Child protection in Derbyshire requires urgent improvement
Derbyshire Constabulary is not effectively safeguarding children and urgent changes are needed, a new report has found.
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Derbyshire – National child protection inspection
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said Derbyshire Constabulary’s senior leaders have recognised that changes are needed, and they are now reviewing their safeguarding arrangements.
The inspectorate said it had several concerns about Derbyshire Constabulary’s child protection arrangements, including that there is:
- little evidence of effective multi-agency activity to safeguard children, with examples of poor risk assessments and therefore inconsistent information sharing with other organisations;
- a disjointed approach to protecting vulnerable children at risk of being exploited by county lines gangs; and
- a confused response to missing children, such as not recording when children go missing from care homes, and therefore not looking for them.
Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher said:
“Derbyshire Constabulary is not effectively safeguarding children and it urgently needs to improve its child protection arrangements. The force’s new senior leadership team recognise that these changes are needed.
“There is much more work to do to provide better outcomes for vulnerable children in Derbyshire – from improving how the force protects children at risk of exploitation, to recognising that children missing from care homes are particularly vulnerable.
“We have made several recommendations which will help improve outcomes for children if Derbyshire Constabulary acts on them. We will continue to work closely with the force to monitor its progress.”
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Derbyshire – National child protection inspection
Notes
- For further information, the HMICFRS Press Office can be contacted at 07836 217 729 or HMICPressOffice@hmicfrs.gov.uk.