Cheltenham review

Further national guidance on risk management is given to professionals when the victim is under 16 and advice on expectations as to professional response in the context of statutory safeguarding systems.

For the Gloucestershire Multi Agency Quality Assurance Sub-Group (MAQuA), on behalf of the GSCB to carry out a review to test the effectiveness of existing arrangements for young people having access to preventative work on healthy relationships.

For the Gloucestershire Children’s Partnership to ensure that the DHR recommendations are fully reflected in the new Children and Young People’s Plan that is being developed and for the SLG to support the GCP in this piece of work.

For Gloucestershire County Council to work with localities to review the Early Help ‘offer’ to ensure it includes sufficient advice, guidance and information for professionals, carers and community groups in respect of relationship issues/abuse

In circumstances of relationship harm (criminal abuse or assault) among young people the Police should take a robust enforcement approach. That would normally mean seeking the arrest of the perpetrator

For Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning (GHLL) to continue to update their work on PSHE including the on-line PinK Curriculum and to support school staff with training.

GHLL/Schools safeguarding network to reflect on how young people can be encouraged to alert staff to concerns they have about their peers

Cheltenham Partnerships to work with GDASS and other partners to facilitate a conference for practitioners to reiterate the importance of preventative work on healthy relationships for young people

The Home Office work with the national data agencies to capture national information on the incident and trend relating to domestic abuse in under 18’s. It is recommended that this is be facilitated by National Oversight Group

Further embed restorative practice across the wider partnership in order to work more inclusively with families - even when families don’t engage

Cheltenham Partnerships to support the development of a local partnership model that provides oversight over the early help graduated pathway.

The Home Office to review the national definition of domestic abuse to reflect on younger victims and provide clarity for professionals.

Carry out a review of the local Futures in Mind plan* in the light of this DHR and consider how well young people access emotional health and wellbeing support and services in a timely manner.

PSHE should be a statutory requirement in education and can play an important part in keeping young people safe. This should be an inspection standard for scrutiny by Ofsted.

GSCB to ensure that risks in adolescents are appropriately identified and managed by considering training for professionals in respect of management of risk in adolescence and monitoring the effectiveness of work being undertaken by CSC/YST to review the safeguarding system for adolescents

Undertake dedicated public campaigns aimed toward all ages supported by all agencies around the elements of coercive control and that it is an offence in its own right.

The GCSB to ensure that the Young Person’s DASH has been adopted across relevant agencies.

Specific policy guidance should be developed around the use of split conferences. This should include clear direction for CP Conference Chairs in relation to conferences for child victims where the perpetrator may be present. This needs to take into account that while a child may agree for a perpetrator to attend this may be coercion and/or control to stop the victim being honest and open during the conference

Raise awareness that social care cases are not allocated to student social workers and all professionals need to engage with the allocated social worker. The allocated social worker must ensure that they have proper oversight over the case i.e. engaging with the family.

There should be a national campaign by the Home Office in partnership with others, to educate the public, including young people around coercive control.

Children’s Social Care and the Youth Support Service will implement the BASE practice model* (developed through DfE Innovations Programme) and evaluate its effectiveness in managing adolescent risk.

When working with young people, agencies are able to identify who the child has the strongest rapport with and use that professional to work with the young person and to support them though the system supported by the multi-agency team and legal advice if necessary

Work with Safer Gloucestershire to explore options for increasing perpetrators programmes for under 21’s in the county.

Review current resources for professionals and ensure development of guidance documents to support professionals in identifying and responding to domestic abuse.

Continued development of www.glostakeastand.com to ensure section specifically for professionals so they can access relevant information on domestic abuse.

To ensure that the analysis of need overseen by Safer Glos and the GDASV Commissioning Group includes research into the prevalence of domestic abuse affecting young people to shape future commissioning arrangements of support for young people and their families

To scope options to develop an advice guide for parents on abuse in teenage relationships.

Explore engagement opportunities with community groups and sports clubs to increase awareness of domestic abuse and encourage a zero tolerance stance.