About us
What is Cheshire West and Chester Safeguarding Children Partnership (SCP)?
The role of the SCP is to support and enable local organisations and agencies to work together in a system where:
- Children are safeguarded and their welfare promoted;
- Partner organisations and agencies collaborate, share and co-own the vision for how to achieve improved outcomes for vulnerable children;
- Organisations and agencies challenge appropriately and hold one another to account effectively;
- There is early identification and analysis of new safeguarding issues and emerging threats;
- Learning is promoted and embedded in a way that local services for children and families can become more reflective and implement changes to practice;
- Information is shared effectively to facilitate more accurate and timely decision making for children and families.
- In order to work together effectively, the safeguarding partners with other local organisations and agencies will develop processes that:
- Facilitate and drive action beyond usual institutional and agency constraints and boundaries;
- Ensure the effective protection of children is founded on practitioners developing lasting and trusting relationships with children and their families.
What is a relevant agency?
Relevant agencies are those organisations and agencies that the SCP consider have a key role to play in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of local children. These include health organisations, education, early years, criminal justice, voluntary sector, local government, public services and wider youth engagement group. Strong effective multi-agency arrangements are ones that are responsive to local circumstances and engage the right people.
Who are the three Statutory partners?
The three statutory safeguarding partners are responsible for the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements in Cheshire West and Chester they consist of Chief Executive of Cheshire West and Chester Council, the Accountable Officer of Cheshire and Merseyside NHS Integrated Care Board and the Chief Constable of Cheshire Police.
How does the SCP Operate?
SCP operates through a governance framework made up of a number of meetings in which policy, procedures and practice guidance for professionals and volunteers who work with children, young people and families are developed. Work is undertaken through task and finish groups and shared far and wide across all organisations. The SCP has an independent Scrutineer who is responsible for holding partners to account and to provide scrutiny of the arrangements developed by the three statutory partners.
What is the function of the SCP Business Unit?
The SCP Business team is there to support the SCP membership helping to coordinate and manage multi-agency working. See the Contact Us page for more information and details about the staff within the business unit.
To find out more please download our framework Cheshire West and Chester Safeguarding Children Partnership Arrangements (PDF, 1MB)