Local Safeguarding Children’s Board

This is a group of senior staff from; Children’s Services (Social Services & Education), Health, Police, Connexions, Probation & CAFCASS. The Board has the responsibility to ensure children in the Torbay area are appropriately safeguarded. The Board has a variety of sub groups that are made up of local agency representatives. The sub groups undertake the detailed work of the Board’s Business Plan.

Safeguarding Unit

The Safeguarding Unit has a variety of responsibilities all related to safeguarding children in Torbay. These responsibilities include:

• Chairing and administering Child Protection Meetings.
• Maintaining Torbay’s Child Protection Register.
• Administering Children’s Services legal planning meetings.
• The provision of specific child protection advice and consultation.
• Making a contribution to child protection training.
• Supporting schools and other education establishments fulfil their responsibilities under section 175 of the 2002 Education Act.
• Administering the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and it’s sub groups.
• Responding to the 2003 Licensing Act objective ‘the protection of children from harm’ on behalf of the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board.
• The provision of general safeguarding advice and consultation.

The child protection process

We appreciate the stresses & strains on families inherent within modern family life & try whenever possible to assess & support families to look after their children without entering into formal child protection procedures. Whenever there is a suspicion that a child has or is likely to suffer significant harm however we are duty bound to undertake child protection enquiries to establish whether there is a continuing risk.

If after assessment it is believed that there is a continuing risk of significant harm then a child protection case conference will be convened. Within this meeting professionals will consider placing the child’s name on Torbay’s child protection register. This will alert agencies who may have contact with the child to their vulnerability. Registration also means that a child protection plan will be devised and regularly reviewed that addresses the issues that led to registration.

What to do if you have concerns?

If you are worried if a child is being abused then contact the Child Safeguarding Unit or alternatively contact the Police or the NSPCC.

Training

The Torbay Safeguarding Children’s Board (TSCB) each year develops child protection courses for practitioners working with children, young people and families.

This "inter-agency" training is delivered to a mixture of professionals from a variety of statutory agencies providing services to children and young people. It is intended for employees of different agencies who either work together formally or come together for training or development.  Training delivered on an inter-agency basis is a highly effective way of promoting a common and shared understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of different professionals, and contributes to effective working relationships.

Training courses available for 2007 / 2008 are detailed in the document available below.

Inter-Agency Child Protection Training  2008 - 2009 This brochure gives information about inter-agency child protection training for 2008 to 2009 including course dates. Last updated: 18/06/2008 (2.1 MB)

To view any published Related Documents for this service you will require the appropriate software. To download this software please see our documents help page. All links to documents will open in a new window. To request documents and files in an alternative format please contact us using the contact information provided on this page.