Latest News

Annual Corporate Safeguarding Report

Published: 11/11/2020

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet will be invited to review and approve the Corporate Safeguarding Panel’s Annual Report 2019 prior to publication when it meets later this month.

Safeguarding should be supported by Council employees across our services. The Corporate Safeguarding Panel (the Panel) was established in December 2015 and its report sets out steps which have been taken to ensure robust corporate safeguarding arrangements are in place. These include:

•  provision of drama style safeguarding training to the Early Years’ sector;
• incorporating safeguarding clauses within the licensing requirements for taxi drivers;
• providing safeguarding training to over 400 taxi drivers to ensure they recognise the signs of potential abuse and know how to make a report;
• working with North Wales Police on Operation Encompass, an initiative to support children and young people who are subject to or witness police attended domestic abuse incidents.
• Theatr Clwyd delivered Justice in a Day workshops. This interactive performance involved a workshop with a team of professional actors and a participatory visit to Mold Magistrates' Court where an actual Magistrate took part.

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Social Services and a member of the Panel, Councillor Christine Jones, said:

"Estyn has praised the Panel in their inspection report of Flintshire Local Education Authority during 2019 and Care Inspectorate Wales has also recognised the work of the panel . The cross-service Safeguarding Group is beginning to influence positively the work of the Flintshire pioneer schools who are developing the health and wellbeing aspect of the new curriculum.

"Flintshire is committed to its responsibilities and, as can be seen by this report, we have taken positive steps to ensure that there are robust arrangements in place for protecting children, young people and adults."

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Management and Assets, Councillor Billy Mullin, who is also on the Panel, added:

"The report identifies good news stories including an example of how joint working with our Housing services, our Adult Safeguarding Team and a third sector organisation, safeguarded a female victim of modern slavery. Through the Housing Team identifying the victim and reporting their concerns, the woman was provided with appropriate support and accommodated into a refuge. 

"This shows the importance of all employees and contractors reporting concerns, ensuring appropriate investigations and actions are taken."

The key actions to be completed during 2020/21 include: 

• Participating in National Safeguarding Week 2020 to raise public awareness of safeguarding issues including modern slavery.
• Encouraging employees to complete the Welsh Government’s elearning module "Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Against Women" to achieve 100% completion rate by March 2021.
• Raising awareness of the new Wales Safeguarding Procedures.