THE St Helens Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) will be replaced at the end of this month as part of national reforms.

In 2016 the government commissioned Sir Alan Wood to review LSCB arrangements and their effectiveness.

A number of concerns were highlighted in the review, which culminated in the recommendation that LSCBs should be abolished and replaced by a stronger statutory partnership arrangement.

These recommendations were accepted by the government and last year LSCBs were abolished by the Children and Social Work Act 2017, which has significantly amended the Children Act 2004.

Following this, the Department for Education published the revised version of ‘working together to safeguard children’ in July 2018

Under the new guidance, three statutory partners are identified, and it is their responsibility to agree local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.

The three statutory partners are health, via the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the police and the local authority.

This week, St Helens Council’s cabinet were asked to ratify the new safeguarding arrangements.

Cllr Joe Pearson, cabinet member for developing young people, said the existing LSCB will cease to operate on March 31.

The new arrangements will take effect immediately.

Cllr Pearson said the new arrangements have been ratified by St Helens CCG and are currently going through the decision-making process of Merseyside Police.

Cabinet ratified the revised partnership arrangements for safeguarding.