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Effectiveness of the New Local Safeguarding Children Board in England: Interim Report
Effectiveness of the New
Local Safeguarding
Children Boards in England
Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) were established under the Children Act 2004
and have the responsibility for co-ordinating and ensuring the effectiveness of the work of
partner bodies to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (Children Act 2004, Section
14).
Research demonstrates that Area Child Protection Committees (ACPCs) had a number of
weaknesses, including lack of statutory power, poor leadership, high variations in
membership and insufficient resources (Chief Inspector of Social Services et al., 2002; Ward
et al., 2004). In trying to understand how successful LSCBs have been in overcoming some
of these weaknesses the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the
Department of Health (DoH) commissioned CRSP and the Centre for Child and Family Research (CCFR) at Loughborough University
to undertake a large scale research study that explores the effectiveness of LSCBs in
England.
The final report, which will draw on data from six case study areas, including: interviews with
Chairs and DCSs, 60 Board members from social care, health, education, early years the
police and others and 180 frontline professionals as well as social network analysis (in two
areas) to more fully explore the extent to which LSCBs have been able to engender change
and their overall effectiveness.
The majority of interviews with Chairs and Business Managers were conducted prior to
media attention surrounding the ‘Baby P’ case (September-November 2008). The survey of
Chairs was constructed to provide research evidence to contribute to Lord Laming’s, The
Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report. 105 surveys out of a possible 144
were returned, a response rate of 72.9 per cent.
Project information
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