Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership – COVID 19 Update
In light of the current situation as a result of Coronavirus, the safeguarding partners have sort to agree measures and plans to reduce the risk of contracting and spreading of the virus to children, young people, their families and within our multi agency workforce.
Following these discussions the safeguarding partners would like to update you all with an outline of the measures in place to achieve this. In doing so, the we appreciate that individual agencies will be following their own arrangements and would not wish in any way to discourage partners following the advice of their own organisation.
In relation to multi-agency working;
- Other than in exceptional circumstances, visits to children and families will be reduced to a frequency necessary to meet any statutory requirements. Where this is felt to provide insufficient safety decisions will be made by the social care management on a case by case basis.
- All multi agency meetings, including strategy meetings, MASH, initial and review child protection conferences, core group, MACE and Position of Trust meetings and Looked After child reviews will be arranged as telephone conferencing and all partners invited to join one line. Where parent(s), carer(s) and/or children are involved, their actual attendance with the social worker and conference chair will still be facilitated.
- The community short break provisions for children with additional needs will be temporarily ceased in order to reduce the contact between children and young people who are most likely to have underlining health conditions. Alternative arrangements for specific support for parents and carers where necessary are currently being developed.
- Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership (WSCP) sub-group meetings will be held virtually where the business can be achieved in this way, or postponed pending an improvement in the current situation.
- Multi agency training planned for March/April will be cancelled
We will continue to post updates.