To review and refresh the Council’s Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adult policy and procedures.

The Head of Policy, Culture and Communications submitted a report which details the progress made on Oxford City Council’s Section 11 (Children Act of 2004) Self-Assessment Action Plan 2014-15 and seeks to approve the Action Plan for 2015-16.                                                                          

Cllr Pat Kennedy, Board member for Educational Attainment and Youth Ambition presented the report.

Cllr Price expressed some concern at the number of amber items on the action plan.  The Policy & Partnership Team Leader assured the Board that steps had been taken to mitigate the situation and ensure that these items became green not red.

Cllr Brown said that she welcomed the steps proposed to promote councillor engagement in the safeguarding programme as it was essential that all councillors understood how to respond to safeguarding issues when raised in their ward. The Policy & Partnership Team Leader advised that mandatory training sessions were scheduled for May and June 2015 and offered to send additional guidance and briefing material to all councillors in advance of the training.

Cllr Brown said that she felt that more emphasis needed to be given to vulnerable adults as Oxfordshire’s aging population profile meant that this was now a key issue for the Council. The Policy & Partnership Team Leader acknowledged this point and agreed there was more to do in this area; she said that the September Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub would be looking at this.

Cllr Simm said that it was important to remember that many vulnerable children lived with vulnerable adults and that they should be considered together.  Similarly it was important to note that child sex abuse took place mainly in a domestic context.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1. NOTE the progress and development of the Council’s safeguarding function in 2014-15.

2. AGREE the ‘Section 11 Self-Assessment Audit Action Plan 2015-16’, as set out in Appendix 1.

3. AGREE that this report be presented to Council, to note the progress and development of the safeguarding function in 2014 and the adoption of the Action Plan 2015-16, as set out in Appendix 1 (subject to the report being updated to show the latest progress against the Action Plan).