North Wales Safeguarding Children’s Board ( NWSCB) is a statutory body which co-ordinates, monitors and challenges its partner agencies in safeguarding children in North Wales. The objectives of the NWSCB are to PROTECT children in its area who are experiencing or at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm and PREVENT children who within its are who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing abuse, neglect or other kind of harm.
Safeguarding boards have a unique role to play. North Wales Safeguarding Children’s Board sees its function as to make “Safeguarding everybody’s business”
The partner agencies are all six local authorities across the region ( Cyngor Gwynedd, Anglesey County Council ,Conwy County Borough Council, Denbighshire Council, Flintshire Council and Wrexham County Borough Council), North Wales Police, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board , National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Company.
The birthplace of the Safeguarding Boards was the Children Act 2004 and the backdrop to this legislation was ‘Every Child Matters’ following the murder of Victoria Climbie. This Act made it clear that children could only be kept safe properly if the key agencies worked together.
In 2013, NWSCB, took over the safeguarding arrangements from the three local safeguarding boards that operated across North Wales since 2004. (Gwynedd & Mon Local Safeguarding Children Board, Conwy and Denbighshire Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and Flintshire and Wrexham Local Safeguarding Children’s Board)
The Social Services and Wellbeing Act 2014, forms the basis of the new statutory framework for social care in Wales. The Act provides for a new structure for the safeguarding boards in Wales with six safeguarding boards operating in Wales and includes the establishment of the National Independent Safeguarding Board in April 2016.
What is the purpose of North Wales Safeguarding Children’s Board?
- Contribute towards national policy and procedures are monitored and remained fit for purpose, by engagement with the National Independent Safeguarding Board and other Safeguarding Boards
- Raise awareness throughout the Board’s area, of the Board’s objective of Protect & Prevent and to provide information as to how this might be achieved.
- Review efficiency of measures taken by Safeguarding Board partners and bodies represented on the Board
- Undertake CPR & APR
- Undertake audits, reviews and investigations pursuant to the objectives
- Review performance of the Board and its partners represented on the Board in carrying out its objectives
- Disseminate information about best practice and learning arising from reviews
- Facilitate research into protection and prevention of abuse and neglect of children and adults who are at risk of harm
- To review the training needs of those practitioners working in the area of the Board and to identify training activities and ensure training is provided on an inter agency basis and individual organisational basis to assist in the protection and prevention of abuse and neglect of children.
- To co-operate or act jointly with another one or more Boards
What is the role of North Wales Safeguarding Board?
The Board has the overall responsibility for challenging relevant agencies in the are so that:
- There are effective measures in place to PROTECT children
- There is effective inter-agency co-operation planning and delivering protection services and in sharing information
- Anticipating & Identifying where there may be individuals affected and work with service providers to develop earlier identification and preventative services
- Promote effective multi agency support services
- Promote inter agency approaches to working with community groups and organisations where there may be populations at risk of harm
- Using inter-agency training and dissemination of learning and research to help build a more confident and knowledgeable multi agency workforce
Structure of the North Wales Safeguarding Board
Conwy Borough Council are the host authority for NWSCB.
The Board is chaired by Jenny Williams ( Strategic Director of Social Services and Education Conwy Borough Council). NWSCB meets every other month.
NWSCB’s strategic priorities are:
- Child Sex Exploitation and Looked After Children who regularly go missing.
- Children who display sexually harmful behaviour
- Domestic Abuse
