The work of the Safeguarding Children Board fits within the wider context of the Children's Trust, with the aim of improving outcomes for all children and young people. The Board has a particular focus on the Every Child Matters 'Staying Safe' outcome and seeks to ensure all children and young people in North Yorkshire are protected from physical or mental injury or abuse, neglect, maltreatment, sexual abuse or exploitation or harm caused by witnessing violence or abuse of another.

The Board is accountable through the Corporate Director, Children and Young People's Service, to North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) as the Children's Services Authority for ensuring the effectiveness of its role.

In recent years Government legislation and policy has informed how the County Council and its partners safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Key publications include:

• The Children Act 2004
• "Working Together to Safeguard Children"
• "Every Child Matters"
• Common Assessment Framework

The core objectives of the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board are set out in Section 14 (1) of the Children Act 2004 as follows:

• 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 Authority
• To ensure the effectiveness of what is done by each such person or body for those purposes

The operational focus of the Board is:

• Children at risk of or who have suffered significant harm as defined in Section 31 (9) and 31 (10) of the Children Act 1989
• Children in need who require multi-disciplinary assessment, planning, services and review as defined in Section 17 of the Children Act 1989; Carers and Disabled Children Act 2002; and the Criminal Justice Act 2004.

The core functions of the Board are prescribed by the Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) Regulations 2005 and the Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance (DCSF, 2010).

The member agencies of the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board are as follows:

• North Yorkshire County Council Children and Young People's Service
• North Yorkshire and York NHS (Health) 
• the District Councils
• North Yorkshire Police
• the Probation Service
• National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
• the Youth Justice Service
• North Yorkshire Integrated Youth Support Service
• the Armed Forces
• the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS)
• the Crown Prosecution Service
• representatives from the voluntary and community sector
• legal advisers.

The Board has an Executive Committee which provides the strategic lead for the Board in line with national, regional and local objectives. The Executive ensures the effective delivery of the work of the Board via the Locality Forums and sub groups as follows:

• Operations sub-group
• Performance sub-group
• Training sub-group
• Procedures task group
• Child Death Overview Panel
• Communications task group
• Workforce task group
• Private Fostering task group
• E-Safety task group

The role of the Locality Safeguarding Children Boards is to:

• deliver the NYSCB business plan at a local level
• promote and co-ordinate good safeguarding practice at a local level
• monitor and quality assure local child protection practice
• contribute to the development of the Board's policies and procedures

Useful downloads North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board Safeguarding Procedures [392kb] [pdf] Safeguarding procedures issued February 2010 Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children [2Mb] [pdf] Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, DCSF 2010   Weblinks Please note: All external websites open in a new browser window and NYCC is not responsible for the content of external websites. North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board Advice and information for children, families and professionals about local child protection arrangements. Contacts North Yorkshire safeguarding children board ann.mcmorris@northyorks.gov.uk Tel: 01609 535182 Full details for North Yorkshire safeguarding children board