LSCB - Compact Agreement

Please read the details below, before completing the Compact Agreement Form here

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 'Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children - and in particular protecting them from significant harm - depends upon effective joint working between agencies and professionals that have different roles and expertise.' Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006.
1.2 The Compact seeks to enable agencies, professionals and volunteers to understand their vital role in supporting children and young people to be safe, participate, enjoy, achieve and grow.
1.3 The Bournemouth and Poole Local Safeguarding Children Board will support and challenge agencies, professionals and volunteers with significant access to children so that they can exercise their roles and responsibilities in a manner that keeps themselves and young people safe from harm.

2. AIMS OF THE COMPACT

2.1 The overall aims of the Compact are to ensure agencies and organisations can:
i. Safeguard children by having in place policies, procedures, safe working practices and suitable trained staff and volunteers;
ii. improve the quality of life and opportunities for all children by working together and in partnership with parents, carers and the community to improve outcomes for children in respect of keeping them safe.
2.2 The Bournemouth and Poole Local Safeguarding Children Board will aim to provide information, support and advice for partner agencies and organisations in order that they can develop and improve their capacity to meet the ten standards outlined in the Compact.

3. PARTNERS TO THE COMPACT

3.1 Partner agencies and organisations will be all those working with children and young people in Bournemouth and Poole including agencies with significant access to children and young people.
3.2 There will be three categories of Partner agency
" Statutory members of the Bournemouth and Poole Local Safeguarding Children Board
" Other board members
" There are a number of voluntary, community and business agencies that are not directly represented on the LSCB yet do have an interest in achieving good outcomes for children in relation to safeguarding
3.3 A register of all Compact partner agencies and organisations will be maintained by the Bournemouth and Poole Local Safeguarding Children Board and used to communicate with agencies across Bournemouth and Poole and involve them in the development of strategy and policy.

STANDARD	AREA	DEFINITION
1	Strategic Lead	All partner organisations have a strategic lead person appointed to ensure that their organisation have robust and appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures in place.
2	Staff Responsibilities and Competencies	All partner organisations employing staff with access to children have statements within staff Job Descriptions and Person Specifications that recognise responsibilities around safeguarding and improvements in outcomes for children.
3	Staff Recruitment and Selection	All partner organisations ensure that all staff with access to children are properly selected and vetted to ensure inappropriate employees do not gain access to children in their work.
4	Staff Induction, Training and Appraisal	All partner organisations ensure that there is an adequate number of sufficiently trained, experienced people in the organisation to work safely and effectively to protect children and improve outcomes.
5	Staff Accountability	All partner organisations will have a clear accountability structure to ensure that all personnel understand that place in their organisation and how they receive support and guidance in their work with and for children.
6	Equality of Opportunity	All partner organisations have an Equal Opportunities Policy and personnel understand the implications of the policy in contributing to improved outcomes for ALL children when working with diversity.
7	Safe Working Practices	All partner organisations have processes and procedures in place to ensure that staff with access to children have knowledge, understanding and training in order to establish and maintain safe working relationships with children.
8	Complaints and allegations against staff	All partner organisations will have in place written procedures for handling complaints and allegations against staff.
9	Client confidentiality and Information Sharing	All partner organisations will keep confidential any information on a child or young person and his or her family that is of a personal and sensitive nature. However, where there is concern about a child's safety and welfare there will be a clear understanding of what information can be shared within the relevant legal frameworks and information sharing protocols.
10	Monitoring Compliance	All partner organisations will work closely and effectively with the LSCB through agreed mechanisms to monitor the partner agency's performance against the standards contained within this agreement. The Governance Group will have the power to audit individual agency LSCB standards.