Safeguarding Children Partnership
What should you do if you are concerned about a child?
If you have a concern about the welfare or safety of a child during the office hours of 9am to 5pm, you should contact the Tower Hamlets MAST (Multi-Agency Support Team):
If a child is in immediate danger, please call the police on 999.
Your responsibility is to report your concerns. A social worker will follow these up with any necessary investigations or assessment or alternatively contact:
- Emergency Duty Team (EDT) – Out of hours service
- Tel: 020 7364 4079 (after 5pm and at weekends).
Write to the following address:
Tower Hamlets Multi-Agency Support Team
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
160 Whitechapel Road
London
E1 1BJ
Professionals should download and complete the Tower Hamlets Multi-Agency Referral Form (MARF).
Tower Hamlets Safeguarding Childrens Partnership (THSCP)
The core objectives of the Safeguarding Children Partnership are to
- coordinate local work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
- ensure the effectiveness of what the member organisations do individually and together.
The Tower Hamlets Safeguarding Children Partnership comes under the Working Together to Safeguarding Children 2023 Arrangements
The Working Together Arrangements state that:
A safeguarding partner in relation to a local authority area in England is defined under the Children Act 2004 (as amended by the Children and Social Work Act, 2017) as:
- the local authority
- an Integrated Care Board for an area any part of which falls within the local authority area
- the chief officer of police for an area any part of which falls within the local authority area
The THSCP is chaired by representatives from the three core agencies:
- The Statutory Director of Childrens Services – London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- The Associate Director for Safeguarding Children - NHS Northeast London Health and Care Partnership
- Detective Chief Superintendent – Metropolitan Police
An Independent Scrutineer sits with the leadership to ensure compliance and that the THSCP functions as well as it can.
The THSCP is also responsible for conducting Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews. These take place when a child dies or the child has been seriously harmed due to known or suspected abuse or neglect.
The purpose of a child safeguarding practice review is for agencies and individuals to learn lessons that improve how they work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
THSCP membership
- London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- Metropolitan Police
- Tower Hamlets Integrated Care Board
- Bart’s Health NHS Trust
- East London NHS Foundation Trust
- Tower Hamlets GP Care Group
- Voluntary & Faith Sector Organisations
- Youth Forums
- Tower Hamlets Education Providers
- Youth Justice
- CAFCASS
Membership is subject to change.
Executive Group
The Executive Group oversees all activity within the THSCP and safeguarding across the borough.
Subgroups
The Tower Hamlets Safeguarding Childrens Partnership has six subgroups that assist the board in meeting its obligations.
The subgroups are chaired by partners from agencies which represent the THSCP and meet on either a bi-monthly or quarterly basis. The subgroups each have their own work programme.
Quality assurance and performance subgroup
The Quality Assurance and Performance Group oversees the multi-agency data dashboard, new policies and procedures, audits and action plans that arise from statutory reviews.
Rapid Review Panel
The purpose of the Rapid Review is to respond to ‘Serious Incidents’ and identify and act upon immediate learning. They also consider if there is more learning which could be identified through a wider Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR).
Rapid Review Working Group
The group implement recommendations and learning from Rapid Reviews and Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews.
THSCP Delivery Group
The THSCP Delivery Group handles delivering improvement projects into priority areas. The current priorities are anti-racism, neglect, peer on peer harm and infant safety. These topics are refreshed every two years.
The Effective Learning Group
The group ensures join-up across the multi-agency training and awareness programme and delivers and implements learning from multi-agency audits.
Training is available via the THSCP Bulletin for any professional or volunteer working with children and young people in Tower Hamlets.
Email THSCP@towerhamlets.gov.uk to sign up.
Education Safeguarding Forum
For education providers to discuss on the ground Safeguarding issues, and link with other teams.
THSCP publications
THSCP resources