Agenda item

To accept the report and note the information about the work of the Strategic Safeguarding Panel for 2021-22.

The report was submitted by Cllr Dilwyn Morgan  

DECISION

To accept the report and note the information about the work of the Strategic Safeguarding Panel for 2021-22.

DISCUSSION

A report was submitted which included an overview of the work of the Strategic Safeguarding Panel during the period between January 2021 and March 2022, which gave a clear and fair picture of the work achieved along with references to reports or observations by external inspectors on the work. It was noted that the Statutory Director was required to consistently and regularly report to Members on the Panel's work on safeguarding, and that they could be satisfied that the Panel had undertaken the required work in a thorough and conscientious manner.

Members were reminded that the aim of the Strategic Safeguarding Panel was to ensure that appropriate arrangements and procedures were in place at a corporate level across the Council to ensure the safety of children, young people and adults. Since 2017/18 the Panel was also responsible for an overview of wider safeguarding issues across Gwynedd.

Attention was drawn to some of the barriers, reporting that responses and evidence provided assurance that all departments responded and followed up on any concerns in a timely manner.

·         the Children and Supporting Families Department found it difficult to recruit and retain qualified staff. As a result, an individual was commissioned to work in the field, and it was hoped to complete this work by April 2022.

·         there was concern about the DoLS (deprivation of liberty safeguards) service during the year as there were 550 on the waiting list at one point.   Regardless, a successful bid of £100,000 was received by the Government to address the waiting list (which was now approximately 336).

·         some parents chose to continue teaching their children from home when the schools reopened. Although the numbers were relatively low, an increase had been seen among vulnerable families - Welsh Government intended to legislate a requirement to register a child if they received home education.

·         there needed to be reflexive action and address misogynistic culture among boys to get to the root of problems in the field of sexual harassment in schools as a result of the emergence of the 'Everyone’s Invited' website.

·         data from the Police showed an increase in the number of domestic offences in Gwynedd during the last two quarters - the matter would be given priority at the Partnership's next meetings to ensure that enough was being done to get messages out to the public.

Cllr Dilwyn Morgan was thanked for chairing the panel along with officers and Members for their commitment to the excellent work that was being done in the safeguarding field and during a challenging period - mainly as a result of Covid-19 and the challenges relating to the virus. Regardless, it was noted that the Strategic Safeguarding Panel had continued to arrange on-line meetings and move the agenda forward. It was reiterated that there was also an intention to reflect on the working arrangements of the Strategic Panel and the Operational Group to ensure effective action - the work would be carried out in early 2022, introducing any changes to the operation of the group and the panel by the meetings of summer 2022 onwards.

  Observations arising from the discussion

·         Eager to look into the number of parents who continued to home-school their children - this caused concern given that children who, typically, disengaged from services were vulnerable.

·         The vision of safeguarding girls in schools and attempting to change the misogynistic culture among boys was welcomed.