Introduction

This is the Annual Report and Business Plan of Bath and North East Somerset’s Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) which sets out its plans and key objectives for the coming year.  It does so in conjunction with the new Three Year Strategic Plan, by the end of which the responsibilities of the Board should be firmly embedded.  The ultimate test, of course, is whether vulnerable children in Bath and North East Somerset experience the benefits in their lives.

The Business Plan has been developed by representatives of the constituent agencies of the LSCB, and was informed by consultation within the LSCB Stakeholders Forum in November 2007.  This Plan is intended for professionals and others who provide services to vulnerable children, young people and their families, whether as a targeted user group or as part of the universal service.

The aim of this report is to be informative about the work of Bath and North East Somerset’s LSCB and to make the results of our efforts accountable to safeguarding children professionals, to those who fund and support safeguarding children services and the LSCB, to the lead member for Children’s Services, to the Cabinet Executive of Bath and North East Somerset Council, to the Children’s Trust arrangements, to our service users, and to the public of Bath and North East Somerset.

The Business Plan is underpinned by the vision, aims, principles, objectives and roles of the LSCB as detailed in the Three Year Strategic Plan. 

This Business Plan sets out:

a)         The Governance arrangements, membership and meeting structure.

b)         A review of the 2007/08 activity and achievement.

c)         The Work Programme for the LSCB for 2008/2009.

The development of the Business Plan has been shaped by the Every Child Matters agenda and the Children Act 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006, the National Service Framework for Children, and informs the compilation of and is central to Children and Young People’s Plan 2006-2009 for Bath and North East Somerset which was published on 31 March 2006 and refreshed in April 2007.  The Business Plan will have a particular focus upon the staying safe outcome and through its contributions to the Children and Young People’s Plan will contribute to the other outcomes – being health; enjoying and achieving; making a positive contribution; and achieving economic well-being.

The Business Plan will be distributed and made available to all key agencies and key stakeholders and is a public document.  It is accessible on the Bath and North East Somerset Council Information Serviceinformation service website.  The LSCB will audit the distribution, awareness and knowledge of its Business Plan amongst frontline staff, and how it is incorporated into Service Plans of individual agencies.