HSCP Safeguarding Arrangements

Hounslow Safeguarding Children Partnership

Children’s welfare is of the highest importance, and children who need help and protection deserve high quality and effective support as soon as a need is identified. Professionals working with children and their families in Hounslow take their responsibility to do so, and to keep children safe, very seriously.

Hounslow Safeguarding Children Board (HSCB) has driven this by providing expertise and leadership across the local area which has been enabled by solid partnership working; scrutiny of practice, sharing knowledge, developing our workforce, and considering whole system issues.

Chapter 3 paragraph 6 of Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 states that “all three partners have equal and joint responsibility for local safeguarding arrangements”. In Hounslow, these agencies, including education have formed the Hounslow Safeguarding Partnership Executive. The executive members are Hounslow Council Chief Executive, Borough Commander for the West Area BCU and Chief Accountable Officer of NW London Collaboration of CCG’s, and their nominated advisors. The executive partnerships key objective is to set the priorities and the strategic business plan.

The new arrangements which each area is required to have in place, have provided our partnership with an opportunity to reflect and refresh how we do this within the new legislative framework to ensure we continue to achieve for all of our children so that they are able to reach their full potential.

The plan sets out how organisations and people in Hounslow will work together within the new arrangements, creating a realistic and sustainable model, which builds on the successes already achieved by our partners, re-evaluates and changes what isn’t working and developing a system that can respond flexibly to the issues that are important both in our local area and nationally and allows Hounslow safeguarding partners keep their focus on critical safeguarding matters to improve outcomes.

Hounslow Safeguarding Children Partnership will maintain a Stakeholder Board, overseen by an Independent Advisor of all organisation’s individuals, known as ‘’relevant agencies’’ as stipulated in The Child Safeguarding Practice Review and Relevant Agency (England) Regulations 2018 in Hounslow that will either be part of our safeguarding arrangements or receive information, including those who will be required to undertake an audit under Section 11 of The Children Act 2014. This will promote consistency of the application of statutory guidance and good practice, and we are committed to continue efforts to get full engagement of all independent, private providers and communities.