LSCP Education Group
Key purpose
The group is pivotal in identifying and responding to strategic and practice issues within educational settings and raising these with the Safeguarding Children’s Partnership, other partnerships, or groups as appropriate. This group enables the synthesis of educational views and contributions to enable representation at the partnership executive group. It is also a strategy discussion group and is solution focussed with respect to safeguarding arrangements that effect or are pertinent to education. This group will also support the priorities of the local authority safeguarding children partnership.
- To oversee the city’s strategic response to improving school attendance, reducing suspensions and permanent exclusions.
- Ensure that all partners understand the impact Educational Neglect has upon the lives of young people. Raise the profile of issues which impede children’s regular attendance at school, raise the likelihood of being classified as ‘NEET’ (not in employment, education or training) and work to promote the solutions which remove barriers to education.
- Advance inclusion and support for identified cohorts where socioeconomic, racial, additional needs or other difficulties are impacting on their safeguarding and progression.
This subgroup will provide a communication channel between education and the multi-agency network to raise the profile of education across the local authority with a view to improving outcomes for all children.
Key responsibilities
The function of this group is:
- To identify and discuss issues and risks raised by educational providers and where required, to highlight these to the executive group and make recommendations.
- To support educational providers with awareness of and compliance with national legislation, policies, guidance, best practice, and findings from national case reviews related to safeguarding including highlighting changes.
- To liaise with educational providers to provide awareness and understanding of any key local developments in relation to safeguarding, including guidance, findings from inspection, audits, case reviews and key education and multi-agency data sets.
- To feedback to the partnership on the implication of decisions and policy changes relating to safeguarding in education settings.
- To provide an opportunity for educational providers to identify and share best safeguarding practice and consider themes from Ofsted / Independent Schools Inspectorate reports / inspections.
- To enable representatives from educational settings to link in with the work of the partnership and refer to sub-groups as appropriate.
- To carry out such work as agreed with the partnership in line with the partnership and the group’s priorities.
- Promote an inclusive and trauma informed schools’ community.
- To contribute to the production of the annual report.
Quorum
The Chair will determine if the meeting is quorate with the expectation that there will be a minimum of 75% representation.
Practice Standards
Response to and the impact from issues raised by the group reported to the executive group.
Educational input into partnership strategy, improvement, and assurances – key developments considered and signed off by the chairs and representatives.
Analysis of and actions from the section 175 self-assessment of safeguarding responsibilities and compliance for registered schools, and any other relevant audits of practice for settings that do not have to complete a S175 audit.