Local Safeguarding Arrangements
Following the Wood Review in 2015, the Children Act 2004 was amended to remove the statutory requirement of Local Authorities to have a Local Safeguarding Children Board and placed the responsibility for safeguarding equally with local authorities, the police and health.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 placed a duty on the three agencies to work together and define the local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements. It also placed a duty on other agencies to co-operate with the new arrangements, but for local areas to decide how this should work in practice.
HSCP Multi Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASA) set out how safeguarding partners and relevant agencies work together across Halton to safeguard and protect the welfare of children. This includes coordinating safeguarding services, identifying, and responding to the needs of children in Halton, commissioning and publishing local child safeguarding practice reviews and providing scrutiny to ensure the effectiveness of the arrangements.
With the publication of Working Together 2023, the Partnership has reviewed its arrangements. The review was predicated on the assertion that all children in Halton, regardless of their background and circumstances, should have a happy and fulfilled childhood where they enjoy school and family life. Furthermore, we will strive to ensure children and young people are safe, heard and thriving so that they enter adulthood ready, willing and able to achieve their highest potential.
