Agenda item

To present the report on the work of the Strategic Safeguarding Panel for the year 2025/26.

1.     To accept and note the report.

The report was presented by the Chair of the Panel. He highlighted the importance of the Panel's work and acknowledged that the last year had been challenging from a safeguarding perspective. The importance of steps being taken to ensure adequate scrutiny of all Council procedures was also noted.

Reference was made to the statistics set out on the first page of the Report, and the increase in the number of staff who had completed safeguarding training and the percentage of schools that had delivered safeguarding training to all staff was praised. It was also recognised that there was a significant increase in the number of referrals to children's services. The attempt made by service staff to meet targets in a timely manner by addressing each case was mentioned, but that the national increase in relation to this put a strain on resources.

It was highlighted that more staff had now qualified to be able to carry out DoLS (Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Arrangements) assessments, and it was asked when it would be possible to see a reduction in the numbers waiting for assessments as a result. In response, it was confirmed that additional funding had been received last year to address the waiting list for a DoLS assessment. It was mentioned that the Council had succeeded in recruiting qualified officers, despite the difficulties encountered in trying to do so, and therefore the figures were starting to decline as a result. This was elaborated upon by mentioning the recent Supreme Court ruling against a well-known case in the care field. While the guidance regarding this decision was yet to be developed, the decision was welcomed, anticipating that it would change practice as well as the expectations placed on social services.

It was pointed out that there was no external member who was part of the membership of the Panel, and it was asked whether the membership was robust enough as a result. It was emphasised that consideration had been given to this and to the remit of the Panel, but it was highlighted that it was an internal strategic Panel to ensure that the Council carried out its work properly. Although there were no external members of this Panel, bringing the report before the Scrutiny Committee gave members the opportunity to challenge and offer views on the work of the Panel. It was proposed that the Council should be able to satisfy itself that it was able to scrutinise its work internally. Reference was made to the role of the Response Board and the Board's Independent Chair in scrutinising the work of the Council also. It was acknowledged that this Board could not continue forever, but it was noted that the Council's work was often monitored by people from external organisations. Although it was an internal Panel, support was given to taking a closer look at the potential role of external members as part of this Panel. 

In response to a question about how many of those on the DoLS waiting list were waiting for a first assessment and how many were waiting for a second assessment, it was noted that the service had been prioritising in relation to risk as a result of the pressures of the waiting list. In discussing the pressures on staff in this field, it was elaborated that staff turnover and the demographics in Gwynedd were challenging. The varying numbers applying for trainee roles were also highlighted. It was reiterated that the increasing numbers of referrals reaching the children's department put significant pressure on the Department, on resources, and on all child safeguarding and support procedures. It was confirmed that additional funding had been received to invest in job creation to relieve this pressure. It was added that the recruitment of qualified social workers was proving challenging, and therefore there was work to be done in terms of workforce planning to ensure continuity. It was noted that a number of these posts related to the Section 5 field and the safeguarding field in general, in order to be able to address some of the recommendations identified by the Our Bravery Brought Justice report. Further information was provided on a post that had been created, noting that some of the officer's main responsibilities would be to lead on chairing Section 5 meetings and lead the work on the quality assurance framework across the Children's Department.  

A discussion ensued on the increasing number of children being home educated, and a question was asked about the situation in terms of ensuring that these children were not at risk. It was declared that parents had the right to withdraw a child from school or not to send their child to school. It was explained that officers monitored the work being done by the child, but unless there was a safeguarding concern, a parent had the right to refuse this monitoring. Concern was expressed in relation to the Council's lack of rights in this field. It was added that the increase in the number being home educated was also seen nationally, and it was confirmed that it was one of the Education Department's performance challenge measures. It was recognised that many families did a great job in home-educating their children, but there was concern that this was not the case for all children who were educated at home. It was recognised that some parents believed that their child did not receive adequate support in schools, and therefore they decided to take the child out of school. The financial challenges that meant schools might not be able to meet expectations in terms of providing the best support for each child on every occasion were identified. It was hoped that the new Government could develop solutions to these challenges facing education authorities.

In response to a question about the age range of those children who were home educated, it was confirmed that some children decided to de-register and leave school and others never started attending school in the first place. In addition, it was explained that Gwynedd had been involved in a pilot scheme in order to gain a better understanding of the situations of those children who were not registered in schools. The advice and support offered to those who chose to educate their children at home were elaborated upon, noting that officers were available to support and that sessions and activities on specific topics were also held for the children. It was emphasised that this provision was an offer, and that the Council had no right to impose it on anyone. It was further noted that 124 children were new to the home education register as of September 2025.

It was asked whether the Panel was satisfied with the progress made by the Response Board. It was confirmed that the Board's Independent Chair reported every quarter to the Cabinet on the Board's progress, and that she had expressed her satisfaction with this progress when reporting back. Assurance was given that each stream was led by a different officer, and they were challenged in relation to the timely progress of that stream. The Welsh Government's support in this field was also appreciated. Pride was expressed in the progress being made by the Board, noting that independent observers and the Welsh Government had also indicated their satisfaction with this progress.                                                              

Attention was drawn to the fact that four young people in Gwynedd were located in an unregistered setting, and it was asked how the Council ensured the safety of these individuals. The lack of registered settings nationally was acknowledged, and it was noted that two of the individuals were in placements that were currently in the process of being registered. Assurance was given that the companies hired to provide care were national ones, and were therefore subject to the necessary safeguarding processes and arrangements. It was added that all other safeguarding processes took place in the same way as they would at registered settings. The need for an adequacy plan was mentioned, as well as the need to consider the  exact needs of the Authority. It was also revealed that there were examples of settings rejecting children as they would not be able to meet that child's needs. It was explained that there had been no increase in the numbers in unregistered settings in recent years. It was emphasised that the Council did not want any child to be in an unregistered setting and therefore planning was underway to find how to ensure that the needs of every child were met, and that there were enough not-for-profit settings in Gwynedd.  

It was recognised that there was strong collaboration between the Council and the Police in general, and it was highlighted that Police officers were also members of some of the Council's committees. It was stated that a draft agreement was being developed following the Our Bravery Brought Justice report, to look at how staff could be seconded across the organisations in the event of major investigations in the future. It was noted that there was good overall collaboration between the Council and the Health Board, but that strategic planning, for example, could be challenging at times. It was mentioned that there was room to strengthen interdepartmental internal collaboration too.

It was stated that work had been commissioned to see whether the domestic violence services were cohesive and working well, and to assess any better way of delivering. As the role of the Police Commissioner was coming to an end in a few years' time, it was explained that a Government consultation was in the pipeline to look at how to secure these services and the system that would be in place across Wales going forward. It was hoped that the money previously given to the Police Commissioner would be allocated to the Local Authorities, so that a complete package of these services could be created in one place.

DECISION

1.    To accept and note the report.