Issue - meetings

Report of Assistant Director - Wellbeing and Housing

Purpose of report

To update the committee on how well the council is performing in delivering its safeguarding duties.

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

1.1     To consider self-assessment and actions

1.2     Consider actions for future safeguarding briefings for Members

Resolved

(1)            That having given due consideration, the Safeguarding Self-Assessment 2023 report be endorsed.

(2)            That political group leaders be kept informed regarding the number of members from their groups that have competed safeguarding training.

The Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing submitted a report to update the Committee on how well the Council was performing in delivering its safeguarding duties. 

In introducing the report, the Portfolio Holder for Healthy and Safe Communities highlighted the importance of all Members completing safeguarding training.

The Assistant Director Wellbeing and Housing and the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead gave a presentation detailing the annual Safeguarding Audit and work of the Safeguarding team.

The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead explained that the self-assessment audit had to be completed annually and that it was a joint piece of work with the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children and Adults Board. The 2023 return was due to be submitted to the Boards in December 2023.

The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead reported that in 2022 the main focus for improvement was to increase awareness amongst Parish Councils of safeguarding measures and to increase the use of safeguarding communications in different languages. The Committee was advised that the focus for 2023 had been leadership, strategy and working together, commissioning arrangements and people’s experience of safeguarding all of which had been achieved.

The Committee was advised that there had again been a rise in reports made on the internal reporting mechanism ‘See It Report It’ particularly under themes such as neglect, domestic violence and physical abuse. Training for relevant staff would be updated to reflect this trend.

Mandatory training for CDC staff was provided online via the iHasco platform which was supplemented by internal briefings that the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead had been running. There had been an 87% increase in the number of staff attending these briefings over the last three years.

The Committee reiterated the importance of elected Members completing the Safeguarding Training or providing evidence of training having been completed via another route.

In response to a question regarding a more interactive approach to training for Members, the Assistant Director of Wellbeing and Housing advised that different approaches could be considered based on individual need. Alternative ways of delivering training would be discussed with the Democratic and Elections team.

In response to a request from the Committee that Political Group Leaders be kept informed regarding training levels within their groups, it was agreed the Chief Executive would raise this at the next Political Group Leaders’ meeting.

It was proposed by Councillor Okeke and seconded by Councillor Creed that political group leaders be kept informed regarding the number of members from their groups that have competed safeguarding training.

Resolved

(1)            That having given due consideration, the Safeguarding Self-Assessment 2023 report be endorsed.

(2)            That Political Group Leaders be kept informed regarding the number of Members of their respective groups that had competed safeguarding training.