Safeguarding
Barnsley Safeguarding Children Partnership is the organisation responsible for agreeing how services and agencies work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in the borough and ensuring that they do so effectively. The Children and Social Work Act 2017 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 places the responsibility on the three ‘safeguarding partners’, the police, the local authority and health, to formulate the local arrangements for partnership arrangements for safeguarding children in their respective geographical areas.
The partnership replaced the Barnsley Safeguarding Children Board on 1 April 2019 and has had an independent scrutineer since November 2021. The partnership brings together senior representatives from the key statutory, voluntary, and community sectors with a responsibility for delivering services to children and young people.
The chair of the partnership is accountable to the three safeguarding partners, the police, health and the local authority (through the Chief Executive and Director of Children's Services). Each agency representative involved in the work of the partnership is accountable to the governing body of their own agency.
The role of the partnership
Members of the partnership work to keep children and young people in Barnsley safe from harm, particularly those who are most vulnerable, and to make sure that they feel secure, well cared for, and able to reach their full potential. They also provide support and training for those who work with children and young people, in whatever capacity, to make sure that they are fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding, and that they are appropriately qualified.
The Barnsley Safeguarding Children Partnership brings together the three lead partners (Local Authority, Police and South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board). This is to plan and to work together with other partners in order to protect and safeguard children in the local area. The BSCP was established in 2019 following the Wood Review and the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018). Our aim is to be more effective together than we are as separate agencies. This is in our shared and equal duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people of Barnsley.
Partnership member agencies
Barnsley Safeguarding Children Partnership is made up of members from a range of agencies:
- the independent chair
- the three safeguarding partners:
The following organisations are partnership members with a duty to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children:
- South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- NHS England
- South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
- National Probation Service
- CAFCASS
- IDAS
- Berneslai Homes
- Children’s Social Care – BMBC
- Legal Services – BMBC
- Public Health - BMBC
- Youth Offending Team – BMBC
- Barnsley College
- Healthwatch Barnsley
- Head teacher representative – Barnsley Primary Schools
- Head teacher representative – Barnsley Senior Schools
- Barnsley Council - Cabinet Spokesperson (participant observer)
Sub-committees to the partnership
The partnership structure has a number of sub-committees that bring extra focus to particular issues and priorities. This structure is reviewed regularly and amended if necessary to ensure multi-agency contribution to priority areas.
Working together to safeguard children
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 is statutory guidance from GOV.UK on inter-agency working to promote the welfare of children.
The guidance was further updated in December 2020 with factual changes in relation to information sharing, homelessness duty and references to domestic abuse. You can read more about the update to Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018.
In Barnsley, we develop our strategic priorities each year. This is so we can continue to implement the requirements set out by the government.
We have subsequently developed further guidance, including an update to the child death review arrangements which form part of working together.
Partnership meetings
The Barnsley Safeguarding Children Partnership meet six times a year. Dates for 2023 are:
- 13 January 2023
- 17 March 2023
- 12 May 2023
- 07 July 2023
- 08 September 2023
- 10 November 2023
Safeguarding news
Keep up with the latest safeguarding news and events by reading our safeguarding newsletters.
Our annual report
Our safeguarding children annual report is a document that we have a duty to produce. It gives an annual update on what we've delivered from our strategic plan.
For children and young people
Get support and advice if you feel unsafe or worried about something.
For parents and carers
Information and advice about parenting, family problems and how to keep your child safe.
For professionals
Guidance, training and other resources suitable for professionals and volunteers who work with vulnerable children.
For schools
Information and guidance about safeguarding children in school, whatever your role.
Policies and procedures
The partnership procedures are available here. These define and guide the safeguarding role of all agencies working with children and young people.
Thresholds for intervention
Read the Barnsley thresholds for intervention guide for early help and beyond.
Children and Young People's Plan
The Barnsley Children, Young People and Families Trust has published their Children and Young People's Plan for 2023 to 2026.
This is a joint three year plan setting out what partners of the Children, Young People and Families Trust intend to do to improve outcomes for children and young people in Barnsley. It reflects our strong ambition and the strategy and steps being taken to support children, young people and families to achieve their potential.