Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. is the Safeguarding Partnership for Children and Young People
Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. is a statutory multi-agency partnership which brings together the key organisations that collectively hold responsibility for safeguarding children and young people in Bexley. In line with statutory guidance (Working-together-to-safeguard-children), the partnership replaced Bexley Safeguarding Children’s Board in October 2018.
Bexley’s Youth Council chose the partnership’s name in April 2019. The name S.H.I.E.L.D. is made up of the following words the Youth Council agreed were important for the partnership to demonstrate:
The Partnership
The partnership has a shared vision:
In Bexley, we want healthy safe, resilient family networks in communities that are also safe. We want children to attain the skills that they need at schools and colleges so that they grow up to be independent and productive. We want children and young people driving our local growth and engaging in the plans we make and the services we deliver.
We agreed 5 shared ambitions for our partnership arising from that vision:
- All children and young people are safe from harm
- All children and young people are healthy and enjoy healthy lifestyles
- All children and young people enjoy and achieve at school and/or college so that they have the skills they need for life and future employment
- All children and young people have access to leisure and opportunities for fun as they are growing up
- All children and young people are active in their communities, their experiences count and they have a voice with influence.
We agreed 3 success measures for the partnership:
- Restorative learning with families and children
- Learning with practitioners
- A kind and healing system.
A more detailed description of the partnership can be found in our published arrangements document.
In line with statutory guidance, the 3 named safeguarding lead organisations in Bexley are Bexley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the South East Basic Command Unit (the Metropolitan Police), and the London Borough of Bexley.
The 3 safeguarding lead organisations have named a number of other partners who are referred to as relevant agencies within statutory guidance. Find out who they are here…
Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. is organised around a number of groups, meetings and events attended by partner organisations from across the children’s safeguarding system in Bexley. The partnership’s activity is reported to governance and scrutiny meetings within the CCG, the Police and the London Borough of Bexley.
The role of independent scrutiny forms part of the safeguarding partnership arrangements as set out in statutory guidance. Read more about the role in Bexley here…
The ‘Back to Practice’ model was developed in 2016 in Bexley in order to provide a clearer line of sight to frontline practice.
The Learning Hub is central to the partnership’s ‘Back to Practice’ model and is the multi-agency space where practitioners consider practice challenges prioritised by the partnership.
Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D. has a network of safeguarding champions from across the children’s safeguarding system who provide a key role in disseminating messages from the partnership to their respective organisations and who come together for learning events 3 times a year.