Introduction

The "Munro Review of Child Protection: A child centred system", sets out the important role that Local Safeguarding Children Boards have in monitoring how professionals and services are working together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It recognised that they are key to identifying emerging problems, through learning from practice and overseeing efforts to improve services.

Ensuring the safety and protection of children, and promoting their welfare continues to be a key challenge for all agencies. Those involved in safeguarding and child protection needs access to up-to-date knowledge and evidence of good practice which will improve outcomes.

What do we do to help?

• Disseminate key messages from knowledge reviews
• Validate and share examples of local practice which have improved outcomes
• A one-stop shop of knowledge, data, effective practice and support
• Contribute to skill development by working with Children’s Workforce Development Council
• Work with Improvement Boards and Local Safeguarding Children’s Board to meet identified need

How C4EO can support Local Authorities and the Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs)

The expectations on LSCBs are huge and C4EO is well placed to provide sector specialist "peer to peer" Tailored Support to help local areas review practice and move forward. Following a range of successful safeguarding assignments across the country, C4EO is in a strong position to assist LSCBs including the review and development of performance management.

Read how C4EO can support Local Authorities and the Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) (509Kb PDF file, 4 pages)

Theme Advisory Groups (TAGs)

The work on this theme was shaped and guided by a Theme Advisory Group. Click here for more information about theme advisory groups and the membership for this theme.

More information

For more information about this theme contact C4EO on 020 7843 6358 or email us at contactus@C4EO.org.uk

You can also sign up for regular email updates.

Publications

Directors' summary

The Safeguarding summary is a concise and accessible overview of C4EO’s current work in this theme for directors of children’s services.

• Safeguarding Directors’ summary (145Kb PDF file, 4 pages) - Published March 2010
• Safeguarding Directors’ summary (155Kb PDF file, 4 pages) - Published October 2009

Knowledge review

The effective practice to protect children living in 'highly resistant' families knowledge review summarises the best available evidence from 2000 to 2009 that will help service providers to improve services and, ultimately, outcomes for children, young people and their families.

• Effective practice to protect children living in 'highly resistant' families knowledge review (1.2Mb PDF file, 105 pages) - Published March 2010

Expert briefings

• The expert briefings commissioned for the conferences are available below:
• Briefing 1: Effective interventions where there are concerns about, or evidence of, a child suffering significant harm (258Kb PDF file, 20 pages) - Published November 2009
• Briefing 2: What are the key questions for audit of child protection systems and decision-making (219Kb PDF file, 16 pages) - Published November 2009
• Briefing 3: The oversight and review of cases in the light of changing circumstances and new information: how do people respond to new (and challenging) information? (214Kb PDF file, 20 pages) - Published November 2009.

Views and experiences of CYP who have been through the child protection/safeguarding system

• Review of literature and consultation summary (66kb PDF file, 1 page)
• Review of literature and consultation full report (173kb PDF file, 30 pages)

Video – Highly resistant families

This film examines working with highly resistant families.

Presentations

Children’s commissioner’s – family perspectives on safeguarding

At the 2010 Safeguarding events we presented some of the comments from families interviewed for the Children’s commissioner’s report 'Family Perspectives on Safeguarding'.

• Family perspectives on safeguarding slides (321Kb Powerpoint file, 10 pages) - Published June 2010
• Family perspectives on safeguarding - full report (419kb PDF file, 52 pages) - Published June 2010.

Safeguarding conference presentations

• Safeguarding chair presentation (1.5Mb PDF file, 22 pages) - Published March 2010
• Confident accountability for decision-making in the protection of children (348Kb PDF file, 11 pages) - Published March 2010
• Group discussions (171Kb PDF file, 13 pages) - Published March 2010
• IDeA safeguarding programme (125Kb PDF file, 9 pages) - Published March 2010
• Oversight and review of cases in light of changing circumstances and new information (441Kb PDF file, 11 pages) - Published March 2010
• Research review and validated local practice (225Kb PDF file, 8 pages) - Published March 2010
• Using what we know about what works (568Kb PDF file, 23 pages) - Published March 2010.

Safeguarding 'highly resistant families' presentations

• Commissioning for the most vulnerable 'highly resistant' families (1Mb Powerpoint file, 18 pages) - Published July 2009
• Effective practice to protect children living in 'highly resistant' families (711Kb Powerpoint file, 28 pages) - Published July 2009
• The role of data in safeguarding (8Mb Powerpoint file, 26 pages) - Published July 2009
• Sector-led support - Published July 2009.

Events

Please check again later for more events...

About local practice examples

As with all C4EO themes, C4EO recognises that not all useful knowledge about ‘what works’ and why, is to be found in research reports and papers. We are therefore keen to hear about practice that is leading to significantly improved outcomes for children, young people and their families.

We will incorporate validated local practice examples into our full reviews on what works, which will be shared with other decision-makers in the children’s services field. We will also include them as a special body of evidence on this website.

To be validated, practice examples need to be supported by some evidence which shows the outcomes and changes that have been achieved.

Submit local practice examples

If you would like to submit an example of effective local practice, please:

1. Signup to the C4EO website if you haven't already.
2. Login and complete the local practice online submission form

Alternatively you can:

1. Download a copy of the local practice submission form (77Kb Word file, 6 pages)
2. Send your completed form to C4EOTeam@NFER.ac.uk

Further information

• Further information about validated local practice (87Kb Word file, 3 pages)
• Guidance on how to complete the submission form and the validation process (47Kb PDF file, 4 pages)

If you have any queries regarding validated local practice, please do not hesitate to contact Monica Hetherington at NFER via C4EOTeam@nfer.ac.uk.

Interactive data

Explore, customise and print C4EO maps and reports with:

Maps

Data views – View interactive maps and graphs that allow you to select the data you are interested in.

Advanced data views – Select the data and comparators you are interested in before viewing in the format of your choice (e.g. charts, interactive maps, XML etc).

Area profiles

Area profiles – View a predefined report on your Government Office Region, Local Authority and Statistical Neighbours (PDF 102Kb, 9 pages)

Advanced area profiles – Select the data and comparators to create your own customised profile.

We currently have data at National, Regional and Local Authority level. We are loading information at Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) as it becomes available. At the moment IDACI 2007, NI 152, NI 116 and other indices of deprivation are available at LSOA level (accessible by double-clicking the chosen local authority in the Child Poverty maps).

We are keen to maintain the usefulness of the data views and reports. If you have any thoughts on how to make the reports more useful, or would like to tell us what you plan on using the data for, please complete the 'feedback form'.

More information on how to use the interactive data and what the indicators mean can be found in the help section.