Toggle Contrast
Home > About Us > MSCP – Key Documents

MSCP – Key Documents

 

MSCP Key Documents

Below you can access the Merton Safeguarding Children Partnership’s key documents. Click on the drop down menu to find out more and to access the documents.

 

 

The MSCP Annual Report provides an overview of performance of the Merton Safeguarding Children Board for the year 2022-23.  

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 received royal assent on 27th April 2017. Section 16E of the Act requires each Local Authority Area to establish local arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children 

In Merton, the Local Authority, the Police, Basic Command Unit and the Merton Clinical Commissioning group met to agree the safeguarding arrangements for Merton. The result of this work is the MSCP Partnership Agreement 2023 . The Partnership Agreement is the governing document for the new Safeguarding Children Partnership. This document that sets out the Merton Safeguarding Children Partnership’s Vision and the purpose, principles and priorities of the Partnership. The Partnership Agreement is a statutory requirement under the Children 2004, Section 16E and the Children and Social Work Act 2017 and Chapter 3 of Working Together 2018. 

Safeguarding children is a key strength in Merton. The 2017 Ofsted Inspection found the Board to be Outstanding with no recommendations for improvement. 

In making the transition from a Local Safeguarding Children’s Board to a Local Safeguarding Partnership, Merton is moving forward from a position of outstanding performance. The aim of this partnership agreement is to reflect the kind of partnership which was recognised in the 2017 Ofsted Inspection of the Board, whilst recognising that there have been significant changes in the resources and capacity of partners. The constitution of the new partnership, therefore, builds on the strength of our existing partnerships and our continued relentless focus on safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. 

In accordance with Working Together 2018, the Merton Safeguarding Children /Partnership recognises that “Schools, colleges and other educational providers have a pivotal role to play in safeguarding children and promoting their welfare. Their co-operation and buy-in to the new arrangements will be vital for success. ” The Partnership therefore recognises the vital role of schools, colleges and other educational providers by including sector representatives as a primary Relevant Agency. Other named Relevant Agencies include: 

  • Housing – a representative Registered Social Landlords and Housing Associations and Merton Housing Needs 
  • Probation (including National Probation and CRC Probation) 
  • Department for Work and Pensions 
  • Voluntary Organisations represented by the MVSC or another relevant body 
  • Acute Trusts, Health Providers and Mental Health Trust 

You can see our Partnership Agreement here:

The MSCP Business Plan 2023-25 sets out our strategic priorities that form the basis of the Partnership’s work across the year.

Each sub-group develops an annual workplan to set out the actions we are taking to address these.

 

Sometimes a child suffers a serious injury or death as a result of child abuse or neglect. Understanding not only what happened but also why things happened as they did can help to improve our response in the future. Understanding the impact that the actions of different organisations and agencies had on the child’s life, and on the lives of his or her family, and whether or not different approaches or actions may have resulted in a different outcome, is essential to improve our collective knowledge. It is in this way that we can make good judgments about what might need to change at a local or national level. 

The purpose of reviews of serious child safeguarding cases, at both local and national level, is to identify improvements to be made to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Learning is relevant locally, but it has a wider importance for all practitioners working with children and families and for the government and policy-makers. Understanding whether there are systemic issues, and whether and how policy and practice need to change, is critical to the system being dynamic and self-improving.

Pages