Governance Sub Group

Purpose of the sub-group

The purpose of the Governance Sub Group of the Caerphilly Safeguarding Children Board (CSCB) is to ensure that the work of the Board meets the statutory requirement to safeguard children and young people within Caerphilly County Borough (CCB). The Governance Sub-Group will achieve this through the development of a framework for governance, which will be used to ensure that the Board is ‘fit for purpose’.

The aims, roles and responsibilities of members of the CSCB are laid out in ‘Children and Young People – Rights to Action – Safeguarding Children: Working together Under the Children Act 2004 (WAG 2006) and are reproduced in the Partnership Agreement of CSCB. The Partnership Agreement provides the basis for the Governance Framework and is an essential component of the CSCB, it represents the commitment of all the partner agencies to work together to safeguard children and young people within CCB.

Objectives of the sub group

To work with the CSCB Co-ordinator to develop the performance framework of the CSCB to enable the contributions of individual partner agencies to be monitored and evaluated overtime. The purpose of the Performance Framework is to:

  • Co-ordinate what is done by each person or body represented on the Board for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the area of the Local Authority and to ensure the effectiveness of what is done by each such member or body for those purposes. (Section 32 (1); Children Act 2004).
  • To advise the C.S.C.B of any partner agency, who through continuous monitoring is deemed to be failing in their commitment to the C.S.C.B.
  • If the Board identifies an agency is failing to meet its commitments to the Board, it may require that agency to develop an action plan to remedy the identified failings. The Governance group will monitor the agency’s progress against the action plan and make recommendations to the Board in respect of further action where necessary.
  • Where, through the work of the audit sub-group, safeguarding arrangements fall short of standards and principles agreed by the Board the Governance sub-group shall, under the direction of the Board, implement recommendations to ensure they are monitored and evaluated.
  • To determine the scope and format of Management Information required by the Board to enable meaningful analysis and synthesis of outcomes for children to be made.
  • To monitor the income of the CSCB and to work with the CSCB Co-ordinator to advise the Board on issues related to the budget. This may include making recommendations to the Board regarding partner agency contributions and priorities.
  • To monitor action plans arising from CSCB serious case reviews and report progress to the Board.

Membership of the sub-group

The following shall be members and officers of the sub group:

  • The Vice Chair of the CSCB will provide chairmanship to the Governance sub-group.
  • The Vice Chair of the sub-group shall be a member of the CSCB who originates from a different agency from that of the Chair.
  • Chair of the Quality Assurance sub-group
  • Chair of Promotions and Communications sub group
  • Chair of the Training and Development sub group
  • Independent member with appropriate background and skills to undertake the governance functions of the Board

The membership of this sub group shall be augmented by representation from Education and Gwent Police and other agencies to ensure that it reflects the multi agency membership of the CSCB.

The Governance sub-group of the CSCB will be supported by the CSCB Co-ordinator and officers of the Local Authority. Minutes to be taken by CSCB Administrator.

Frequency of meetings

The Governance sub-group of the CSCB will meet quarterly with meetings timed to enable the group to fully inform the agenda of the CSCB and provide meaningful information about management, performance and finance measures.