HSCP Subgroups

Quality & Effectiveness Group

The Quality & Effectiveness Group:

• Collates and analyses relevant performance data to draw out themes and hold partners to account
• Conducts a series of multi-agency audits per year, informed by data intelligence, partnership priorities and findings from case reviews
• Develops and monitors action plans resulting from multi-agency audits or identified performance risks and ensure that actions are completed in a timely way
• Identifies whether practice has changed as a result of completed audits and action plans, through performance data review and re-auditing where necessary
• Ensures that all relevant safeguarding partners are included in multi-agency performance data analysis and audits including schools
• Reviews, analyses and challenges relevant single agency audit reports and performance reviews and identifies significant issues that need to be monitored and/or raised to the partnership
• Analyses relevant partners annual reports to measure for children against set objectives
• Analyses MASH performance and inter-agency collaboration at the front door including the effectiveness of Strategy meetings, Child Protection Investigations, Child Protection Conferences and most importantly the voice of the child
• Analyses audit information to learn lessons, agree and monitor
• Reports through a quarterly highlight report on findings

Membership: includes representation from the safeguarding partners and relevant agencies that have responsibility for safeguarding performance and quality assurance within their organisation (Head of services; Service Managers; named leads; specialist service managers from the local authority, health and police)

Chair: CSC Service Director for Safeguarding and Quality Assurance

Vice Chair: ICB Designated Doctor for Safeguarding

Meeting frequency: Six-weekly

The Development & Practice Group:

• Is responsible for planning and organising appropriate multi-agency safeguarding learning and development activities as well as challenging or influencing the activities delivered by individual agencies
• Ensures identified multi-agency safeguarding learning needs are addressed for the children’s workforce
• Delivers consistently high-quality multi-agency safeguarding learning and developmental activities that incorporate relevant research, national good practice, and learning from case reviews and safeguarding adult reviews
• Takes ownership of maintaining, and further development of, the training pool
• Evaluates multi-agency learning and development activities to seek assurance that delivery is of high quality and has met the requirements and to inform future learning
• Reports annually to the HSCP Board on multi-agency training delivered and impact across the agencies
• Responds to specific training needs around the partnership priorities, identifies training needs across the partnership, ensuring the best practice standards; professional curiosity and creativity
• Manages partnership communications and the website

Membership: Membership of this subgroup includes representation from the safeguarding partners and relevant agencies that have responsibility for workforce development, learning and practice improvement (Head of services; Service Managers; NHS representative, ICB named leads; specialist practitioners from the local authority, health and police)

Chair: The current Chair is the Head of Service for Safeguarding and Review, Herefordshire Council

Frequency of Meeting: Quarterly

The Safeguarding Children Partnership, Community Safety Partnership and Safeguarding Adults Board have a Joint Case Review Group to identify linkages and crosscutting themes.

The JCR group undertake work around:

• Rapid Reviews
• Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPRs)
• Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs)
• Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs)

Chair: The current Chair is the Head of Safeguarding and Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Adults, Children, and Children Looked After (NHS ICB).

Frequency of Meeting: Quarterly

MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) Group

The MASH Group provides a forum for development and oversight of the MASH to ensure the continuous improvement of partnership arrangements, that they are effective, well understood and are accessible across the County. The MASH group reports back on the effectiveness of operational activity and adherence to the Quality & Effectiveness Group.

The remit of the MASH Group is:

• To analyse MASH data to monitor and improve performance and track referral trends and risk across the borough
• Drive operational responses to identified gaps and recognised risks across the borough
• Be accountable for the monitoring, reviewing and continual improvement of the effectiveness of the service in achieving timely and proportionate decision making for children in need of help and protection
• Identify and resolve obstacles to the improvement and development of MASH services
• Ensure compliance with legislation, policy and guidance relative to safeguarding children and information sharing
• Produce reports detailing the effectiveness of the service
• Agree communication strategies and service level interface across the wider partnership
• Escalate risk and issues, as appropriate, to the Safeguarding Children Partnership

Membership: Membership of this subgroup includes representation from the safeguarding partners and relevant agencies that have responsibility for Herefordshire front door arrangement (MASH) – Head of services; Service Managers; NHS representative, ICB named leads; specialist practitioners from the local authority, health and police

Chair: The MASH Group is currently co-chaired by the Head of Service for MASH and Assessment, Herefordshire Council, and a senior officer from West Mercia Police.

Frequency of Meeting: Quarterly

The Child Exploitation & Missing group:

• Provides strategic oversight, scrutiny and challenge of the multi-agency approach and response to extra familial risk
• Understands how agencies are working together to identify, respond, prevent and protect against extra familial risk
• Agrees, monitors and reviews the effectiveness of the HSCP extra familial risk strategies, framework, policies and interventions
• Ensures that national requirements and developments are incorporated effectively in to the HSCP response to extra familial risk

Membership: Membership of this subgroup includes representation from the safeguarding partners and relevant agencies that have responsibility for Herefordshire front door arrangement (MASH) – Head of services; Service Managers; NHS representative, ICB named leads; specialist practitioners from the local authority, health and police.

Chair: The group is chaired by the Head of Service for MASH and Assessment, Herefordshire Council

Frequency of Meeting: Quarterly

The Education Group seeks to ensure that all children and young people, aged between 0 and 19 within any educational provision, including universal childcare, remain safe.

The group will:

• enable engagement with providers’ designated safeguarding leads and promote effective practice and intelligence reporting on emerging themes and trends within all education provisions
• work collaboratively with single agency partners to ensure effective multi-agency working takes place.

Membership: includes representatives of: HCC, Education Officers, including Early Years and Post 16; Early Years education sector; School/Academy Safeguarding Leads; Primary Headteachers Forum; Association of Secondary Heads (HASH); Independent Schools; Special Schools; Alternative Training Providers; Virtual School; Early Help Team; Children’s Social Care; Business Manager for Children Safeguarding Partnership; and Social Inclusion representatives.

Chair: The group is chaired by an educational professional and vice-chair is the Safeguarding Children in Education Officer, who will fulfil the role of the Chair in the Chair’s absence.