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WSCB, 3rd Floor, Welbeck House, 43-51 Wandsworth High Street, SW18 2PU
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On this page: Welcome to Wandsworth | What is safeguarding? | Role of LSCB | Flowchart of WSCB Structure | Safeguarding posters campaigns and leaflets

Welcome to Wandsworth Safeguarding

Welcome to Wandsworth's Local Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) website. This website aims to provide information to our children, young people, their parents, carers, friends & families and the professionals & volunteers who work with them. It's hoped that the information available on it will help to keep our children and young people who live in the Wandsworth Borough safe and promote their welfare. The WSCB is a multi-agency board from all agencies within the borough, both statutory and from the private and voluntary sector, working together to safeguard and promote the welfare of our children and young people.

What is safeguarding?

Children and young people can only be safeguarded properly if everyone involved with them work effectively together. It is therefore everyone's responsibility to safeguard a child or young person and promote his/her welfare.
Need to talk to someone?

To speak to a social worker call 020 8871 6622, Or 020 8871 6000 outside of normal office hours (after 5pm weekdays or on weekends).

In an emergency call the Police on telephone number 999.

More on what to do if you are worried...

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

  • protecting children from maltreatment;
  • preventing impairment of children's health or development;
  • ensuring children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
  • undertaking that role so to enable those children to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully.

Child protection is part of safeguarding and promoting welfare. It refers to the activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or at risk of suffering, significant harm. (Working Together to Safeguard Children, Chapter 1, p. 34-35)

'Safeguarding' includes all children and it is EVERYONE's responsibility to safeguarding children and young people. We all have a safeguarding responsibility, whether you work directly or indirectly with children and young people or with adults who are parents or carers of children and young people.

Role of Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)

Local safeguarding children boards are designed to help ensure this happens and replace the former Area Child Protection Committees (ACPC). Their remit is broader than the ACPC, covering a wider range of issues that could affect a child's safety and well-being. The core membership includes the Council, health bodies and the police, probation (plus others). Its aim is to coordinate and ensure the effectiveness of agencies in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The Board leads on developing policies and procedures in relation to:

  • Actions to be taken where there are concerns about a child's safety or welfare;
  • Training people who either work with child/young person or are in services affecting the safety and welfare of child/young person;
  • The recruitment and supervision of people who work with child/young person;
  • Investigation of allegations made against people who work with child/young person
  • The safety and welfare of child/young person who are privately fostered.

Therefore we all have an individual responsibility to ensure the safety of the children and young people we work with, irrespective of our specific role and day-to-day duties. Children can only be safeguarded properly if the key agencies and staff and volunteers within them work effectively together. This includes anyone who has contact with a child/young person, in whatever way, this may be through work, volunteering or in a personal capacity, i.e. friends, parents, carers, neighbours, teachers, preachers, etc. to ensure that all children/young people are kept safe and all their needs fully met. Examples of provision include:

  • Adequate and appropriate housing;
  • An opportunity to attend education;
  • All their health needs appropriately met;
  • Being protected from any form of abuse, i.e. physical, emotional, sexual abuse, bullying, etc;
  • Sufficient support for their parents receive to meet their child/young person's needs.  For example, a parent with some form of disability or misusing drugs or alcohol having access to the necessary support systems;
  • Access to necessary support systems; for those children/young people with some form of disability or misusing drugs or alcohol.
  • Protection from domestic violence; racism and other forms of social isolation

Flowchart of WSCB Structure

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Safeguarding poster campaigns and leaflets

Wandsworth Safeguarding Children Board has been proactive in raising awareness about safeguarding issues through a number of poster campaigns. We have produced a 'Safer Parenting Handbook', a 'Youths - handbook for young people', leaflets aimed at the general public and information cards for all staff (paid or unpaid) who work wtih children and young people. We have also had articles printed in local press, etc. Below are examples of the publicity and awareness raising work we have done so far.

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