The city’s local safeguarding partnership was subject to a joint targeted area inspection (JTAI) by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire Rescue Services.
A report by inspectors praised the work of the city council, police and NHS integrated care board for its “child-centred” and “caring culture” across services.
Southampton City Council executive director for community wellbeing, children and learning Robert Henderson said the partnership was described as “mature” and one that “cares for children”.
He told members of the children and families scrutiny panel: “It was an incredibly positive report.
“The lead inspector said to me very clearly it was uniquely positive in terms of a JTAI inspection and it was very rare to get such positive feedback.
“Although there is some real learning there, I think what we take from that is we are a really mature partnership.
“We are working effectively together and we are as a collective partnership improving outcomes for children.”
Areas for improvement identified by the inspectors included the timeliness of high-risk referrals by police to the children’s resource service, health navigation in the multi-agency safeguarding hub, and sharing written records of strategy meetings and the outcomes of assessments with partners.
Mr Henderson said these issues were largely already on the partnership’s radar, but the inspection in May “put a spotlight” on them.
The sharing of the follow up written records of meetings was rectified “within 24 hours” of being made aware of this shortcoming, the panel meeting on July 24 was told.
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On referrals by police, Mr Henderson said this area being highlighted by the inspection gave the force an area of “priority and focus”.
Councillors were told the inspectors could see conservations took place between police and the young people service on a daily basis, but in some cases it was taking a “little while” for written notifications to be sent across.
Summarising the inspection, Mr Henderson said: “The message to the community is children are in relatively safe hands.
“That is not a narrative historically and for the workforce it instils confidence that when they are going to intervene in families’ lives they can say we come from a service that is good and we come from a partnership that is good.
“That gives them the authority to really work alongside families and children.”
Director of children’s social care Steph Murray said: “What it is saying really is if you are a child in the city or a family and you need help, whether you turn up at CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services), whether you turn up at the hospital, whether you are in school or whether you knock on social care’s door, you are going to get helped.
“It may not be the perfect help but it’s pretty good.”