The Board
Following on from the 2016 Wood Review, the Children and Social Work Act 2017 the Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 introduced a new duty to be placed on three agencies, to make arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the area. The agencies are:
- Local Authorities
- The Chief Constable
- The Integrated Care Boards (Formally Clinical Commissioning Groups)
The current version of Working Together 2023 was launched in December 2023
Our Team
Neelam Bhardwaja
Director for Children and Families
Staffordshire County Council
Heather Johnstone
Chief Nursing and Therapies Officer
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and Integrated Care Board
Becky Riggs
Assistant Chief Constable
Staffordshire Police
The vision of the SSCB is that children will be well educated, healthy and safe, cared for by resilient families and strong communities. Moving forward, the Board are seeking to offer training that demonstrates a more confident and skilled children’s workforce and one that is built upon learning and performance.
The Boards priorities for 2022/2025
The themed priority for 2022-2025 continues to be neglect with a specific focus on infants under one.
Additional assurance priorities for vulnerable children are:
- Child exploitation
- Domestic abuse
- Early help
- The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.