Signposts: safeguarding children : NSPCC inform

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Signposts: safeguarding children

An interactive tool for elected members in local authorities and non-executive children's leads in the health services, schools, the voluntary and community sectors

Signposts: safeguarding children is a partnership project between the IDeA (Improvement and Development Agency) and the NSPCC

Further information and copies are available from www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk

Signposts improvement forums

The Every Child Matters agenda, and specifically the Children Act (2004) has presented an exciting and formidable challenge to children's services providers. It requires a major re-engineering of services so that outcomes for children and young people are at the heart of service design.

The NSPCC and IDeA (Improvement and Development Agency) have designed Signposts: safeguarding children, an interactive CD-ROM, to support those with responsibilities under Section 11 of the Children Act (2004) in promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children.

Every local authority in England has been sent a complementary copy of the Signposts CD-ROM. Further information and copies are available from www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk.

Signposts is a safeguarding support programme developed by the NSPCC and the IDeA. It has been designed to support elected members and non-executives in the children's sector, directors of children's services and those with the responsibility to
safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their locality.

The tool enables local partners with duties in relation to children and young people, and local safeguarding children boards to commission high-level overviews of local safeguards for children.
The process involves each agency using the interactive Signposts tool. The tool, through a series of questions, produces a written summary report which forms the basis of a single agency improvement plan.

The improvement forum is the final part of the signposting process. The date for an improvement forum should be set when signposts are commissioned. It is an event whereby the sponsors of individual agency signposts meet, compare results, agree single agency improvement plans and arrive at an interagency signpost and improvement plan.

The NSPCC's consultancy service is best placed to provide independent high-level chairing and facilitation of improvement forums.

Our consultants:

formed part of the team that developed Signposts and have a keen understanding of the process and challenges of signposting
have a detailed understanding of the Every Child Matters social policy agenda
have vast experience of facilitating LSCB transition days, business planning and evaluation forums, and so have an acute understanding of the strategic and operational challenge of implementing the Every Child Matters agenda.

Cost: only £1,100 + VAT and expenses. This includes pre-forum consultation and two senior consultants to facilitate the one-day improvement forum.

To arrange your improvement forum facilitation please contact Kam Virdee on 020 7825 2607 or email: kvirdee@nspcc.org.uk