New arrangements will continue improvements in the way Rotherham children are kept safe
New arrangements to safeguard children in Rotherham will be introduced from September with a new partnership involving police, the health service and council.
The partnership will be chaired by someone independent to all three organisations in an attempt to ensure the work they do is properly scrutinised.
Details of the partnership have been set out in a report for Rotherham Councillors, which highlights the fact that “There have been very significant improvements in the ways in which partners work together to protect children in Rotherham since 2014”.
The multi-agency approach to safeguarding children is intended to ensure the service is as effective as possible and one element of the new arrangements is to ensure the partnership “demonstrates openness and transparency in all its work.”
Among the promises made for the new body is that its staff will “facilitate and drive action beyond usual institutional and agency constraints and boundaries”, which will mean working with other agencies to ensure the best results for children needing assistance.
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It will also mean staff working to build “lasting and trusting relationships with children and their families”.
In addition, there is also a pledge to listen to the district’s young people themselves, with a report stating: “Rotherham partners have made a commitment to being a child friendly borough and through our new multi-agency arrangements we will build on the engagement with children and young people that is already in place.
“We will ensure that children in Rotherham have a strong voice in making sure that all partners understand what it is like to be a child or young person in Rotherham and what needs to happen to make their childhood as safe as possible. “Their voice will influence decisions at a strategic, operational and individual level.”
Chief officers for the organisations involved will meet twice a year, with more frequent meetings among others involved in steering the work of the partnership.