Sefton SCP Business Unit Team

Sefton Safeguarding Children Partnership Business Team:

Sefton Safeguarding Children Partnership is supported by staff within the business unit, comprising of:

Rick Bolton, Interim Sefton SCP Manager

Donna Atkinson, Sefton SCP Administrator

Louise Roberts, Sefton SCP Learning & Development Officer

Vacant, Sefton SCP Performance & Improvement Officer

Elle Morris, Sefton SCP Apprentice Administrator

If you wish to contact a member of our team, please email SSCP@sefton.gov.uk. 

Sefton SCP
Magdalen House
Trinity Road, Bootle
L20 3NJ

Sefton SCP - Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements

Introduction

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 replaced Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) with new local safeguarding arrangements, led by the three named statutory safeguarding partners Local Authority; Police and Integrated Care Boards (Health) operating in the Sefton area.  The three partners formed Sefton Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) as the statutory body for the new arrangements.

The publication of Working Together to Safeguarding Children 2023, required local arrangements to be updated in light of national reforms. Sefton SCP's updated arrangements are published in the document below.

Click here to view Sefton SCP -  Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (2024)

Sefton SCP Strategic Plan 2024-2027 / Priorities

Sefton SCP Strategic Plan 2024-2027

The purpose of the Sefton SCP Strategic Plan is to set out the three strategic priorities for Sefton Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) for the period 2024-2027, and how these will be achieved through the work of the partnership overseen by the relevant subgroups.  

Sefton SCP's ambition is to help the many people and organisations across the borough who care for and work with children and families - helping them to learn, work and succeed together.

Sefton SCP Annual Report

Sefton SCP publishes an yearly report on the business of the partnership and effectiveness of the safeguarding arrangements.

The most recent version of the Sefton SCP Annual Report is published below:

View Sefton SCP Annual Report 2023-24

Learning from Reviews / Serious Child Safeguarding Case PATHWAY

In Sefton the partnership is committed to child centred practice and learning, and this is reflected in all our work. We believe this child centred approach is reflected in our approach to Rapid Reviews as they give an opportunity for the partnership to learn about every child and to understand events from their unique experience to improve our partnership working.

Safeguarding reviews are undertaken to learn from past events and consolidate understanding about what is working well and what presents challenges to organisations, working with children and families in Sefton.  Central to all Sefton's reviews will be a focus on trying to understand the journey of events from the child's perspective.

Sefton SCP will determine when to trigger a Rapid Review process or another appropriate alternative case review process.

Sefton SCP has a procedure which sets out the Pathway for Rapid Reviews and Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (LCSPRs):

Sefton SCP Rapid Reviews & Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews PATHWAY

REFERRAL FORM for Serious Child Safeguarding Case or Request for Reflective Review by PRG (Appendix A)

Sefton SCP has a sub group (Practice Review Group) which oversees and quality assures reviews undertaken by the partnership, and provides advice on whether the criteria for conducting a review have been met.

Sefton SCP have created leaflets for families explaining what a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review (LCSPR) and Reflective Review is and what to expect if one is undertaken on their child/family. 

Leaflet for Families (LCSPR)

Leaflet for Families (Reflective Review)

Multi-Agency Audits & Learning & Improvement Framework (LIF)

The role of Sefton SCP is crucial in undertaking multi-agency audits to be assured that children are safe, that practice with children and families is good and in line with Working Together 2023 and agencies are working collaboratively. The findings from audit are used to improve practice with children and families and multi-agency working.  

Multi-Agency audits provide a robust and systematic approach to quality assurance and the modelling of a cycle of continuous learning through constructive challenge will establish a culture which will permeate through to front-line practice.

Sefton SCP undertake multi-agency audits and have produced a 'Guide for Professionals'

Safeguarding Partnerships should maintain a local learning and improvement framework which is shared across local organisations who work with children and families. This framework should enable organisations to be clear about their responsibilities, to learn from experience and improve services as a result.

Click to view the Sefton LIF

• Sefton SCP Learning & Improvement Framework (LIF)

Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP)

Merseyside and Isle of Man CDOP

Purpose of CDOP

The death of a child is a devastating loss which profoundly affects all those involved. Since April 2008, all deaths of children up to the age of 18 years, excluding still births and planned terminations are to be reviewed by a Child Death Overview Panel in line with the national guidance and statutory requirement set out in the Child Death Review Statutory and Operational Guidance published in October 2018. Child Death Overview Panels should “review the deaths of all children normally resident in the relevant local authority area, and if they consider it appropriate the deaths in that area of non-resident children.” Child Death Review Statutory and Operational Guidance published in October 2018.

Responsibility for reviewing child deaths across Merseyside and the Isle of Man sits with the following statutory partners:

Knowsley Borough Council
Liverpool City Council
Sefton Borough Council
St Helens Borough Council
Wirral Borough Council
Isle of Man
NHS Cheshire & Merseyside ICB (Integrated Care Board)
Merseyside Police

Merseyside CDOP have produced a leaflet for parents/carers explaining what CDOP does when a child dies.

Further information on Merseyside & IOM CDOP can be found on Liverpool Safeguarding Children Partnership's website link below. 

https://liverpoolscp.org.uk/scp/about-us/merseyside-child-death-overview-panel-cdop

Contact Details

CDOP Team
Gerard Majella Courthouse
Boundary Street
Liverpool
L5 2QD

Merseyside Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) Manager - Stephanie Quinn (Email: stephanie.quinn@liverpool.gov.uk

Merseyside CDOP Administrator - Helen Fleming-Scott Email: Helen.Fleming-Scott@liverpool.gov.uk

Sefton SCP Structure

Sefton SCP Structure