Structure and Subgroups

The Executive Group will ensure the Safeguarding Partnership, in accordance with statutory guidance and relevant legislation, effectively delivers its safeguarding responsibilities for children and adults in Walsall; underpinned by strong leadership and behaviours which promote accountability, commitment, curiosity, openness, respect, trust and visibility.

Walsall’s safeguarding arrangements will be scrutinised using a variety of methods and will be supported by an Independent Chair.

The Safeguarding Leadership Group (SLG) has the responsibility to ensure positive safeguarding outcomes for children and adults are informed by performance information, quality assurance activity and challenge. The group will evaluate the performance and impact of safeguarding activity to make a difference to the lives of children and adults in Walsall. 

The group will develop a culture of challenge and collaborative working amongst partners. 

The group will ensure timely escalation to the Executive Group where necessary.  

As part of Walsall Safeguarding Partnership aim to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents in Walsall, the Practice Learning and Development Group will work to fulfil its responsibilities and functions (as set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018, the Care Act 2014 and Making Safeguarding Personal). It will quality assure the provision and impact of single and multi-agency safeguarding training, for the Safeguarding Partnership, in order to promote learning within the wider workforce, whilst working within the principle of ‘all age’ and ‘think family’ wherever possible.

The Joint Case Review Group (JCRG) is a multi-agency senior officer group that has delegated responsibility from Walsall Safeguarding Partnership Executive Group to take referrals for statutory reviews for Safeguarding Adults (SARs) Care Act 2014 and Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (LCSPRs) Working Together 2018.

The purpose of the group is to oversee new referrals and all case reviews relating to children and adults, (including the former commission of serious case reviews under Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015), and to monitor and track progression of the reviews associated recommendations and action plans.

The group ensures learning and examples of good multi-agency practice is shared with the Practice Learning and Development Group. This ensures there is a growing understanding of what works well across the multi-agency workforce. Equally, when things go wrong, there is a robust and objective analysis of what happened and why, so that lessons can be learnt and services can improve, to reduce the risk of future harm to children and adults.

JCRG also works closely with Safer Walsall Partnership to ensure the report on the findings from commissioned domestic homicide reviews and adult or children safeguarding issues arising for policy, practice and wider learning is understood and acted upon.

As part of Walsall Safeguarding Partnership aim to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents in Walsall, the Performance and Quality Assurance Group will work to understand the picture of safeguarding for children ad adults in Walsall by understanding data and providing strong professional scrutiny and challenge. The group will advise and inform the Safeguarding Leadership Group accordingly.

As part of Walsall Safeguarding Partnership aim to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents in Walsall, this group will reduce and work on issues associated with exploitation and its impact on children and adults. Working within the principle of ‘all-age’ and ‘think family’ wherever possible.

The Neglect Subgroup’s function, as part of the safeguarding arrangements and on behalf of the partnership, is to focus on the issues of neglect and to reduce child neglect in Walsall. The Neglect Subgroup develops an action plan to deliver the Neglect Strategy and holds to account agencies to deliver that action plan.

The aim of the Child Sexual Abuse Subgroup is to operationalise, support, and develop the multi-agency response to safeguard and protect children who are at risk of, or are being sexually abused.

1. Develop, monitor, and review multi-agency practice in relation to sexual abuse in Walsall.
2. Report back to the Safeguarding Leadership Group any issues and areas of concern.
3. Target work through Task and Finish groups as necessary by robust multi-agency partnership working that recognises and responds promptly and effectively to all concerns of child sexual abuse.
4. Works with professionals, families, and communities to raise awareness and create a safer environment for children and young people.

By doing the above children and young people in Walsall will be well protected from child sexual abuse.

As part of Walsall Safeguarding Partnership aim to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents in Walsall, the Self-Neglect and Hoarding Subgroup will reduce and work on issues associated with self-neglect and the impact on adults. Working within the principle of ‘all age’ and ‘think family’ wherever possible.

The Walsall Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) Management Group is a multi-agency group which meets to oversee the effective operation of and adherence to the MASH Operating Principles.

Walsall Safeguarding Partnership introduced the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) in October 2015. The aim of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is to bring together key professionals from across the partnership to ensure timely and high-quality information sharing, analysis and decision making to deliver appropriate and proportionate intervention and quality outcomes for children, young people and families in Walsall.

The MASH comprises of a co-located team including Walsall Children’s Social Care, Early Help Team, Police, Walsall Healthcare Trust, Black Country Mental Health Trust, Education Welfare, National Probation Service, Black Country Women’s Aid and the Missing and Exploitation Team, in addition to a virtual link to The Beacon Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service.