Agenda item

The report of the Director – Neighbourhoods is attached.

The Director – Neighbourhoods, introduced a report, which provided an update on the Council’s approach to safeguarding, and advised the Group that the Council worked closely with key partners as a team, to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults in the Borough, and the Group was reminded of the key role that Councillors played whilst undertaking their duties.

Mr Steve Baumber from Nottinghamshire County Council attended the meeting, to assist with the consideration of this item, in relation to safeguarding children.

The Service Manager – Public Protection, the Communities Manager and Mr Baumber delivered a presentation relating to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, which provided details on the following issues, and members of the Group were invited to make comments and observations on the presentation and report:

·        What is safeguarding.

·        Main types of abuse.

·        The role of Rushcliffe Borough Council.

·        Adult safeguarding.

·        Definition of a child.

·        Self-assessment audit 2021 for children.

·        How to report concerns.

·        What is the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and what is its purpose.

·        How we work with others.

·        MASH pathway to provision.

·        Number of adult and children referrals/enquiries across the county.

·        Various adult and children data for Rushcliffe.

·        What can Councillors do.

The Chairman thanked officers for the excellent presentation and requested that the possibility of having all Councillors signed up to the Nottinghamshire safeguarding website be investigated.

Councillor Jones referred to Council staff working in particular areas, including sport and leisure, and those dealing with homelessness, and sought assurance that they were appropriately trained to focus on potential areas of abuse and domestic violence.  The Service Manager – Public Protection confirmed that Lex Leisure participated on the Council’s internal group and was fully involved, and it would continue to report any issues or concerns, as it previously had.  The Group was advised that in respect of homelessness, all staff undertook mandatory e-learning training.

In answer to a question regarding the use of Council facilities by outside sports bodies, the Communities Manager advised that the Council’s Sports Development Officer worked with voluntary, community based clubs, ensuring that they had appropriate safeguarding policies in place, and how to share information, if they had any concerns.  The Group noted that there was an expectation that each club would have a Safeguarding Officer and that they would know how to make any referrals.  If any concerns were raised, they would be fed through the channels in a similar way, and officers were trained on how to make any safeguarding referrals to the MASH.  Mr Baumber added that connecting and engaging with sports clubs and voluntary bodies was a considerable challenge given their numbers and ensuring that those groups were aware of safeguarding issues was extremely important.  The Group noted that a piece of work was currently underway, to strengthen engagement with those sectors and faith groups, and a conference with sports clubs would be held on 6 October 2021.

Councillor Jones emphasised that in many cases checks did not work as offenders were not listed and it was often something suspicious that could spark a referral.  In response, the Communities Manager advised that through the Section 11 self-assessment, it was hoped to make those training opportunities available to as many people as possible.

The Chairman noted that the Council was aware of the organisations and groups hiring its facilities and it would be helpful to ensure that all those groups knew what training was available.

In answer to a question regarding the origin of referrals, Mr Baumber advised that usually a third came from schools, a similar number from the Police, with the remainder from a range of sources.  The Group noted that during the past year, there had been an increase in enquiries from families and neighbours, as more time was spent at home, and there had been a rise in concerns raised about domestic abuse and mental health.

Councillor Rex Walker referred to the statistics related to the reports of domestic violence and questioned the impact, if any, of a potential lack of stable, alternative accommodation for victims.  The Director – Neighbourhoods advised that during the pandemic an increased risk of domestic abuse had been identified, and Rushcliffe had worked closely with the County Council via the Local Resilience Forum and two additional temporary domestic refuges had been set up in the County, which had proved to be very effective in providing a safe haven to those who needed it.  The Group noted that this was a great example of partnership working with the County Council, who had responded positively to support the existing housing provision that Rushcliffe had, given that occupancy rates had been reduced because of social distancing.

In answer to a question regarding the continued existence and funding of women’s refuges, Mr Baumber advised that he was aware of initiatives that were taking place as a result of the new Domestic Abuse Act, with local authorities having a duty to provide local refuges.  As part of that, the Group noted that the County Council, district and borough councils had received some funding from Central Government and a Domestic Abuse Partnership Board was being established, with ongoing work around funding. The Director – Neighbourhoods confirmed that the refuges were still commissioned by the County Council through the Public Health Service, and through the new Partnership Board, all parties would be working closely to respond to those new duties.

In conclusion, the Director – Neighbourhoods reassured Councillors that in addition to the e-learning training undertaken by officers, more practical training was also available, and officers were reminded to be alert and curious at all times, and to report anything that did not seem right. 

The Chairman questioned what signage was being used around Council premises to advertise whistle blowing numbers, and organisations such as Childline, and what work was being undertaken with the Council’s leisure providers to enhance signage.  The Communities Manager stated that increased signage could be considered and confirmed that the focus had been on appropriate staff training, to ensure that issues could be spotted and reported.

RESOLVED that the Safeguarding Update and presentation be noted.