Date of meeting: 16 July 2025

Agencies represented:

Children’s Social Care;

Education;

Youth Justice Service;

Croydon Housing;

South West London Integrated Care Board (ICB);

Croydon Health Services;

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM);

Metropolitan Police;

Schools;

Independent Scrutineer

CSCP Business Team

Chair: Elspeth Millington, Designated Nurse Safeguarding Children ICB

Quality Assurance Group reviews safeguarding progress and strengthens community engagement across Croydon

Overview

The Croydon Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP) Quality Assurance Group met in July to review safeguarding performance, monitor progress against partnership priorities and consider findings from audit and quality assurance activity.

A strong focus of the meeting was understanding how safeguarding practice can continue to improve through effective scrutiny, data analysis, community engagement and partnership learning. Members reviewed progress against the CSCP Business Plan, discussed ongoing audit activity and considered opportunities to strengthen assurance across the safeguarding system.

The Group also explored how stronger relationships with community, faith and voluntary organisations can support safeguarding awareness and help ensure that children, young people and families receive the right support at the right time.

Positive work highlighted

Members welcomed positive progress against the CSCP Business Plan, with activities across the partnership reported as progressing well and key priority areas remaining on track. Areas of focus included embedding shared values, promoting equitable practice, strengthening learning from local reviews and supporting a whole-family approach to safeguarding.

The meeting heard encouraging updates from the CSCP Young Scrutineer, including work to gather feedback from children, young people and parents through community-based engagement activities. Members agreed that ensuring the voice of children and families continues to influence safeguarding practice remains a key strength.

Partners highlighted the success of recent quality assurance work, including audit activity and learning events which have supported reflection, professional curiosity and improved understanding of children's lived experiences.

The Group also recognised the significant progress made in building relationships with community and faith organisations. Safeguarding awareness sessions, advice surgeries and engagement events are helping to strengthen community confidence and increase understanding of safeguarding responsibilities across a wider range of settings.

Challenges discussed

The Quality Assurance Group considered the ongoing challenge of maintaining strong participation in partnership activity, including the timely submission of partner updates and responses to quality assurance work.

Members discussed the importance of ensuring that safeguarding learning is not only shared but also understood, embedded and evidenced across organisations. The Group agreed that demonstrating the impact of guidance, training and learning remains an important area of focus.

The meeting also explored safeguarding risks associated with hidden and under-identified groups of children, including those living in private fostering arrangements. Members noted the importance of raising awareness and ensuring that children do not miss out on support where concerns are identified.

Concerns were also raised about ensuring sufficient capacity and resources to sustain quality assurance activity, audits and continuous improvement work across the partnership.

Key discussion items

• Progress against the CSCP Business Plan and quarter one safeguarding priorities.

• Youth participation, family engagement and the voice of the child.

• Partnership audit activity and quality assurance findings.

• Preparations for future Youth Justice inspection and multi-agency involvement.

• Safeguarding awareness and engagement with community and faith organisations.

• Private fostering arrangements and the importance of public awareness.

• Development of safeguarding self-assessment and assurance tools.

• Planning for the CSCP annual report and annual safeguarding conference.

  
  

Actions agreed

• Seek responses from agencies to key safeguarding questions arising from the quarterly report.

• Continue developing and refining safeguarding self-assessment and quality assurance tools.

• Strengthen community and faith sector engagement to increase safeguarding awareness and confidence.

• Share information on planned single-agency audits to support partnership oversight and learning.

• Review and develop audit action plans arising from recent quality assurance activity.

• Explore opportunities to include private fostering information within partnership performance monitoring.

• Review and provide feedback on the draft CSCP Annual Report.

• Continue promoting the voice of children, young people and families throughout safeguarding activity.

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Closing statement

The Quality Assurance Group reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening safeguarding through learning, challenge, partnership accountability and community engagement.

Members recognised the importance of continuing to build strong relationships across agencies and communities while ensuring that quality assurance activity remains focused on improving outcomes for children and young people across Croydon.