Agenda item

Members considered the CYSUR/CWMPAS Combined Local Operational Group Safeguarding Report Quarter 1, between the period 01.04.2023 to 30.06.2023, 2023/2024.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Alun Williams, Cabinet Member and Elizabeth Upcott, Corporate Manager, to provide a summary of the key points, which were as follows:

Summary of Key points:

➢ In Quarter 1, there was a decrease in the number of contacts/reports received regarding children/young people compared to Quarter 4-with there being 888 contacts/reports received in Q1 compared to 1010 contacts/reports received in Q4.

➢ There was also a decrease in the overall number of contacts/reports which proceeded to actions needing to be taken under Child Protection Procedures, from 172 in Q1 compared with 200 in Q4. 2

➢ The percentage of reports that proceeded to a Strategy Discussion was 19.4% in Q1 compared to 19.8% in Q4. In Q 1, 8.8% of reports proceeded to a Section 47 Enquiry compared to 8.4% in Q4, and then 0.7% needed to proceed to an Initial Child Protection Conference compared to 1.6% in Q4.

➢ The total number of children subject to an Initial Child Protection Conference in this quarter has decreased where there being 10 in this quarter compared to 23 in quarter 4, and this compares to 35 in Q3.

➢ The total number of children placed on the Child Protection Register in this quarter following the Initial Child Protection Conference was 10 in this quarter compared to 20 in Q4

➢ The total number of children removed after Review Child Protection Conferences in this quarter were 8 compared to 15 in Quarter 4.

➢ The total number of Section 47 enquiries undertaken has decreased in this quarter also, with 78 undertaken in this quarter compared to 85 in Quarter 4, 65 of those enquiries were undertaken jointly with the Police and 13 were undertaken as a Social Services Single Agency.

➢ The main category of abuse which led to a Section 47 enquiry being undertaken in quarter 1 was Physical Abuse and sexual abuse and child exploitation.

➢ There were 52 children on the Child Protection Register as at the end of this quarter, and there was 52 as at the end of Quarter 4. 19 children were registered under the category of emotional/psychological abuse, in this quarter, 26 under the category of neglect and 7 under the category of both neglect and emotional/psychological abuse.

➢ The main Risk Factors for the 52 children who were on the Child Protection Register as of the 30/06/23 were domestic abuse, parental mental health, parental separation, and adult offences of violence.

➢ In terms of Adult Safeguarding, there has been a significant increase in the number of adults suspected of being at risk of abuse and/or neglect, with there being 217 adults at risk reported in this quarter compared to 190 in Q4 thus reflecting an increase in the reports over the last year, quarter by quarter.

➢ The most reported category of abuse this quarter was neglect (98) and then emotional/psychological abuse, with 91 reports of adults at risk where this was the main category of abuse, 61, related to physical abuse, 44 was for financial abuse and 18 relating to sexual abuse. There has been an increase in the number of reports related to neglect from the previous quarter.

➢ From the reports received, in relation to all categories of abuse, men were reported to be the highest victims than women in relation to the category of neglect and there were more male victims of financial abuse then females in this quarter.

➢ In Quarter 1, most of the abuse/neglect was reported to have happened in people’s own homes, with a relative/friend 3 being the person most responsible for the reported abuse/neglect.

➢ A Provider agency was the main source of the reports received this quarter, with Local Authority staff and then Health Board staff and then the Police being the main agencies who have reported concerns. This compares to Q4 where the Police provided the most reports.

Recommendation:

Members agreed to note the contents of the report and the levels of activity with the Local Authority, so that governance of the Local Authority activity and its partner agencies are monitored.