to working in partnership with Ofsted
the right thing done with the right individual in the right way at the
to inspect and assess the health-related elements
right time;
of this programme and thus provide leverage
alongside SHAs to improvement of practice and ●● key criteria are the assessment, planning and management of
outcomes. safeguarding and public protection work in each individual case;

HMIC is currently reviewing its inspection ●● an inspection of cases is carried out in every area of England and
methodology and is moving to Rounded Wales at least once every three years.
Assessment. A Rounded Assessment of every force Each of the new inspections of youth offending work since April 2009
will be conducted throughout the year on a regular has included the award of a highly visible ‘safeguarding score’.
basis to provide for judgements and narratives
across five domains. Child abuse investigations and HMIC has introduced a more structured system for identifying
safeguarding children will fall under one of these specialist skills requirements for inspection work streams and has
domains – Protection from Serious Harm. Rounded applied this to all inspections since January 2010. Child abuse
assessment will indentify key areas of vulnerability investigations/safeguarding (child protection) was assessed and
which may, in turn, trigger separate, dedicated graded under the Programmed Inspection of Protecting Vulnerable
inspections – for example, on either a force or People (PVP) in 2007. As well as individual force reports, a Lessons
‘thematic’ basis. Fieldwork for Rounded Learned report was published in 2008. PVP, as part of the suite of
Assessment is due to commence July/August this ‘Protective Services’, will be subject to examination and analysis in
year with graded judgements produced by 30 spring 2010. This is expected to generate targeted fieldwork to feed
November 2009. into the Police Report Card (previously known as Rounded
Assessment) for 2010–11. In addition, a revised inspection framework
for ‘protecting vulnerable people’ (PVP) has been developed and the
child protection element will be piloted in eight inspections during
April and May 2010. These inspections will also give important

61
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Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

feedback to the forces concerned and, in addition, there will be an
overview report published setting out the key findings and forming the
basis for further targeted, risk-assessed inspection, both single agency
and joint. From May 2010, HMIC will have a dedicated person
evaluating Serious Case Reviews, working in liaison with Ofsted and
other inspectorates to ensure that trends and lessons are identified
and acted upon by police.
38 Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, Ofsted will ensure that inspectors have appropriate All Ofsted inspections of safeguarding and child protection are
HMI Constabulary and HMI Probation skills and expertise to inspect the safeguarding and undertaken solely by inspectors at HMI level, who have extensive
should take immediate action to ensure child protection elements of frontline services. experience of child protection at operational and strategic levels and
their staff have the appropriate skills, hold a social work qualification recognised by the General Social Care
CQC is working to ensure that all staff inspecting
expertise and capacity to inspect the Council. Ofsted has taken robust action through a long term strategy
children’s services are suitably experienced and
safeguarding and child protection to maximise the potential of its diverse inspector workforce in
qualified by setting clear criteria for their
elements of frontline services. Those delivering rigorous inspections of safeguarding and child protection
involvement.
Ofsted Inspectors responsible for across all inspection remits. An immediate review of capacity to
inspecting child protection should have HMIC currently has a small of number of specialist deliver the new programmes for inspection of safeguarding and child
direct experience of child protection staff across a range of specialist areas (including protection identified a clear need to expand the number of social care
work. safeguarding and child protection). When HMI in order effectively to deliver the rolling programme of
inspections require particular skills and expertise, inspections of safeguarding and arrangements for looked after
HMIC secures this from external sources, including children, unannounced annual inspections of contact referral and
police forces. For example, a dedicated specialist assessment services, inspection of Cafcass and evaluation of Serious
team was put together to conduct the inspections Case Reviews. This has been resourced and actioned. A significant
of counter terrorism. As part of its response to the number of new social care HMIs, professionally qualified and with
recent Police Green Paper, HMIC is seeking to build extensive and current experience of contemporary safeguarding work,
its capacity in this area through the development have now been appointed or are in the process of appointment, and
of more flexible staffing models. further national recruitment is planned. Ofsted has also recruited a
Historically, HMIP has used inspectors on number of senior staff from Children’s Services Departments to
secondment from Ofsted and there is an existing participate as ‘additional inspectors’ in the inspection programme.
agreement in principle for Ofsted to assist with
safeguarding for newly appointed HMIP staff.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
CQC has recruited a specialist team to conduct the majority of the
integrated inspections with Ofsted from February 2010. The
complement of staff with specific expertise in safeguarding has been
expanded to 19. All inspection staff have received safeguarding
training relevant to their part in the programme. Staff conducting

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

routine assessments against the Essential Standards are supported by
clear guidance and colleagues with specialist safeguarding knowledge.
A new national adviser on safeguarding will also be appointed to
provide advice and expertise at senior level to the Board.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has introduced a more

structured system for identifying specialist skills requirements for
inspection work streams and has applied this to all inspections since
January 2010.

HMIP ensure that all their inspectorates have training and support in
child safeguarding.
39 The Department for Children, Schools The Government will publish a revised Chapter 8 of Public consultation on a revised Chapter 8 of Working Together to
and Families should revise Working Working Together to Safeguard Children for Safeguard Children was held from 31 July to 23 October 2009 and was
Together to Safeguard Children so that it consultation by July 2009 so that these important supported by seminars across all Government Office regions. The
is explicit that the formal purpose of improvements can be put in place as quickly as revised Working Together to Safeguard Children, Chapter 8: Serious
Serious Case Reviews is to learn lessons possible. Case Reviews, which comes into force today, emphasises that the key
for improving individual agencies, as well role for SCRs is to learn the lessons and for LSCBs to ensure that the
as for improving multi-agency working. subsequent action plans are implemented in a timely manner. The
NSDU has also commissioned research by the University of Warwick to
better understand what more needs to be done to stimulate learning
across the safeguarding system for children and young people.

63
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Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

40 The Department for Children, Schools The Government will publish a revised Chapter 8 of The revised Chapter 8 of Working Together to Safeguard Children
and Families should revise the framework Working Together to Safeguard Children for highlights that it is crucial for the SCR Panel and the overview report
for Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) to ensure consultation by July 2009 so that these important author to have access to all relevant documentation and where
that the SCR panel chair has access to all improvements can be put in place as quickly as necessary individual professionals to enable both to undertake
of the relevant documents and staff they possible. effectively their respective SCR functions.
need to conduct a thorough and effective
learning exercise.
41 The Department for Children, Schools The Government will publish a revised Chapter 8 of The revised Chapter 8 of Working Together to Safeguard Children
and Families should revise Working Working Together to Safeguard Children for emphasises that the prime purpose of a SCR is to learn lessons, to
Together to Safeguard Children to ensure consultation by July 2009 so that these important disseminate these effectively and implement the recommendations in
Serious Case Reviews focus on the improvements can be put in place as quickly as a timely manner. The NSDU is also commissioning work to identify
effective learning of lessons and possible. when, and under what circumstances, varying methodologies could be
implementation of recommendations and used when undertaking SCRs to assist with effective learning of
the timely introduction of changes to lessons.
protect children.
The expanded capacity of Safeguarding Advisers in regional
Government Offices will also provide increased support to local areas
to embed the lessons from SCRs. Several regions have established SCR
networks to share the learning from SCRs, support training and
development for chairs and authors, and devise implementation plans
to ensure that actions are taken forward across the region where
appropriate. The NSDU’s training model for SCR panel chairs and
overview report writers will also provide a useful forum to share
learning. The regional Government Offices in partnership with their
LSCBs and regional improvement partners, have also already
delivered/co-ordinated training for Individual Management Review
authors as well as providing a wide range of support such as
newsletters summarising key learning across the region from SCRs.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
42 Ofsted should focus their evaluation of Ofsted are convening a partners’ discussion in May Ofsted will shortly publish a draft of a revised framework for the
Serious Case Reviews on the depth of the about revising the Serious Case Review Evaluation evaluation of Serious Case Reviews for full consultation. The proposed
learning a review has provided and the framework. This will be developed and consulted framework will seek to give full effect to Lord Laming’s
quality of recommendations it has made alongside the review of Chapter 8 of Working recommendation, supporting further improvement in the quality of
to protect children Together so that there is a consistent end to end Serious Case Reviews, and the thoroughness with which necessary

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

set of arrangements with clear roles and lessons are learned and necessary actions taken to improve the
responsibilities for all partners published by the protection of children.
end of July 2009.
43 The Department for Children, Schools The Government will publish a revised Chapter 8 of The revised Chapter 8 of Working Together to Safeguard Children
and Families should revise Working Working Together to Safeguard Children for makes clear that the executive summary must accurately reflect the
Together to Safeguard Children to consultation by July 2009 so that these important full SCR overview report, and include information about the review
underline the importance of a high improvements can be put in place as quickly as process, key issues arising from the case, the recommendations and
quality, publicly available executive possible. the action plan (including any actions that have been completed). It
summary which accurately represents the also requires the names of the LSCB Chair, SCR Panel Chair, the
full report, contains the action plan in overview report author, and the job titles and employing organisations
full, and includes the names of the of all the SCR Panel members. The revision of the remainder of
Serious Case Review panel members. Working Together was used as an opportunity to further strengthen
the requirements for executive summaries to ensure that they provide
a full, thorough account of the SCR and a template has been provided.
44 Local Safeguarding Children Boards To be reflected in revised Working Together to The revised Chapter 8 of Working Together to Safeguard Children
should ensure all Serious Case Review Safeguard Children guidance. requires both the SCR Panel Chair and overview report author to be
panel chairs and Serious Case Review independent. It clarifies governance arrangements for undertaking
overview authors are independent of the SCRs and highlights the important role of Government Offices of
Local Safeguarding Children Board and all providing advice, support and challenge to LSCBs.
services involved in the case and that
arrangements for the Serious Case
Review offer sufficient scrutiny and
challenge.

65
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Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

45 All Serious Case Review panel chairs and This will be an early priority for the new NSDU. A ready supply of appropriately skilled and high quality SCR panel
authors must complete a training chairs and report authors was identified by Lord Laming as critical to
programme provided by the Department maximising the potential learning from SCRs. By the end of March
for Children, Schools and Families that 2010, the NSDU will have identified the key skill sets for
supports them in their role in undertaking SCR overview authors and panel chairs, commissioned an initial
Serious Case Reviews that have a real training programme to improve the quality and focus of Serious Case
impact on learning and improvement. Reviews on change and learning and be ready to support all
Government Office regions as they develop (in partnership with local
areas) sustainable systems and processes to secure adequate numbers
of panel chairs and overview authors.

A training model for overview authors and panel chairs has been

developed by the NDSU in consultation with a range of key
stakeholders and pilots have already begun following a successful
tendering process. The LSCB practice guidance will be the means
through which Individual Management Review Authors are supported.
Discussions will continue about the future training needs of the sector.
46 Government Offices must ensure that This will be an early priority for the new NSDU. Government Offices, working with LSCBs and other stakeholders, will
there are enough trained Serious Case ensure that training opportunities are in place to ensure a sufficient
Review panel chairs and authors available supply of trained overview authors and panel chairs.
within their region.
47 Ofsted should share full Serious Case Ofsted will share copies of Serious Case Reviews in Arrangements are in place for the sharing of SCR documentation with
Review reports with HMI Constabulary, confidence with partner inspectorates so that the partner inspectorates. The intended impact is that the findings of
the Care Quality Commission, and HMI implications for frontline inspections and for joint Serious Case Reviews will more effectively inform inspection across all
Probation (as appropriate) to enable all safeguarding inspections can be fully assessed and safeguarding services.
four inspectorates to assess the learned.
implementation of action plans when
conducting frontline inspections.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
48 Ofsted should share Serious Case Review Ofsted will include a website link so that all Arrangements are in place for sharing SCR executive summaries with
executive summaries with the Association interested organisations can easily access the the Association of Chief Police Officers, Primary Care Trusts and
of Chief Police Officers, Primary Care published executive summaries of Serious Case Strategic Health Authorities. These arrangements should help to
Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities to Reviews. The revised version of Chapter 8 of ensure that leaders across the system are sharing in the learning
promote learning. Working Together to Safeguard Children will which the SCR process is designed to promote.

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

reinforce the importance of all relevant
organisations making arrangements to draw to the
attention of relevant staff the importance and
availability of executive summaries as learning
tools, together with Ofsted’s regular summary and
thematic reports.
49 Ofsted should produce more regular Ofsted have confirmed that they will produce In October 2009 Ofsted published their latest annual report entitled
reports, at six monthly intervals, which regular six monthly reports covering the lessons of Learning Lessons from Serious Case Reviews: Year 2 which covered
summarise the lessons from Serious Case Serious Case Reviews. One of these each year will SCRs carried out and completed in 2008-09. Plans are also in place to
Reviews. be a summary report covering all SCRs in the year produce six monthly reports, the first of which is scheduled to be
and will consider the format of the second interim published later in spring 2010. This report will focus on key learning
report to enable more in-depth analysis where this for safeguarding agencies and will highlight those lessons which have
would be beneficial. national significance or which can be applied across a wide range of
services and can make an impact on improving outcomes for children
and young people.

67
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Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

50 The Department for Children, Schools An interim report on the Loughborough University A summary outline and call for evidence for the practice guidance was
and Families must provide further research will be published in June 2009. Practice published on 18 December 2009. Today a research brief has been
guidance to Local Safeguarding Children guidance will be developed in light of its findings. published on the findings from the Loughborough University research.
Boards on how to operate as effectively The research has found that LSCBs have addressed a number of
as possible following the publication of weaknesses of Area Child Protection Committees. It also found
the Loughborough University research on that the most effective LSCBs had been realistic about what they were
Local Safeguarding Children Boards later able to achieve and had focused upon the core business of ensuring
this year. that work to protect children was properly co-ordinated and effective
before seeking to develop their preventative work.

Alongside this the NSDU has published practice guidance for LSCBs for
full consultation, alongside the revised Working Together to Safeguard
Children statutory guidance.
51 The Children’s Trust and the Local To be reflected in revised regulations and revised The revised guidance published today clarifies that there must be a
Safeguarding Children Board should not Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance. clear distinction between the roles and responsibilities of the LSCB and
be chaired by the same person. The Local the Children’s Trust Board to ensure appropriate challenge, scrutiny
Safeguarding Children Board chair should and impartiality. The complementary roles of the two boards – and
be selected with the agreement of a the challenge function of the LSCB to the Children’s Trust Board – will
group of multi-agency partners and only work if the two bodies are chaired by different people. The LSCB
should have access to training to support must be able to form a view about the quality of local activity, to
them in their role. challenge partners as necessary, and to speak with an independent
voice.
52 Local Safeguarding Children Boards To be reflected in revised regulations and revised The revised Working Together published on 17 March 2010 clarifies
should include membership from the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance. that the members of the LSCB should be senior decision makers who
senior decision makers from all have a strategic role in relation to safeguarding and promoting the
safeguarding partners, who should attend welfare of children within their organisation. They should be able to
regularly and be fully involved as equal speak for their organisation with authority, commit their organisation
partners in Local Safeguarding Children on policy and practice matters and hold their organisation to account.
Board decision making.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
53 Local Safeguarding Children Boards The Government has brought forward amendments The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act received Royal
should report to the Children’s Trust to the ASCL Bill to require LSCBs to produce annual Assent in November 2009. The Act includes a provision, which comes
Board and publish an annual report on reports. Subject to Parliamentary approval, this will into force on 1 April, to introduce a new statutory requirement
the effectiveness of safeguarding in the be reflected in revised Working Together to that LSCBs must publish an annual report on the effectiveness of
local area. Local Safeguarding Children Safeguard Children guidance. safeguarding in the local area. Both the Working Together to

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

Boards should provide robust challenge Safeguard Children and the LSCB practice guidance make specific
to the work of the Children’s Trust and its reference to the annual report.
partners in order to ensure that the right
The Act also includes provisions to introduce new statutory targets for
systems and quality of services and
safeguarding and child protection, to open up LSCBs to wider public
practice are in place so that children are
scrutiny through the appointment of two lay members and to ensure
properly safeguarded.
that LSCBs publish an annual report on the effectiveness of
safeguarding in the local area.  
54 The Department for Children, Schools Children’s Trusts will prepare their annual At local level all Children’s Trust Boards have a responsibility to
and Families, the Department of Health assessments of need on which the financial prepare their Children and Young People’s Plans based on an
and the Home Office, together with HM contributions made by local partners to jointly- assessment of needs. In preparing their Plans, Children’s Trust Boards
Treasury, must ensure children’s services, funded safeguarding initiatives will be based, should be clear about what resources are available, the cost of
police and health services have protected taking account of other local priorities. These will delivering the priorities identified in the Plan – including those relating
budgets for the staffing and training for be set out each year in the Children and Young to safeguarding – and how those priorities will be implemented. The
child protection services. People’s Plan. Government Offices will challenge NSDU, in its forward work programme, is looking at the pattern of
the quality of local needs analysis, the alignment of spend across local authorities in safeguarding and how this relates to
that analysis with local children and young people outcomes, including the impact of investment in preventative services.
plan priorities and the adequacy of what is then
commissioned in respect of support for all children,
children ‘in need’ and those in need of protection.
The NSDU, as one of its early priorities will explore
the scope for disseminating comparative
information on the pattern of local spend on
children’s services.

69
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Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009

The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: One Year On

55 The Department for Children, Schools It is the responsibility of all partners on Children’s The Government will continue to talk openly and constructively with
and Families must sufficiently resource Trusts to assess the adequacy of their funding on partners to understand and respond to the new demand pressures
children’s services to ensure that early children’s services (see response to rec 54). Under that some services and areas are facing. The tight financial climate
intervention and preventative services the new arrangements for statutory targets on does, however, increase the importance of making sure that there is
have capacity to respond to all children safeguarding, the Government will closely monitor good learning across the whole system about new solutions, emerging
and families identified as vulnerable or ‘in the trend in outcomes through indicators and practice, innovation and efficiency to the benefit of all. The new
need’. targets and the quality of services through Ofsted’s responsibility for Children’s Trust Boards to consider local need and
new inspection arrangements. The NSDU will also prioritise accordingly is also a fundamental part of planning for early
explore the scope for benchmarking and support.
disseminating comparative information on the
Understanding the patterns of spend in other local areas may help
pattern of local spend in children’s services (see rec
inform decision making on investment at local level. Details of spend
54).
on children and young people’s services by each local authority is
available at www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/strategy/
financeandfunding/informationforlocalauthorities/section52/
dataarchive/s52da. Combining this data with information from the
National Indicator Set, local authorities, if they wish, can use this to do
a comparison of their own spend versus outcomes achieved.
56 A national annual report should be The Chief Adviser will present his first annual From 1 April 2010, each Children’s Trust Board will have responsibility
published reviewing safeguarding and report in April 2010. for preparing a Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP). All CYPPs
child protection spend against assessed should be based on a joint needs assessment, and Children’s Trust
needs of children across the partners in Boards should ensure that these needs assessments pay particular
each Children’s Trust. attention to safeguarding and child protection priorities. Children’s
Trust Boards will work closely with LSCBs to do this. The needs
assessment will inform the first joint CYPP, which must be published in
every local area by April 2011.

The NSDU will also be looking at how it can support local areas in
effective needs assessment.
Ref Lord Laming’s Recommendation
Government’s Response May 2009 Progress update March 2010
No March 2009
57 The Ministry of Justice should lead on the The Ministry of Justice is working closely with the During 2009–10 the Ministry of Justice has led on establishing a
establishment of a system-wide target Department for Children, Schools and Families to holistic approach towards reducing delay in care proceedings. A new
that lays responsibility on all participants establish a system-wide target for reducing delays system-wide target to reduce unnecessary delay will come into force
in the care proceedings system to reduce that draws in all participants within the care from the outset of 2010–11, and will supersede the existing PSA4
damaging delays in the time it takes to proceedings system. Whilst the detail is yet to be target. This target is fully supported by key partners within the system

Annex A: The Government’s Response to Lord Laming: Progress Update on 58 Recommendations

progress care cases where these delays finalised with the relevant key partners, the including Her Majesty’s Court Service, Cafcass and the Legal Services
are not in the interests of the child. intention is to have an overarching objective, Commission. The details of the target will be announced to key
related to the timetable for the completion of stakeholders through a series of regional events during March/April
proceedings for an individual child, supported by 2010. Local commitment to reducing delay will be secured through
a suite of Key Performance Indicators owned by interagency performance groups set up across England during the first
individual participants in the system. This will quarter of 2010–11, encouraging local ownership and a more
include commitments to continuous performance proactive approach to problem solving. MoJ together with the NSDU
improvement in order to avoid unnecessary delay will provide implementation support to local managers to ensure that
by Her Majesty’s Courts Service, the Legal Services the targets are embedded and that all agencies are fully engaged.
Commission, and the Children and Family Court
Advisory Support Service. Improvement and
success will be measured in a Balanced Scorecard.
58 The Ministry of Justice should appoint an In response to Lord Laming’s recommendation, the Sir Francis Plowden’s review of court fees has been published and an
independent person to undertake a Ministry of Justice has appointed Francis Plowden announcement made that fees will be abolished from April 2011.
review of the impact of court fees in the to conduct a review of court fees, and to establish
coming months. In the absence of whether or not court fees act as a deterrent when
incontrovertible evidence that the fees local authorities decide whether or not to
had not acted as a deterrent, they should commence care proceedings.
then be abolished from 2010/11
Francis Plowden has already commenced work and
onwards.
is expected to present his findings to the Lord
Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice by mid
September 2009. Appropriate steps would then be
taken to implement changes which Mr Plowden
might recommend.

71
72

Annex B: Serious Case Review

template for executive
summaries

Format of serious case review executive summary

Introduction
●● Summarise the circumstances that led to a SCR being undertaken in this case and the
process followed by the review.
●● List the names of the LSCB Chair, SCR Panel Chair and the author of the overview
report, and the job titles and employing organisations of all SCR Panel members.
●● Note the parallel processes, where relevant, that are being or have been conducted
and how they have interrelated with the processes followed by the review (for
example, criminal proceedings, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigation
following the death of a child in custody, or independent investigation of adverse
events in mental health services).
●● Note the extent to which the family (and the child, where he or she has been seriously
harmed) have been involved in the review.
The facts / summary of events
●● Summarise the key facts of the case and the sequence of events. This should be an
accurate précis of circumstances of the child and their family and of the chronology of
the involvement of the relevant agencies. The narrative should be consistent with the
detailed chronology in the full overview report.
●● Care should however be taken to ensure that the summary is appropriately
anonymised and sensitive to the child and family in respect of information that will be
available in the public domain.
Key issues or themes arising from the case
●● Summarise the key issues or themes arising from the analysis in the overview report,
and highlight the key decisions taken in respect of the child and their family and the
opportunities for early intervention where they existed. With hindsight could or should
different decisions or actions have been taken at the time?
 Serious Case Review template for executive summaries 73

Priorities for learning and change

●● Describe clearly the conclusions and lessons learned from the review, both for
individual agencies and for inter-agency working through the LSCB and the Children’s
Trust Board, ensuring these are in the context of the issues or themes that arose from
the case.
●● Identify examples of good practice as well as being clear where systems should
improve.
Recommendations and action plan
●● Reproduce the recommendations and action plan from the full SCR.
●● The action plan should highlight which recommendations are relevant to which
agencies, the agency/ies responsible for taking forward specific recommendations,
how action will be monitored and by whom. It should also set out the progress that
has already been made in implementing or completing recommendations and plans to
evaluate the impact of these changes.
74

Annex C: Government
Office (GO) Children and
Learner Teams
Safeguarding – summary version
GO Children and Learner Teams have a significant role in supporting and challenging safeguarding
services in local areas. This includes:
1 Working with all Children’s Trust Boards and Local Safeguarding Children Boards to drive
improvements in safeguarding:
●● using analysis and understanding of the relevant safeguarding data to challenge
performance, support improvement activity and monitor progress;
●● providing advice, support and challenge to individual Local Safeguarding Children Boards
and local partners across the full range of their safeguarding responsibilities;
●● discussing inspection recommendations with the local authority, advising on and
supporting improvement and seeking assurance that plans are in place and action taken;
and
●● understanding any specific challenges for local areas which require targeted additional
support.
2 Supporting and challenging Local Safeguarding Children Boards/Children’s Trusts in relation
to Serious Case Reviews and Child Death Overview Panels (CDOPs):
●● monitoring the pattern of serious incident notifications and challenging as necessary;
●● advising local authorities and LSCBs on the application of the criteria for holding a SCR
and, when requested, advising LSCBs on SCR terms of reference;
●● assisting individual LSCBs to source suitably trained SCR chairs and authors;
●● seeking assurance that plans are in place and action is being taken to address
recommendations from SCRs and Ofsted evaluations and helping to embed and share the
learning;
●● challenging and supporting the development of CDOPs, including in the use of data; and
●● drawing out and disseminating regional learning from Serious Case Reviews and Child
Death Overview Panels and sharing this learning with the National Safeguarding Delivery
Unit (NSDU).
 Annex C: Government Office (GO) Children and Learner Teams 75

3 Using local knowledge to inform and influence the development of national policy
●● providing regional input and feedback to policy and programme development;
●● identifying early warning signs and concerns about the strength of safeguarding
arrangements in particular areas which require escalation and supporting government
intervention where that is necessary; and
●● alerting and briefing Ministers on serious safeguarding incidents, child protection
correspondence sent to DCSF and serious issues raised by Ofsted in respect of
safeguarding.
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