Independent Scrutiny
The HSCP has a range of ways which our work is scrutinised and evaluated, including:
- by children and young people through our HSCP Youth Forum
- feedback from our community members
- multi-agency audit and focus group activity.
- considering data from partner agencies to help highlight issues and concerns for future attention.
- our Independent Scrutineer
- overview of our lead members
The HSCP has developed a system of scrutiny and appointed an independent scrutineer to provide assurance, monitoring, and challenge to the quality of our work. This helps us to evaluate the effectiveness of our multi-agency arrangements in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in Halton. The scrutineer will act as a constructive, critical friend and be a key driver to promoting reflection for continuous improvement across the partnership.
As set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, a full record of the key roles to be performed by the Independent Scrutineer is detailed as follows:
- Provide safeguarding partners and relevant agencies with independent, rigorous, and effective support and challenge at both a strategic and operational level.
- Provide assurance to the whole system in judging the effectiveness of the multiagency safeguarding arrangements through a range of scrutiny methods.
- Ensure that statutory duties are being fulfilled, quality assurance mechanisms are in place, and that local child safeguarding practice reviews and national reviews are analysed, with key learning areas identified and effectively implemented across the safeguarding system.
- Ensure that the voice of children and families is considered as part of scrutiny and that this is at the heart of arrangements through direct feedback, informing policy and practice.
- Be regarded as a ‘critical friend’ and provide opportunities for two-way discussion and reflection between frontline practitioners and leaders. This will encourage and enable strong, clear, strategic leadership.
- Provide independent advice when there are disagreements between agencies and safeguarding partners and facilitate escalation procedures.
- Evaluate and contribute to multi-agency safeguarding published arrangements and the annual report, alongside feeding into the wider accountability systems such as inspections.
In January 2024, the HSCP welcomed Anna Berry as its new Independent Scrutineer. Anna is contracted for a limited number of days each year.