HMIe report on child protection services in South Lanarkshire
A very positive and encouraging report into services to protect children in South Lanarkshire has just been delivered to chief officers in South Lanarkshire Council, Strathclyde Police, the NHS Lanarkshire and Scottish Reporters Administration (SCRA).
The report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIe) was based on an intensive review of local services carried out in February and March this year.
This looked at how agencies including social work, education, housing, Police, (SCRA), NHS Lanarkshire and voluntary organisations work together to protect children from abuse and neglect.
South Lanarkshire Council chief executive Archie Strang, chair of the Chief Officers Child Protection Group, explains: "We knew from the verbal feedback from the inspectors soon after the inspection that they found that the people involved in child protection in South Lanarkshire were highly professional and took their responsibilities very seriously. I'm delighted that this has been confirmed in the publication of this report which reflects a very positive picture of child protection services in the area."
The report identifies a number of key strengths including:
- Consistent and trusting relationships between staff and children, which helped all children communicate their views.
- The ownership of a shared vision, values and aims by staff at all levels.
- Partnership working to protect children and meet their needs.
The inspectors were particularly impressed with efforts to develop children's awareness of their own safety through the Artsnet programme jointly developed by the Child Protection Committee and Education Resources.
Archie Strang commented: "Of all the subjects that local authorities, health, the police and other agencies deal with, protecting children has to be top of our list. This report gives the public independent assurance that there are sound child protection arrangements in South Lanarkshire - but we know that levels of care and vigilance must be maintained and improved. The inspection has been a helpful process, with a really good result and the inspectors have given us a number of recommendations of how we can further enhance our services."
In correspondence, a senior HMIe inspector stated, “the outcome of the inspection is very positive and I am very confident of your capacity to fully address the points for action in the report”.
NHS Lanarkshire chief executive, Tim Davison, said: “This report recognises the professionalism of staff and the quality of inter-agency work in Lanarkshire and is a tribute to the huge efforts that staff across Lanarkshire have put into ensuring that our children are safe.
“We will continue to build on the strengths identified by the Inspectors to ensure effective, timely and appropriate support for children and their families.
“NHS Lanarkshire is committed to continually improving its child protection arrangements. To achieve this we work with our partner agencies in a collaborative way to promote the safety and well being of children and young people in Lanarkshire.”
Chair of the Child Protection Committee Brenda Doyle said that the report was good news not only for staff but for the whole community, as the inspectors had found that there was a good level of awareness among the general public and young people themselves about what they should do if they had any concerns.
"We found this reassuring but there's no room for complacency where the safety of children is concerned. We'll keep working to improve our services, and we need residents to continue to support children and young people by letting us know if are worried about the welfare of a child."
All the agencies involved in the inspection are working together to build on these strengths and further develop child protection services in the area. The report will be followed up by HMIe visiting South Lanarkshire again in around eighteen months time to see what progress has been made The full report is available from the HMIe website www.hmie.gov.uk