Safeguarding Children Commissioning Policy

Document title: Safeguarding Children Policy CCG document ref: Author / originator: David Coan, Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children Date of approval: 28 October 2015 Approving committee: Responsible director: Category: Audit Committee Linda Izquierdo, Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience Commissioning Sub category: Date policy is due for review: Target audience: Safeguarding June 2019 All staff/ public Safeguarding Children Commissioning Policy

VERSION CONTROL Document Location This document is only valid on the day it was printed. The current version of this document will be found at www.shropshireccg.nhs.uk/policies Revision History Date of this revision: August 2015 Date of next revision: June 2017 Version Date Author Change Description 1.0 Jan 2013 Audrey Scott- Ryan 1.1 Sept 2013 2.0 3.0 Approvals August 2015 Review ed no change Audrey Scott- Ryan/Jenny Stevenson David Coan This document requires the following approvals: New CCG Policy Formatting; addition of references to Working Together 2013; updated contact details and organisational references Updated in line with current legislation Name / Committee Dawn Clarke Audit Committee Title (if individual) Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Safety and Experience Distribution This document has been distributed to: Name and job title / External organisation / All staff Date of Issue Version Linda Izquierdo Jan 2013 1.0 CCG website Sept 2013 1.1 CCG website / newsletters / ShropShare Dec 2015 2.0 1

Contents Page 1.0 Introduction and brief 3 2.0 Scope of the policy and policy statement 4 3.0 Roles and responsibilities 4 4.0 Recruitment and personnel processes 5 5.0 Serious Case Reviews 5 6.0 Commissioning 6 7.0 Training requirements 7 8.0 References and bibliography 7 2

1.0 Introduction and brief 1.1 Safeguarding is about making sure everyone, irrespective of age, is treated with dignity and respect and does not suffer abuse. This even includes unborn children. This is particularly important for those who are unable to protect themselves from harm and abuse, possibly because of their age, a disability or because they are unwell. 1.2 To ensure this, care has to be of high quality in order to prevent abuse happening. It also means there is an effective response if there is evidence or a suspicion of abuse. 1.3 Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has the legal duty under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 to make appropriate arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. To monitor all safeguarding in all provider organisations and work with and be a part of the Shropshire Safeguarding Children Board. 1.4 This document defines the Safeguarding Children Policy for the Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, hereafter referred to as the CCG. 1.5 This policy illustrates the requirements and compliance with legislative duties to safeguard children. It is applicable to all CCG staff and all independent contracted staff. All provider health organisations should have their own policies for safeguarding children in accordance with their own statutory responsibilities. 1.6 This policy outlines responsibilities for safeguarding children in keeping with statutory guidance, and markers of good practice at both strategic and operational level, and supports the ethos that safeguarding children is everybody s business. 1.7 The CCG is aware that as guidance is revised or consulted upon, this policy document will be reviewed and, where necessary, revised following the formal publication of such guidance 1.8 Shropshire CCG fully recognises its responsibility for protecting and safeguarding the welfare of children. We acknowledge our responsibility to take all reasonable steps to promote safe practice, to protect children and young people from harm, abuse or exploitation and to work with service providers to continually improve service quality. 1.9 This policy should be read in conjunction with national and local guidance primarily but not exclusively: 1.9.1 Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 1 1.9.2 Shropshire Safeguarding Children Board 2 1 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/419595/workin g_together_to_safeguard_children.pdf 2 http://www.safeguardingshropshireschildren.org.uk/scb/index.html 3

1.9.3 Statutory guidance on making arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children under section 11 of the Children Act 2004 3 2.0 Scope of the policy and policy statement 2.1 This policy applies to all staff working within the CCG and independent contractors, for example GPs. The key principles are also applicable to all services commissioned by the CCG. 2.2 All employees of the CCG have an individual responsibility for the protection and safeguarding of children and young people. 2.3 All managers must ensure their staff are aware of and able to access this policy, and ensure its implementation in their line of responsibility and accountability. 2.4 The CCG is committed to all processes that safeguard children and young people and promote their welfare and aims to commission safeguarding services that will ensure equal access to all children and young people. 2.5 To demonstrate how Shropshire CCG will discharge its corporate accountability for safeguarding children. 2.6 To empower all members of Shropshire CCG by providing advice and guidance to enable them to fulfil their safeguarding children and young people responsibilities. Policy statement 2.7 The CCG will fulfil its statutory duties relating to the safety and welfare of children through the demonstration of: 2.7.1 Compliance with all statutory guidance on safeguarding children including Children Act 2004 section 11. 2.7.2 Active partnership and co-operation with Multi agency staff via the Shropshire Safeguarding Children Board, hereafter referred to as the SSCB. 2.8 Shropshire CCG will ensure that all children and young people are valued and their safety and welfare is considered at all stages of commissioning, including contracting arrangements and performance management frameworks. 3.0 Roles and responsibilities 3.1 Shropshire CCG s Accountable Officer has the responsibility for ensuring the contribution by health services to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is discharged effectively across the whole health economy. Within the CCG this role is supported through the Executive Nurse, who holds delegated responsibility. 3 http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/https://www.education.gov.uk/pu blications/eorderingdownload/dfes-0036-2007.pdf 4

3.2 Board accountability is the shared responsibility of the Accountable Officer/ Chief Clinical Officer and the Executive Nurse (Director of Nursing, Quality and Patient Experience). 3.3 The Executive Nurse is responsible for ensuring the monitoring and improvement of safeguarding systems across Shropshire CCG and reporting appropriately to the Quality, Performance and Resources Committee, the SSCB and the Health and Wellbeing Board. 3.4 Safeguarding children and young people serious incidents or near misses will be reported via agreed systems and processes of the relevant Clinical Commissioning Groups in conjunction with the Commissioning Support Unit procedures. 3.5 Immediate risks or achievements will be reported by the Designated Lead for Children and Young People s Safeguarding via a process of escalation to the Accountable Officer and the Executive Nurse and all Board/relevant Sub- Committees as required, including corporate media responses when required. 3.6 The roles and responsibilities of all organisations and staff groups regarding safeguarding children are outlined in the statutory guidance section of Working Together to Safeguard Children (HM Government 2015). All staff and managers should be aware of those responsibilities. 3.7 The CCG has a duty under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 to ensure that: 3.7.1 Their functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; and 3.7.2 Any services provided by another person pursuant to arrangements made by the person or body in the discharge of their functions are provided having regard to that need. (HM Government, 2004) 3.8 It is the responsibility of the CCG to ensure that both a Senior Doctor and Nurse are contracted to fulfil the functions of Designated Professionals in accordance with Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015). 4.0 Recruitment and personnel processes 4.1 The CCG has a duty to ensure that safe recruitment processes are compiled and all staff employed or provider trusts have up to date recruitment processes in place to ensure safe selection and retention of staff. Acting in accordance with NHS employer s regulations, the local HR recruitment policies and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). 5.0 Serious Case Reviews 5.1 The CCG has a statutory duty to work in partnership with the SSCB, and/or any other Safeguarding Children Board. 5

5.2 The Designated Safeguarding Professionals will inform the CCG Accountable Officer/ Executive Nurse, NHS England and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) when a Serious Case Review is commissioned. 5.3 The CCG will commission Independent Management Review (IMR) health overview reports or other reviews of services, for example the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), by any services that are commissioned by Shropshire CCG or services delivered through independent contractors for the CCG. 5.4 All reports commissioned across the Health Economy will be submitted to the Designated Professionals. It is expected that each provider organisation will have a robust sign off process by their board level lead and that reports received will have been subject to this scrutiny process. 5.5 The CCG will ensure that designated and named professionals are given sufficient time and necessary support to complete both individual management reviews and health overview reports. 6.0 Commissioning 6.1 Clinical Commissioning Groups should work with the appropriate local authorities to commission and provide co-ordinated and, wherever possible, integrated services. 6.2 Shropshire CCG will ensure that all providers from whom they commission services have comprehensive and effective single and multi-agency policies and procedures to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, consistent with current national and local children and young people protection procedures. 6.3 Shropshire CCG will ensure that safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people are integral to the quality and safety of all commissioned services and that there is evidence of robust audit and key performance indicators. This will be reported via the Shropshire CCG Quality, Performance and Resources (QPR) Committee and the SSCB. 6.4 Shropshire CCG will work in partnership with Telford and Wrekin CCG as appropriate to ensure that systems and processes for safeguarding children and young people are clearly defined and adhered to and will need to ensure that their statutory safeguarding duties are fulfilled. 6.5 The NHS England Regional Team will support Clinical Commissioning Groups as leaders of locally commissioned services as appropriate to their safeguarding duties. 6.6 Shropshire CCG will ensure that primary care provision have systems and practices in place to ensure they can fulfil their role in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. 6

6.7 Shropshire CCG will consider how best to support primary care, for example by access to appropriate safeguarding children and young people training. 6.8 Shropshire CCG will ensure that all primary care teams have easy access to paediatricians trained in examining, identifying and assessing children who may be experiencing abuse or neglect, and that local arrangements include having all the necessary equipment and staff expertise for undertaking forensic medical examinations. These arrangements should avoid repeated examinations. 6.9 Through contracting arrangements CCG will ensure that they, all providers and partner organisations are part of the SSCB, the SCCB sub groups as SCCB board members as appropriate. (The Children Act 2004 section 13.) 7.0 Training requirements 7.1 The competencies specifically required by healthcare workers to promote the safety of children within the healthcare framework are described in Safeguarding Children and Young People: Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff (Intercollegiate Document 2015). 7.2 Safeguarding competencies are the set of skills that enable staff to effectively safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of children and young people. They are a combination of skills, knowledge, attitudes and values that are required for safe and effectual practice. 7.3 Different staff groups require different levels of training dependent upon: 7.3.1 Their role; 7.3.2 The degree of contact they have with children and young people and families; 7.3.3 The nature of their work; 7.3.4 Their level of responsibility. 7.4 Staff should consult with their line manager or safeguarding team to identify which level of competence they require. 8.0 References and Bibliography Department for Children Schools and Families (2015) Working Together to Safeguard Children Department of Health, London http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/eorderingdownload/00305-010domen.pdf HM Government (1989) The Children Act http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/contents HM Government (2004) The Children Act http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/31/contents 7

HM Government (2015) What to do if you are worried a child is being abused https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-to-do-if-youre-worried-a-child-isbeing-abused--2 Disclosure and Barring Service https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service RCPCH (2015) Safeguarding Children and Young People, Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff: Intercollegiate Document http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/page/safeguarding%20children%20- %20Roles%20and%20Competences%20for%20Healthcare%20Staff%20%2002%200 %20%20%20%20(3)_0.pdf 8