Austerity is ‘biggest risk’ to child safety

SAFEGUARDING BOSS HITS OUT AT CUTS

Government austerity is the “biggest single risk” to children’s safety in Sunderland, a safeguarding boss has warned

This month, councillors discussed the most recent annual report from Sunderland’s Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB) for 2017/18.

The board includes representatives from several city partners, including Northumbria Police, health bosses and Together for Children (TfC) – the agency running children’s services on behalf of Sunderland City Council.

In action, it aims to improve welfare by monitoring policies and publishing serious case reviews around lessons learned from failings in children’s care.

In his summary of safeguarding in the city, the independent chairman of the board, Sir Paul Ennals, has warned Government cuts could have a huge impact.

Speaking at Sunderland Civic Centre last week, he explained increased demands on services and budget cuts were leaving agencies “pushing the stone uphill”.

“The biggest single safeguarding risk in Sunderland is the impact of Government austerity measures and the collective impact on the budgets of all the public agencies that are operating within the safeguarding board,” he told the council’s Children Education and Skills Scrutiny Committee.

“Whilst it’s the council which has received the highest number of cuts, the health bodies have received significant cuts and police are probably second in the hurting level where their cuts have been now around 25%, schools are (also) starting to be properly hit.”

Despite improving in several areas in its latest inspection last year, including adoption, TfC failed to shake its “inadequate” Ofsted rating.

He also pledged to investigate how the board could forge closer links with the voluntary and community sector (VCS) after concerns were raised by Coun Phil Tye about community groups “picking up the gaps”.

For more information, visit: www.safeguardingchildrensunderland.com.