This item will include:

·         The Annual Report of the Merton Safeguarding Children Board (Keith Makin, Independent Chair, Merton Safeguarding Children Board); and

·         A representation from the Muslim Women of Morden regarding the effect of Prevent on children’s wellbeing.

Steven Wallace, Superintendent Crime and Operations, Acting Borough Commander, will also join the meeting for this item.

Keith Makin, the independent chair of the Merton Safeguarding Children Board, provided the Panel with an introduction to its work as detailed in the annual report.  Effective partnership working, good lead member representation and multi-agency quality assurance were all highlighted as strengths.  The provision of training, listening to the voice of children and young people and the link with the safeguarding adults board were noted as key focuses during the year.  It was also explained that the board has undertaken a self evaluation ready for Ofsted inspection.  Additionally, it has conducted a serious case review and undertaken a number of task and finish groups looking at Prevent, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), neglect and the performance management data set. Over the next year the three key focuses for the board will be on ‘think family’ approaches, supporting vulnerable adolescents and early help for families to support them in strengthening their own resilience to address problems.  The Panel was asked to note that the Wood Review of local safeguarding children boards has been published but that, at this stage, it is not clear what impact there will be on arrangements going forward.

Yvette Stanley emphasised that the board’s annual report (which will be inspected by Ofsted), its independent chair and membership of the board by the police, health agencies and the council are all statutory duties.  Also, that the board, through its independent scrutiny of the service, is part of the overall quality assurance framework  for children’s services.  Over the last year there has been an improvement in front line practice and a reduction in use of agency staff.  Whilst FGM, radicalisation and child sexual exploitation have long been issues, the profile of these has increased and it is right to reflect on whether the response being given is correct.  There has been additional investment in addressing child sexual exploitation and missing children.  Also, processes for dealing with child sexual exploitation and gangs have been strengthened.  Whilst the service is increasingly successful, the focus is now on continuing to refine practice to drive up quality standards.  Against the background of funding reductions, the focus is on working together to make sure every penny counts.

Councillor Katy Neep, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, emphasised that the board provides the opportunity for partners to come together, to interrogate challenges and share good practice.  The Cabinet Member highlighted the importance of the interface with the safeguarding adults board and the challenges for safeguarding caused by housing issues.

Acting Borough Commander, Superintendent Steven Wallace (Crime and Operations) noted that many of those in borough for whom there are safeguarding concerns aren’t residents.  Offender management is good and improving.  As a result of investment, there are now dedicated officers addressing child sexual exploitation and the ‘safer schools’ police officers have been retained.   It is a focus to divert young people before they access the criminal justice system as a key prevention strategy.  However, reflecting the increase across London, there has been a 30% rise in missing children in the borough during this year.  Knife crime in London is also a challenge which is being addressed through planned searches and education programmes.  The Borough Commander noted the toxic trio of domestic abuse, mental health issues and substance misuse; further investment is needed to address these before they become issues to be dealt with by the police.

In response to member questions, it was clarified:

·         The role of the chair of the board is established in statute facilitating its independence.  Additionally, this is supported by being part of a national network of safeguarding children board chairs, allowing for comparisons to be made against other services and again supporting the quality assurance process.  It is also important that the board is a partnership allowing all to have a voice and for a range of opinions to be heard;

·         The response to a child’s request for confidentiality will depend on a variety of issues such as the individual context, the child’s capacity to understand their request, whether not sharing information disclosed would be detrimental to the child etc.  Merton observes the good practice of discussing with the young person when their information is going to be shared and why.  Also,  no practitioner will ever guarantee to a child/young person that their information will not be shared;

·         Lower police funding for safeguarding children boards in London as opposed to other metropolitan areas (ie: Manchester, Merseyside, West Yorkshire and the West Midlands), is not a local police decision but determined by the Met Police.  In Merton, the local authority is the key funder with the health service contributing more than the police.  The ambition currently is for health funding to be more equitable with that of the local authority. The police in London also provide dedicated support for safeguarding children boards through its special command units such as Sapphire (focused on rape and serious sexual assault), CAIT and the child sexual exploitation unit;

·         Knife crime is being addressed by a two strikes policy which reflects that a young person is twice making a decision to carry a knife, signalling their involvement.  Merton has a formal schools programme seeking to address knife crime, has had a knife amnesty and sweeps on estates.  This has seen a reduction in offences;

·         Merton police will be getting body worn cameras in phase two of the rollout which is scheduled to happen early in 2017.  This aims to provide better evidence (including for use in prosecutions for domestic violence) and protection for officers;

·         Merton’s No More campaign against domestic violence and disability hate crime is becoming established and has the explicit target of increased reporting.  This includes cases of domestic violence against men;

·         There has been a focus on training foster carers to know how to deal with children going missing and absent.  This is trying to strike the correct balance of not over reporting but getting it right where there is a heightened risk for example of child sexual exploitation or involvement in crime.  This includes exploring the difference between a child being absent and missing.  Police involvement in such cases includes visiting the child when they are found to check they are physically alright and a referral to Jigsaw4U, a service commissioned by the council,  that helps understand why a child has gone missing.  Most of the young people missing in the borough are placed here from other boroughs which adds complexity to the police task.  This is being addressed by standardised packs which the police use  to collate uniform information when any child goes missing;

·         Given the detail contained in the board’s annual report, it was agreed that it would be beneficial to provide either an executive summary or a child-friendly version to make it more accessible to all.  Additionally, the members’ request for more detailed information on the board’s budget will be considered for next year; and

·         The board’s current business development manager was supported to become established in their post by being given regular access to and support from the previous post holder over a six month period.

The Panel was then addressed by Nuzhat Ali, a representative of Muslim Women in Merton.  Ms Ali highlighted the group’s interest in working with the council.  Soft evidence was cited of the negative impact of the Prevent strategy on Muslim families and children showing that this is having the opposite effect to that intended; it is dividing and stigmatising rather than promoting and countering. The impact on wellbeing was noted, with children being bullied at school and families discriminated against.  Outside Merton, there is evidence that Prevent is leading to self-harm and suicide.  The strategy is seen to be putting teachers into the position of policing children based of detailed criteria that generate suspicion resulting in over reporting.  The National Union of Teachers recently voted to reject the strategy’s requirement on teachers to report children.

Ms Ali posed a number of questions to the Panel:

·         What measures are being used to judge whether Prevent is successful?

·         Is the number of children being reported from Merton known and the percentage of these for which reporting is appropriate?

·         Are there systems in place to allow the community to feedback anonymously about its experience of the Prevent strategy?

·         Is data available from health partners on the impact of Prevent?

·         What are competences of providers to deliver Prevent training?

·         Are parents and/or the Muslim community involved in developing Prevent training?

·         Is Prevent training cost effective?  If so, how is this evidenced?

In conclusion, Ms Ali asked that the equality impact of the programme in schools be assessed, the Muslim community be engaged in developing training materials and more be done to understand the pastoral relationship between teachers and children and how this might be affected by Prevent. 

In response, Steve Wallace and Yvette Stanley noted that Prevent is as much about right and left wing extremism and that radicalisation isn’t a significant issue in Merton.  Schools are encouraged to take a broad approach to the prevention of extremism, including taking up consultancy support to prevent any over-reaction.  Prevent training is nationally provided and currently, any link to bullying isn’t notable through the reporting of the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service.  However, it was agreed to follow-up the group’s specific concerns in a separate meeting and to explore how the group might be able to help inform training delivery.