Child Protection Guidance 2021

Part 2A: Roles and responsibilities for child protection 40 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 Version 1.0 September 2021 Chief Officers 2.9 Police Scotland, NHS Boards and local authorities are the key agencies that have individual and collective responsibilities for child protection. They must account for this work and its effectiveness. 2.10 The Chief Constable and the Chief Executives of health boards and of local authorities are referred to as Chief Officers. They are the members of Chief Officer’s Groups, responsible for ensuring that their agency, individually and collectively, works to protect children and young people as effectively as possible. 2.11 The Chief Officers of Health and Social Care Partnerships (Integration Joint Boards) are accountable to the Chief Executives of the local authority and the health board that make up their partnership for their role in relation to child protection and other aspects of public protection. These Chief Officers must be appropriately linked to local governance arrangements for the protection of children in their area. This applies regardless of whether children’s services are in the scheme of integration. 2.12 Local Police Commanders and Chief Executives of health boards and local authorities are responsible for ensuring that their agencies, individually and collectively, work to protect children and young people as effectively as possible. They also have responsibility for integrating the contribution of those agencies not under their direct control, including the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service; and they will engage with the Third Sector and private sector as appropriate. 2.13 Chief Officers are individually and collectively responsible for the leadership, direction and scrutiny of their respective child protection services and their Child Protection Committees (CPCs). Child Protection Committees 2.14 Child Protection Committees (CPCs) were established in each local authority in Scotland in 1991. CPCs are the key local bodies for developing, implementing and improving child protection strategy across and between agencies, bodies and the local community. Protecting Children and Young People: Child Protection Committee and Chief Officer Responsibilities (Scottish Government 2019). 2.15 A CPC is expected to perform a number of crucial functions in order to jointly identify and manage the risk to children and young people, monitor and improve performance, and promote the ethos that: “It’s everyone’s job to make sure I’m alright” (Scottish Executive 2002; Scottish Government 2017). CPCs must ensure all of these functions are carried out to a high standard and are aligned to the local GIRFEC arrangements. Chief Social Work Officers 2.16 The Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 r equires local authorities to appoint a single Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO). The CSWO will advise and assist local authorities and their partners in relation to governance and fulfilment of statutory responsibilities. This includes corporate parenting, child protection, adult protection and the management of high-risk offenders, as well as the role of social work in achievement of a wide range of national and local outcomes. The CSWO also has a contribution to make in supporting overall performance improvement and management of corporate risk (The Role of Chief Social Work Officer, 2016) .