Agenda item
Contextual Safeguarding Overview Task Group Report
The report from the overview and scrutiny task group on contextual safeguarding is attached for members’ consideration and comment.
Minutes:
The Chair invited Councillor Hylton (Chair of the Contextual Safeguarding Overview Task Group) to introduce the task group report.
Councillor Hylton advised that the task group had been appointed to review the development of a contextual safeguarding approach in Brent. It was explained that the focus of children’s safeguarding had traditionally been on risks to children which existed within a family; however, it was increasingly recognised by safeguarding practitioners that risks to an adolescent child could emerge outside their family homes. In recent years, this awareness had crystallised into a new approach called contextual safeguarding, which asked practitioners to address the risks present in ‘contexts’ outside the home such as peer groups, schools and neighbourhoods in which an adolescent child lives. It was emphasised that whilst this was a new approach for Brent, many of the principles of contextual safeguarding were already embedded in practice. In concluding her introduction, Councillor Hylton drew the committee’s attention to the five recommendations set out in the report of the task group and invited the committee to endorse the recommendations to Cabinet.
Members raised a number of questions in the subsequent discussion of the report. It was noted that the success of a number of recommendations relied upon good engagement with stakeholders and Brent’s communities, and the committee queried how this would be achieved without additional funding. It was further queried whether opportunities for partnership working and community engagement could be accessed via Brent’s status as Borough of Culture. Members then questioned what work was being done around supporting the period immediately after school where there was a greater safeguarding risk for children.
In response, Gail Tolley (Strategic Director, Children and Young People) confirmed that existing resources would be used to take forward this agenda, noting by way of example that the Chair of the Local Safeguarding Children Board would use resources allocated to the Board to lead on the first recommendation regarding transport. Further examples of utilising existing resources included using the Time to Talk events run by the Strategy and Partnerships Team to promote Contextual Safeguarding and more generally, asking all council colleagues to look at the work of the council through the lens of Contextual Safeguarding. Contextual Safeguarding had recently been the focus of a Senior Management Group meeting and the response to this had been really positive.
Brian Grady (Operational Director, Safeguarding, Partnerships and Strategy) confirmed that the London Borough of Culture fed into the task group and one of the key aspects of work that was being considered out of this was supporting young people to feel safe in public spaces. Pascoe Sawyers (Head of Strategy and Partnerships) advised that following the Outcome Based Review on gangs, it had been decided to establish a youth fund, which was shortly due to be launched, to provide resources for local communities to run activities highlighting the issues at hand and celebrating the successes of young people.
Addressing the committee’s comments regarding the risk for children and young people in the period following the end of the school day, Gail Tolley advised that the council was developing a stronger partnership with the Young Brent Foundation which was proposing to provide youth provision in the evenings at Roundwood Youth Centre. It was noted that unfortunately, the reduced availability of youth provision was a clear outcome of the government’s policy of austerity.
During the discussion, a member expressed concern that community centres in Brent, once leased to an organisation, were no longer generally accessible for the communities and that there should be an emphasis on accommodating youth provision in those buildings. It was agreed that this concern be communicated to colleagues in the council’s property teams.
The Chair thanked Councillor Hylton and the officers for their contribution to the discussion.
RESOLVED:
i) that Cabinet note the committee’s endorsement of the five recommendations of the Contextual Safeguarding Overview Task Group as detailed in the Task Group Report and set out below:
· Recommendation 1: To support bringing together representatives from Transport for London, bus companies, and employee representatives with schools, further education colleges, the council, and statutory Boards to address concerns about adolescents on the transportation and bus network.
· Recommendation 2: To further support organisations working with young people to promote and develop extra-school activities, particularly in the summer months, for Brent’s adolescent children.
· Recommendation 3: Brent’s approach to contextual safeguarding should specifically develop its work with further education colleges to help address the risks faced by adolescent children in this context.
· Recommendation 4: A future Social Media Strategy should include how the local authority can work in partnership with external organisations or companies to address areas of concern in adolescents using social media and being online which are identified by Brent Council’s approach to contextual safeguarding.
· Recommendation 5: To develop a one-off public information campaign working with partner organisations and the community to support the development of contextual safeguarding in Brent
ii) that the Strategic Director, Children and Young People, report the following suggestions made by the committee to senior colleagues within the council and provide feedback to the committee as appropriate:
a) Consideration be given to including a standard paragraph heading in the corporate report template titled ‘Contextual Safeguarding’ to highlight the council’s commitment to the approach;
b) Consideration be given to promoting a simple Contextual Safeguarding message to children at school, which in turn would help to engage parents.
Supporting documents:
- Covering Report - Contextual Safeguarding Task Group, item 8. PDF 76 KB
- Task Group Report Contexual Safeguarding, item 8. PDF 200 KB