A Guide to the Outer Hebrides Child Protection Committee

Introduction

This guide has been published by the Outer Hebrides Child Protection Committee (CPC) and will provide you with information and advice about its work.

Each council in Scotland has its own CPC and in line with Scottish Government legislation, policy and guidance, each CPC’s functions are:

• continuous improvement
• public information, engagement and participation
• strategic planning and connections
• annual reporting on its work

What is the CPC?

The Child Protection Committee (CPC) is a strategic, multi-agency, child protection partnership bringing together senior representatives from the public, private and third sectors across the Western Isles.  This includes our education and children’s services; housing services; legal services; NHS Western Isles; Police Scotland; the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA); the local voluntary / third sector; young people’s representatives and other key local organisations.

Membership of the CPC is wide-ranging to reflect the scope of the local children’s services landscape across public, private and third sectors in the Western Isles.  Membership is also kept under constant review.

How does the CPC work, and what does it do?

The CPC oversees the creation, development, publication, distribution, delivery, embedding and evaluation (including quality assurance and self-evaluation) of all child protection policy and practice matters across the Outer Hebrides.

In practice, this covers a range of partnership work, as outlined below:

Continuous Improvement

• ensure up-to-date single and multi-agency child protection policies; procedures; protocols; guidance; guidelines are in place across services and agencies
• ensure they are widely distributed and understood by staff
• develop key multi-agency practice guidance on new and emerging child protection practice issues
• maintain an overview of key multi-agency child protection performance data to identify activity; trends; patterns; themes and hotspots
• ensure that data is used to inform multi-agency quality assurance and self-evaluation activities
• ensure systematic approaches to quality assurance and self-evaluation are embedded across all services / agencies
• promote and share good practice; undertake Learning Reviews as and when necessary, to identify learning and ensure any learning is widely shared to further improve practice
• provide multi-agency, child protection, learning and development opportunities for staff
• ensure that these opportunities are quality assured and evaluated to identify impact
• ensure the voice of children, young people and families informs the work of the CPC

Public Information, Engagement and Participation

• promote the ethos that child protection is everyone’s job and everyone’s responsibility
• provide information on keeping children and young people safe from harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation
• raise awareness and provide information on and what do if worried or concerned about a child or young person
• maintain the child protection website and provide a wide range of relevant public information

Strategic Planning and Connections

• ensure the CPC maintains national, regional and local links
• ensure the CPC has strong partnership links with other local public protection partnerships and the Chief Officers’ Group
• ensure the CPC Improvement Plan supports other key Plans

The CPC is developing its public-facing child protection website, which will contain a range of materials for children, young people and their families and also for practitioners and managers. It will also contain a range of key national and local practice guidance and information and advice leaflets. 

Additionally, the Committee publishes an Annual Report, which details its partnership work throughout the year, including key strengths and areas for improvement, which is scrutinised by Chief Officers.

The CPC also provides inter-agency child protection learning and development opportunities for staff, which are widely advertised.

The CPC is chaired by an Independent Chair and is supported by a Lead Officer and a Clerical Assistant.  At present, the CPC meets quarterly or as required, in person or online. All meetings are minuted.

The work of the CPC and its CPC Improvement Plan is supported by three Standing Sub- Groups – CPC Audit and Self-Evaluation Sub-Group (ASE); Learning and Development Sub-Group (L&D) and the Child Exploitation Sub-Group (CE).  All of these CPC Sub-Groups have their own specific and detailed role, remit and responsibility:

CPC Audit and Self-Evaluation Sub-Group (ASE)

This Sub-Group supports continuous improvement through quality assurance and self-evaluation of key inter-agency child protection processes; aimed at improving day-to-day culture, practice, ethos and outcomes in child protection.

It also oversees the CPC’s self-evaluation work programme and develops the CPC’s regular Minimum Dataset Reports, which helps to identify trends and patterns in key inter-agency child protection processes. 

CPC Learning and Development Sub-Group (L&D)

This Sub-Group supports the development of a competent, confidence and skillful inter-agency child protection workforce; by identifying learning and development needs and gaps and by designing, developing, delivering and promoting learning and development opportunities; both online and in-person. 

It also maintains an overview of all single and multi-agency learning and development opportunities and evaluates its effectiveness and impact on practice.

CPC Child Exploitation Sub-Group (CE)

This Sub-Group supports a preventative approach to all forms of child exploitation – including sexual exploitation and criminal exploitation.  It works to support, protect and keep children and young people safe from all forms of exploitation, both in the community and online.  This includes a need to promote and raise a better awareness and understanding of new and emerging online technologies and the safe use of the internet and social media platforms. 

In addition, it also works to develop a shared learning across the wider workforce by providing learning opportunities aimed at increasing knowledge, skills and expertise in this dynamic and ever-changing technological environment.

How to contact us:

Contact details for the Child Protection Committee, including the CPC Independent Chair, Lead Officer and the Clerical Assistant are as follows:

The Outer Hebrides Child Protection Committee
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Sandwick Road
Stornoway
Isle of Lewis
HS1 2BW

CPC Contact Details: Duncan Mackay, Clerical Assistant – Child Protection at duncan.mackay@cne-siar.gov.uk