‘Partners must fund local boards fairly’

Some agencies involved in local safeguarding children boards are failing to contribute their share of money, research has revealed.

All local authorities were funding the boards while police, primary care trusts, the probation service and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service contributed in most cases. But many youth offending teams, Connexions services and NHS trusts were found not to be contributing.

As a result, some boards could only concentrate on their child protection work, rather than on the preventive safeguarding work that is part of their remit.

The amount each board received from their partners also varied substantially, says the report. Many of the board members interviewed said that it would be helpful if government was more prescriptive about LSCB funding from all partners.

The voluntary and community sector is not a statutory partner on the boards but the government’s Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance describes them as partners “whose involvement needs to be secured”.

However, the research found that while large national voluntary organisations were well-represented, there were some LSCBs that had no voluntary or community sector involvement.

Further information
Local Safeguarding Children Boards: A Review of Progress 
Essential information on safeguarding children 

Contact the author
 Amy Taylor