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Introduction

The National Board’s Duties and Responsibilities

The National Board has three primary duties which have shaped our work plan. These are:

  1. To provide support and advice to Safeguarding Boards with a view to ensuring that they are effective
  2. To report on the adequacy and effectiveness of arrangements to safeguard children and adults in Wales
  3. To make recommendations to the Welsh Ministers as to how those arrangements could be improved (S.132 (2)).

In addition, eight specific responsibilities of the National Board are set out in Working Together to Safeguard People, the Part 7 Guidance on Safeguarding. That is, the National Board:

  1. works alongside Safeguarding Adults Boards and Safeguarding Children Boards to secure consistent improvements in safeguarding policy and practice throughout Wales (para 246)
  2. will engage with the chairs of the Safeguarding boards, and relevant inspectorates…at least twice a year (para 258)
  3. will stay abreast of evidence and policy approaches to safeguarding and protection in other parts of the UK and beyond in order to learn from those and to evaluate Wales’ relative performance (para 261)
  4. where a theme of concern is identified…the National Board could recommend to Welsh Ministers that the matter be escalated to Welsh Government for exploration or to the relevant inspectorate (para 263)
  5. will use mechanisms to regularly engage with a range of expert reference groups, practitioners and individuals (para 264)
  6. will publish its own annual reports including any work it is planning. It will also hold an annual engagement event or events (para 265)
  7. has a specific duty under section 133 (2) (d) of the Act to “consult with those who may be affected by arrangements to safeguard adults and children in Wales.” It will use that duty to enhance its understanding of and extend its experience of safeguarding and protection in Wales (para 266)
  8. will consider the learning from the ‘user engagement’ activities of the Safeguarding Boards (para 266).

The Work Plan 2023 / 24

Strategic Duty 1. To provide support and advice to Safeguarding Boards with a view to ensuring that they are effective:

Specific responsibility 1: works alongside Safeguarding Adults Boards and Safeguarding Children Boards to secure
consistent improvements in safeguarding policy and practice throughout Wales (para 246)
Activities (How?)
  1. To secure consistent improvements in safeguarding policy and practice throughout Wales members attend and offer
    advice and support at Regional Safeguarding Board (RSB) meetings.
  2. Members will develop an overarching view of safeguarding and emerging themes and issues as follows:
    1. Engage and meet regularly with Business Managers
    2. Include a review and summary of the work of the RSBs in its Annual Report
    3. Attend RSB development days
  3. Facilitate the development of an All Wales Multi-agency safeguarding performance framework.
  5. Work with Welsh Government and RSBs to develop, support and host seminars and webinars during safeguarding week.
    1. Contribute to the planning of national safeguarding week.
    2. Host the central portal of all national safeguarding week events.
    3. Host a national conference during safeguarding week.
    Specific responsibility 2: will engage with the chairs of the Safeguarding boards, …….…at least twice a year (para 258)
    Activities (How)?
    1. Members will ensure NISB is sighted on issues and emerging safeguarding themes affecting the RSBs through:
      1. Regular meetings with RSB chairs.
    2. Members will, in addition, ensure two-way dialogue with organisations in Wales involved in safeguarding by:
      1. Identifying organisations involved in the Welsh safeguarding landscape including:
        1. Older Peoples Commissioner (OPC)
        2. Childrens Commissioner for Wales (CCfW)
        3. Social Care Wales (SCW)
        4. Education Workforce Council (EWC)
        5. Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA)
        6. Vulnerable People Board
      Specific responsibility 8. Will consider the learning from the ‘user engagement’ activities of the Safeguarding Boards (para 266).
      Activities (How)?
      1. NISB will ensure that the voice of service users is included in the development of the National Performance Framework core indicators.
      2. Identify themes emerging from the Single Unified Safeguarding Review family and community engagement.
      3. Through collating the information from RSB annual reports.
      4. Ensure learning from user engagement is disseminated widely.

      Strategic Duty 2. To report on the adequacy and effectiveness of arrangements to safeguard children and adults in Wales

      Specific responsibility 3: will stay abreast of evidence and policy approaches to safeguarding and protection(including) in other parts of the UK and beyond in order to learn from those and to evaluate Wales’ relative performance (para 261)
      Activities (How?)
      1. Promote the use of the 12 C’s model of collective safeguarding.
      2. NISB will share & advise on how lessons can be learned from individual reviews undertaken locally, nationally and from other parts of the UK.
      3. Consider the recommendations and disseminate the findings of the CPR Thematic Review commissioned in February 2023.
      4. Provide membership to the Ministerial Board responsible for ensuring the widespread learning identified through the Welsh Repository for Safeguarding Reviews.
      5. Engage with the strategic oversight group of the SUSR process.
      6. Participate in and support webinars and conferences across the 5 Nations.
      7. Commission Welsh thematic reviews when required.
      8. Commission a review and evaluation of the provision of publicly funded therapeutic support, for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in Wales.
      Specific responsibility 4: where a theme of concern is identified…the National Board could recommend to Welsh Ministers that the matter be escalated to Welsh Government for exploration or to the relevant inspectorate (para 263)
      Activities (How?)
      Emerging issues are identified in order to inform and influence the development of safeguarding systems and processes;
      1. Participation in regular meetings with the Chairs of RSBs and WG.
      2. Have effective dialogue with regulators and inspectorates of public services to consider any safeguarding concerns, development or improvements for safeguarding to identify themes of concern:
        1. Care Inspectorate Wales
        2. Health Inspectorate Wales
        3. Wales Audit Office
        4. Estyn
        5. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation and Prisons
        6. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary
      3. Liaison with the Welsh Commissioners for Older People and for Children on emerging safeguarding matters to have effective alliances.
      4. Monitor and report on the progress made to specific issues of concern that were previously reported.

      Themes of concerns will be shared with RSBs and reported to Welsh Ministers and WG officials to ensure an all Wales resolution.

      1. Themes of concern are identified and escalated for appropriate measures to be put in place. These will be raised through:
        1. Monthly meetings with WG officials.
        2. Result of evidence from research, reviews or engagement with expert reference groups, including RSBs.
        3. Written communication regarding themes of concern raised with NISB.
        4. Formal dialogue with Deputy Minister twice a year.
        5. Commission of research into areas of concern or that require improvement.
      Specific responsibility 5: will use mechanisms to regularly engage with a range of expert reference groups, practitioners and individuals (para 264)
      Activities (How?)
      Engage with the following range of expert reference groups:
      1. Child Death Review Panel (CDRP)
      2. Vulnerable People Board (VPB)
      3. Groups invited to present at NISB meetings on specific topics
      4. Anti-slavery Leadership Group (ASLG)
      Specific responsibility 6: will publish its own annual reports including any work it is planning. It will also hold an annual engagement event or events (para 265)
      Activities (How?)
      1. A process is in place to enable widespread communication with stakeholders:
        1. Regular update of NISB website to provide relevant, topical information and key safeguarding messages in accessible formats.
        2. Support and promote national public campaigns aimed at preventing, identifying and responding to harm from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
        3. Explore opportunities for engagement with service users and general public.
        4. Respond to relevant national consultations.
        5. Produce an annual report, by deadline.
      Specific responsibility 7: has a specific duty under section 133 (2) (d) of the Act to “consult with those who may be affected by arrangements to safeguard adults and children in Wales.” It will use that duty to enhance its understanding of and extend its experience of safeguarding and protection in Wales (para 266)
      Activities (How?)
      1. consider findings of engagement events held by commissioners and others
      2. Consider the findings from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, following the WG response.

      Strategic Duty 3. To make recommendations to the Welsh Ministers as to how those arrangements could be improved (S.132 (2)).

      Specific responsibility 4: where a theme of concern is identified…the National Board could recommend to Welsh Ministers that the matter be escalated to Welsh Government for exploration (para 263)
      Activities (How?)
      1. Recommendations to Ministers are made formally via the NISB Annual Report.
      2. Previous recommendations are also monitored on a twice yearly basis via the formal meetings between NISB and the Deputy Minister for Social Services.

      NISB Work Plan 2018-19

      NISB Work Plan 2019-20

      NISB Work Plan 2020-21

      NISB Work Plan 2021-22

      NISB Work Plan 2022-23