Children's & Young
People's Services
Child Protection
Child Protection Advice
In Bexley, child protection advice is offered by the Children's Planning Unit, a multi-agency team that provides support to social workers in providing services to children who are either looked after, on the child protection register or "in need". This team can offer members of the public and other professionals specialist advice, support and guidance about child protection and looked-after children, and are able to provide relevant training for professionals and volunteers who deal with children in the course of their work.
The Unit also maintains a register of children thought to be at risk of abuse or neglect in the borough, and works to ensure that plans are made and implemented on their behalf. East and West Child Care Services carry out enquiries and work with families when there are concerns about the safety of children, when families are in need of support, and when children may need to be looked after or placed in care.
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Bexley Local Safeguarding Children Board
The Local Authority has the responsibility for the establishment of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) in their area. The LSCB replaced the Area Child Protection Committee in April 2006 as a requirement of the Children Act 2004. Its establishment addresses some of the concerns outlined by Lord Laming’s enquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie. The role and scope of the LSCB is wider than that of the ACPC as it includes the broader remit of safeguarding and prevention in addition to child protection.
The LSCB is the key statutory mechanism for agreeing how each organisation in Bexley will co-operate to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children in the locality and for ensuring the effectiveness of what they do. The main functions of the LSCB include:
- To develop and agree local policies and procedures for inter-agency working
- To audit and evaluate how well services work together to safeguard children
- To monitor and evaluate what is delivered locally with a view to informing planning and service development.
- To encourage and develop effective working partnerships between professionals
- To ensure a level of understanding and agreement of thresholds for intervention across agencies
- To improve local practice through knowledge gained from national and local research
- To undertake serious case reviews where a child has died or is seriously harmed
- To communicate the shared responsibility across agencies for safeguarding children
- To improve inter-agency working through training and development programmes
- Listening to and consulting children and young people to ensure their views and opinions are taken into account in planning and delivering safeguarding and promoting welfare services
- To raise awareness within the wider community of the need to safeguard children
Each year the LSCB produces an Annual Report and Business Plan (see below) that sets out how it will undertake its work. The LSCB meets quarterly and the Executive Board meets monthly to drive forward the work of the LSCB around its strategic priorities. Under the auspices of the LSCB
there has been one serious case review in 2007-08; for more information please
see the  Executive
Summary (75KB, PDF File)
Bexley Local Safeguarding Children Board Annual Reports and Plans
Annual Report 2007-08 and Business Plan 2008-09 (1.11MB PDF file)
Executive Summary of the Local Safeguarding Children Board Plan 2008-09 (580KB PDF file)
Newsletters from the Bexley Local Safeguarding Children Board
Newsletter
September 2008 - Issue 5 (1.85MB PDF)
Newsletter
June 2008 - Issue 4 (1.32MB PDF)
Newsletter
March 2008 - Issue 3 (830KB PDF)
Child Protection Procedures
The third edition of the London Child Protection procedures has now been published and is available through:
 www.londoncpc.gov.uk
On this website you can also find any supplementary procedures as well as useful information on the work of the London SCB and LSCBs across London
The procedures set a standard for best practice with children, young people and their families. Good practice in child protection is about how professionals deal individually and collectively with children and their families. All individuals and agencies are expected to comply with these procedures.
All children and young people have a right to expect protection and equality of treatment, opportunity and inclusion. For anyone to disadvantage a child is abusive.
Joint LSCB Policies & Procedures
Managing Allegations Against Staff & Volunteers Working with Children
In line with Chapter 6 of Working Together to Safeguard Children and the London
Child Protection Procedures, Bexley LSCB has now issued its Policy and Protocol/Procedures
for managing any allegations against those working with children. These procedures
are operational from 1st April 2008.
Managing
Allegations Policy (64KB PDF)
Allegations
Procedures (79KB PDF)
Flowchart
for Managing Allegations (28KB PDF)
Joint Service Protocol to Meet the Needs of Children and Unborn Children whose Parents or Carers have Mental Health Problems or Misuse Substances
This joint protocol has been developed by the LSCB involving Children’s Social Care, Oxleas Mental Health Service, Substance Misuse Team and Bexley Care Trust. It provides guidance on working with parents with mental health and/or substance misuse problems. This Protocol replaces previous guidance and protocols.
Joint Service Protocol to Meet the Needs of Children and Unborn Children whose Parents or Carers have Mental Health Problems or Misuse Substances (147KB PDF)
Child Death Overview Panel
Single Point of Contact is Judi Moylan who can be reached on tel: 020 8836
8320, fax: 020 8836 8038 or email judi.moylan@bexley.gov.uk.
Bexley LSCB Procedures for Multi-Agency Response to the Child Death Overview Proces
Part 1 - Rapid Response (252KB PDF)
Part 2 - Child Death Overview Panel (334KB PDF)
Child Death Overview Panel (434KB PDF)
The Death of Our Child (415KB PDF)
Training
Bexley LSCB will offer a comprehensive programme of safeguarding training to staff and volunteers who work with children and their families residing in Bexley. The purpose of the training will be to achieve better outcomes for children and young people particularly in terms of staying safe. Find
out more about the training here.
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