Safeguarding Practice Review Group (SPRG)
What is the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Practice Review Groups (NY SPRG) function?
In accordance with the Children and Social Work Act 2017, the NY SPRG is the arrangement by which local safeguarding partners will:
- Identify serious safeguarding cases which raise issues of importance in relation to the area and;
- For those cases to be reviewed under the supervision of safeguarding partners, where they consider it appropriate to identify any improvements that should be made by persons in the area to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.[i]
What is the NY SPRG’s purpose?
The purpose of the NY SPRG is to contribute to rapid reviews convened by the NYSCP Business Unit for cases that have been notified to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (CSPRP)[ii] and decide on any next steps which includes whether or not to undertake a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review (LCSPR) and whether the review may have national importance.
To recommend to the safeguarding partners of the NYSCP the outcomes of rapid reviews so they can inform the CSPRP of the outcomes with clear rationale regarding whether or not any safeguarding review is required.
To consider cases referred to the NY SPRG by partner agencies and make recommendations on whether or not these cases meet the criteria for a multi-agency review, a single agency review or whether no review is required.
Ensure that reports highlighting the learning from the reviews are produced and disseminated.
Respond to notifications from the CSPRP on their decisions for the type of review that is required for a particular case and where necessary recommend to safeguarding partners that such a review be commissioned.
Ensure reports from local reviews are shared with the CSPRP and the Secretary of State ahead of their publication.
Consider cases where it is agreed that there may be multi-agency learning which could be applied to future practice and;
Recommend to the NYSCP Executive of potential authors for local child safeguarding practice reviews or any other form of review the NY SPRG feels needs to be undertaken.
Membership
The NY SPRG’s core membership includes;
- NYSCP Manager
- Head of Safeguarding, Children’s Social Care North Yorkshire Council
- Safeguarding Unit Manager, North Yorkshire Council
- Detective Superintendent Safeguarding, North Yorkshire Police
- Designated Doctor for Safeguarding Children/Children In Care
- Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children/Children In Care
- Named Nurse for Safeguarding, HDFT
- Head of Safeguarding, TEWV
- Head of Safeguarding, YTHFT
- Principal Advisor, Education and Skills
The NY SPRG will co-opt additional representatives as necessary dependant on which are reviewed.
Governance
All NY SPRG members are responsible for raising awareness of the need to identify cases for discussion, including those which meet the criteria for notification to the CSPRP via the Local Authority.
The NY SCPRG provides a quarterly report of discussions and outcomes to the NYSCP Executive and ensures that members are appraised of the progress and outcome of any reviews.
The NY SPRG informs the CSPRP of the outcomes of all rapid reviews which have met the notification threshold.
It is the responsibility of the NYSCP Business Unit to forward the outcomes of all LCSPR, no later than 7 days before the date of publication.
The North Yorkshire Council Head of Safeguarding with responsibility for Youth Justice Service (YJS), will inform the NY SPRG of any cases that are considered under the Serious Incident Procedure.
The NYSCP Business Unit will ensure that comprehensive minutes of all meetings are undertaken.
How do you refer a case to the NY SPRG?
For cases below the level for notification to the CSPRP as a serious incident, practitioners should submit cases for consideration by the NY SPRG via the NYSCP Business Unit using a ‘Form 1’ following discussion with their manager. Practitioners and managers can discuss cases with a NY SPRG member prior to doing so if they are uncertain whether or not it is appropriate to submit the case.
If at any point the NY SPRG is reviewing a case they recognise from the information meets the criteria for a referral to the CSPRP, the Local Authority will be notified to enable them to make a referral .
The NY SPRG will convene an Initial Case Discussion meeting where they will consider the information shared on the ‘Form 1’ and decide whether a full review should be undertaken at the next NY SPRG Meeting.
If the NY SPRG decided to review the case in full, the NYSCP Business Unit will collect information from all agencies involved with the child via a ‘Form 2’ which will include specific questions relevant to the case. Once obtained, this information is combined and shared with the NY SPRG ahead of the cases full review.
The NYSCP Business Unit ensures that all papers are sent to NY SPRG members one week prior to meetings who ensure that they are fully briefed regarding information pertaining to cases under discussion to ensure that the NY SPRG is able to reach a decision regarding agreed outcomes.
Outcomes
Outcomes of case discussions within the NY SPRG can include;
- LCSPR
- Multi-agency learning reviews
- Single-agency learning reviews
- NYSCP 7 Point Briefings
- No further action
Once a case has been reviewed and the outcomes identified, NY SPRG shares the learning points with NYSCP Learning and Improvement Subgroup (LIS). LIS develop these in to a multi-agency action plan and monitor the progression of these actions and provide assurance to NYSCP upon completion.
Safeguarding Rapid Reviews
For more information on the rapid review process please use this link.
Referral form
Request for consideration for Local Safeguarding Practice Review Group can be submitted to the partnership by completing the form below and sending to nyscp@northyorks.gov.uk
[i] Children and Social Work Act 2017 (legislation.gov.uk)
[i] Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Page reviewed July 2024
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