CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH MENTAL HEALTH TRUST

Statement in response for details of governance arrangements in respect of safeguarding in order to comply with Object 1 of the work plan which says ‘develop and embed effective governance arrangements, including monitoring and evaluation arrangements made by board partners individually and collectively to safeguard and promote the welfare of children’

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Trust is committed to the importance of safeguarding children.  The Trust has established clear lines of accountability within the Trust for work on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children (see attached structure).  The Trust Chief Executive sits on both Peterborough and Cambridgeshire LSCB Executive Committees. 

The Trust has appointed a Named Doctor and Safeguarding Co-ordinator).  There is an established Safeguarding Link Worker structure throughout the Trust.  The Link Workers meet on a quarterly basis and are responsible for disseminating safeguarding information to their teams. The Trust has set up safeguarding web pages on its intranet; these are accessible to all Trust employees.  The web pages are updated at least once a week and give information on safeguarding issues including:

• Available Training
• Relevant updated policies and procedures
• Links to LSCB websites
• Minutes of Child Protection Team Meetings
• Terms of Reference of the Child Protection Team
• Information for the Safeguarding Link Workers
• Safeguarding news and updates
• The quarterly Safeguarding Newsletter
• List of relevant publications and books

Basic Child Protection Training is mandatory for all new starters as part of the Trust’s induction programme.  Information and contact details of the Named Professionals is given to all new starters, both in their induction pack and at the induction training session. 

Trust staff members are supported to undertake Child Protection training either through the Trust or LSCB, which is provided on an inter-agency basis as well as in single agency training provided by the Trust itself.

Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are being developed.  Criminal Record Bureau Disclosures are routinely obtained prior to employment as part of our Safe Employment Strategy.

The Trust has a Protocol for Sharing Information, which is currently under review.  The Trust supports the cross-Government, Information Sharing: Practitioners’ Guide (published in April 2006), which is signposted on the safeguarding web pages.