2020/21 funding - local and pan-London safeguarding arrangements

Since 2014/15 MOPAC has been contributing funding to support safeguarding arrangements in London. The funding has two strands: one that supports the running of children and adults safeguarding partnerships at local level by contributing funding directly to boroughs; and another one that funds London Councils to coordinate and run the pan London Safeguarding Children Partnership and to maintain London’s Child Protection Procedures.

This decision is to:

1. Approve the continuation of £433,000 funding towards London safeguarding arrangements in financial year 2020/21, including:

• £320,000 funding for local safeguarding partnerships, with 32 London boroughs receiving £10,000 each.

• £113,000 funding to London Councils to deliver the pan London Safeguarding Children Partnership and maintain London’s Child Protection procedures.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:

• Approve £320,000 of contributory funding to the 32 London boroughs for the financial year 2020/21 to support children and adult local safeguarding partnerships; at a value of £5,000 for each children safeguarding partnership and £5,000 for each adult safeguarding board.

• Approve £113,000 of funding to London Councils for the financial year 2020/21 to deliver the London Safeguarding Children Partnership, supporting the overall coordination of safeguarding matters at a pan London level and to maintain London’s Child Protection procedures.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. The purpose of this decision report is to allocate the MOPAC’s annual contribution to children and adult safeguarding arrangements in London by funding local and pan-London partnerships.

Local safeguarding arrangements

1.2. Since 2014/15, MOPAC has provided an annual contribution of £5,000 to local safeguarding children partnerships and £5,000 to local safeguarding adult boards for each of the 32 London Boroughs, totalling a yearly contribution of £320,000. The funding is given directly to boroughs as part of their London Crime Prevention Fund allocation. Local leaders are able to allocate funding in line with their own identified needs.

London Safeguarding Children Partnership

1.3. The London Safeguarding Children Partnership (London SCP -formerly the London Safeguarding Children Board) is a pan-London strategic partnership of government, private and third sector organisations which supports the work of statutory local partnerships to protect children from harm, neglect and exploitation. The London SCP is not subject to the statutory guidance set out in Working Together 2018 except in relation to its management of the London Child Protection Procedures, which it carries out on behalf of the local partnerships; as such, the London SCP is a voluntary arrangement that has been adopted in London to support local authorities to fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities.

1.4. Since 2014/15, MOPAC has provided £80,000 per year to London Councils to run the London Safeguarding Children Partnership (formerly known as London Safeguarding Children Board). This sum increased to £113,000 in financial year 2019/20 due to a request that each statutory partner contribute an additional £33,000 per year to support the maintenance of the London Child Protection Procedures. The three statutory partners are health, local authorities and the police.

1.5. The Child Protection Procedures are a collection of protocols and guidance for practitioners, professionals and volunteers across London in their work to safeguard children; they also provide a framework for inspection. The London SCP is responsible for ensuring the Child Protection Procedures are up to date with current legislation.

The London Safeguarding Children Partnership Executive

1.6. Since the introduction of safeguarding partnerships at local level in 2018/19, the London SCP has revised its structure and replaced the Board with a smaller Executive made up of senior representatives from each statutory partner. The MPS, NHS England, the Association of London Directors of Children Services (ALDCS), London Councils and MOPAC sit at the Executive. MOPAC’s representative is the Chief Executive Officer. The Executive meets quarterly.

1.7. There is also a London SC Partnership that meets twice a year and brings together a wider range of participants, including NPS, probation and agencies delivering at local level.

1.8. The statutory responsibilities for safeguarding children lie with the local safeguarding partnerships and not with the London SCP or its Executive.

Role of the Police and Crime Commissioner

1.9. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 is the Government’s guidance for inter-agency working to safeguard children. This legislation establishes that the role of Police and Crime Commissioners is to ‘lead and promote the local arrangements for safeguarding’.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. This decision recommends that the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime continues to contribute funding to the 32 London boroughs and to London Councils to support local and pan London safeguarding partnership activity at the same level as in 2019/20.

3. Financial Comments

3.1 This decision proposes a total allocation of £433,000 for the funding of safeguarding arrangements in 2020/21.

3.2 The proposed allocation is made up of the following activities:

• £113,000 for London Councils to run the London Safeguarding Children Partnership

• £320,000 for London boroughs, with each of the 32 boroughs receiving £10,000



3.3 The funding for London Councils and the 32 London boroughs is allocated within 2020/21 Core funding for Safeguarding in London.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. MOPAC’s general powers are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). Section 3(6) of the 2011 Act provides that MOPAC must “secure the maintenance of the Metropolitan Police Service and secure that the Metropolitan Police Service is efficient and effective.” Under Schedule 3, paragraph 7 MOPAC incidental powers to “do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office.” Paragraph 7(2) (a) provides that this includes entering contracts and other agreements.

4.2. Section 143 (1) (b) of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides an express power for MOPAC, as a local policing body, to provide or commission services “intended by the local policing body to help victims or witnesses of, or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour.” Section 143(3) specifically allows MOPAC to make grants in connection with such arrangements and any grant may be made subject to any conditions that MOPAC thinks appropriate.

4.3. Under MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation, approval of the strategy for the award of individual grants and the award of all individual grants (for crime reduction or other purposes) is a matter generally reserved to the DMPC (paragraph 5.6). The release of funding in accordance with the proposals set out in this decision form is accordingly to be approved by the DMPC. The delegation of responsibility for the finalisation of planning and contractual/grant arrangements, including relevant terms and the signing of agreements, to Directors is in accordance with the general power of delegation in paragraph 1.7.

4.4. Safeguarding funding is provided as part of the Police and Crime Plan 2017/21 commitment to ‘continue to fund the London Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and work with London Boroughs’ Safeguarding Children and Adult Boards to develop consistent and effective practice and information sharing by local Multi-Agency Safety Hubs (MASH) to protect children across London’

4.5. Under the Police and Social Responsibility Act 2011 section 1 (8)(h), MOPAC has a statutory duty to ensure its functions, and any services that they contract out to others, are discharged with regard to safeguarding and also promotes welfare of children.

4.6. The same act gives the Mayor a duty to hold the MPS Commissioner to account for the exercise of duties in relation to the safeguarding of children and the promotion of child welfare.

5. Public Health Approach

5.1. Mayor of London has taken a public health approach to violence that has a focus on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. In particular, it aims to broaden the concept of safeguarding to include contextual safeguarding, looking at all factors that could cause harm to the child or vulnerable adult in the context of their community not just their immediate family environment.

5.2. At its heart, a public health approach to violence focuses on prevention and the reduction of violence by addressing risk factors and increasing protective factors. This is in line with effective safeguarding interventions.

6. GDPR and Data Privacy

6.1. The requirement for providers to ensure the policies and procedures are GDPR compliant is included in all contracts.

7. Equality Comments

7.1. The Equality Act 2010 puts a responsibility on public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity.

7.2. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

7.3. The promotion of effective children and adult safeguarding arrangements supports MOPAC’s equalities duties.

8. Background/supporting papers

8.1. None.