News

Inspection of child protection arrangements report

Posted on Wednesday 2nd September 2020

Newport City Council has welcomed a report into child protection services in the city following the first multi-agency inspection of its kind.

Care Inspectorate Wales, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation and Estyn carried out the in-depth inspection last December.

It evaluated how the council, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Gwent Police, and the Probation Service responded to child exploitation.

The joint inspection found many strengths in all the services and made recommendations where it was felt improvements could be made.

Councillor Jane Mudd, leader of the council, said: "We have extremely dedicated staff doing crucial work in collaboration with other agencies to try and keep children safe from physical, sexual or emotional harm.

"I'm pleased that the inspectors found so many positive aspects of this work in Newport and grateful that they have highlighted areas where we can do better. We will take those recommendations on board because we want to make sure every child in the city is protected and properly cared for."

As part of the joint inspection, the teams considered how effectively services responded to referrals. In Newport, all inquiries or concerns are progressed through the council's safeguarding hub which includes police representatives.

The inspectors found "highly committed and motivated professionals" but thought the hub would benefit from having health and education representatives.

Other findings included:

  • Partners working together to disrupt organized crime gangs and offer support to children where necessary
  • Council departments working effectively together when in contact with vulnerable people
  • A clear and collaborative vision for schools to ensure a safe and consistent learning environment for vulnerable pupils
  • Work to reduce the number of children given custodial sentences which was effective with no children in custody at the time of the inspection
  • Good examples of multi-agency communication and interventions leading to preventative measures where safeguarding concerns/exploitation were identified,
  • A wide range of services to support children and meet individual needs; professionals displayed a commitment and drive to improve outcomes for children
  • Children said they had formed good relationships with professionals working with them and young people had strong relationships with key individuals which research had identified as important

The inspectors also found "enthusiasm and commitment" among children's services staff and "a professional persistence to build relationships and engage with children and families".

Innovative thinking in the children's services department was remarked on. The inspectors mentioned the strategy, supported by members, to enhance the council's own residential provision and said there were some good examples of how residential staff engaged and interacted with young people.

The report also said that officers in the council's engagement and inclusion team worked very closely with school leaders to provide "worthwhile support" for staff. Managers also provided a high level of challenge and support for school leaders.

 

More Information

There are no news articles that match your criteria.