As part of an ongoing commitment to improving services for children in Solihull, lead safeguarding partners in the borough have outlined their areas of focus for the coming year.
The three main priorities for the Solihull Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) in 2025, will be tackling neglect, bolstering connections and impact, and improving effectiveness, while continuing to ensure the voice of the child is heard.
This approach was recently welcomed by senior leaders in each organisation, who meet regularly to have strategic oversight and direction on the improvement work taking place between Solihull Council, NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board, and West Midlands Police.
Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, said: “I am a firm believer that when public services and the sector collaborate more widely in tackling shared problems, as we are doing here, they can deliver a much better result for our residents. I want to thank our partners in health and the police for the commitment they are showing in this.
“We can see that positive changes are being made, a key example of this is through the multi-agency safeguarding hub where initial contact is made with all three organisations about a child of concern.
“We have worked hard to ensure frontline workers are located together in one office, which has significantly helped improve data sharing processes. As a result, we can respond to these enquiries quickly and efficiently, and ensure children and families are given the most appropriate support.”
At the latest meeting, the group considered a detailed report on children who had gone missing, children missing education and children living in temporary accommodation, and the actions being taken by all partners to help with these challenges.
They were also updated on the outcome of a rapid learning review, recognised by the National Safeguarding Panel as a good review, with no additional action needed from the safeguarding partners.
Patrick Vernon, Chair of NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board, added: “We remain deeply committed, working alongside our partners, to safeguarding children and young people in Solihull including ensuring access to the right service at the right time. We look forward to continuing this work in 2025 and beyond.”
Simon Foster, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, said: “West Midlands Police and I are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. It’s pleasing to see the improvements being made. However, we are not complacent, and we never will be. We will ensure that officers and staff do all that is within their power, to keep children and young people safe and secure.”
The Solihull Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) has also recently published its yearly report for 2023/24, which can be seen on the SSCP website. The SSCP is the statutory mechanism for ensuring there are multi-agency arrangements in place to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children within Solihull. This report provides an account of the work and progress undertaken by the partnership to fulfil its statutory duties.