Child protection

Report: 13
Date: 13 March 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

The Victoria Climbié Inquiry report published on 28th January 2003 made 108 recommendations of which 18 are specific to police and 17 are generic to all agencies. These have been included in the Cabinet Office Green Paper on ‘Children at Risk’ that will be published in the spring of 2003. This paper deals with the present position generally of child protection in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and specifically in relation to the recommendations.

A. Recommendation

That the report be noted.

B. Supporting information

1. The MPS was criticised for its organisational and individual failures but given credit for the openness and integrity of key witnesses and for the energetic management style and a reform programme implemented since Victoria’s death. The Minister of Health did not indicate a view on Lord Laming’s general recommendations but within the specific police recommendations, John Denham MP Minister of State at the Home Office, has requested a progress report from the MPS. Recommendations are to be undertaken within the designated periods (3, 6, or 24 months). A copy of the first response is attached at Appendix 1.

2. The MPS is undertaking an in depth study of all 108 recommendations to assess the potential impact and implications for the organisation. This process consists of:

1. A three-day workshop between the 24th to 26th February 2003 involving experienced Child Protection Group (SCD5) personnel, ACPO officers, HMIC and MPA members. 5 BOCU challengers were also used in the process. A draft action plan will be produced.
2. On 10th March 2003 a one-day workshop will take place involving SCD5 senior management team and detective inspectors to add further scrutiny to the action plan.
3. During the remainder of March, 8 staff internal seminars will complete the internal consultation.
4. On Friday 28th February 2003 the London Child Protection Committee will debate the recommendations.

Future structures

3. The MPS is also giving careful consideration to the civil action instigated recently.

4. Cabinet Office will be producing a green paper on the future of services in relation to Children at Risk. The Department of Health (DOH) have sought expressions of interest from local authorities to pilot ‘Children‘s Trusts’ over a 3 year period. Discussions with DOH have revealed that the Trusts are aimed at bringing together Health, Social Services and Education specialists into a new organisation with pooled budgets. No approved structure currently exists and Trusts will be tailored to local needs.

5. No expectation has been indicated of the role of police other than the possibility of co-locating Child Protection Units with the new Trusts. If this were to take place the following implications arise:

• Increased costs for the MPS for accommodation, information technology infrastructure, vehicles and other operational equipment.
• Increased numbers of police officers to establish 32 Child Protection Units as minimum numbers of staff are required to make a Child Protection Unit viable. The minimum model is currently 1 Detective Inspector, 3 Detective Sergeants and 8 Detective Constables. The service is currently delivered through 23 (reducing to 21) Child Protection Units.

6. The MPS has concerns over the proposed future structure:

• It appears overly bureaucratic
• The position of police is not clear
• The operational accountability of police may lead to confusion
• It does not address the considerable concerns regarding the blurring of roles and collapse of professional boundaries in criminal investigations that led to Victoria’s death

7. The MPS is preparing a considered response on the structure for the information with the Cabinet Office Green Paper team.

Current MPS Planning is based on:

8.

1. Cost effective resilient units providing service delivery.
2. Increasing the ratio of detectives in SCD5 moving towards a fully staffed detective branch.
3. Moving the successful Referral Manager scheme from MPS premises into Social Services departments backed up by a civilian care officer and MPS IT.
4. The provision of a 24/7 command post at New Scotland Yard to offer advice to colleagues, health, social services, other children’s related services and the public.
5. The deployment of an out of office hours response.
6. The provision of Intelligence, Crime Management and Management Information Units at SCD5 Headquarters (NSY).
7. The introduction and development of IT systems such as PROtect (Pan London Child Protection Register) and MERLIN (MPS database for missing persons and young persons known to police). These systems would be accessible from the proposed social services sites.
8. Research has revealed that in excess of 2.5 million key searches are undertaken each year by SCD5 staff in respect of the 90,000 Form 78 (Child coming to notice of police) and 26,000 Police Protection cases. The Department of Information & Technology are seeking a solution in order that one key search will access the eight databases within the MPS, using data warehousing currently being developed for the ‘Safer Streets’ initiative.
9. The MPS currently has the PROtect child protection pan-London database for all children and families on the Child Protection register. The database was implemented in June 2002 and has already identified children and mobile families within London who were multiple registered on the Child Protection Register.
10. The development of child focussed facilities in NHS premises for victim interviewing, medical examination and interview of non-abusing parents. This project has been designated as ‘Project Amethyst’. (An MPA scrutiny of the investigation of rape recommendation)

SCD5 workload

9. A study has been commissioned by SCD5 with the MPS Consultancy Group, which will be based on an activity cost analysis for 3 weeks in April 2003. The study will also inform the debate on the workload formula applied by SCD5 especially in the ratio of a detective sergeant’s supervision -v- caseload. A growth bid has been made for 35 detective constables based on an increased workload of 2,500 investigations.

10. There will be increased responsibilities for senior SCD5 officers with a requirement for more senior officers than detective inspectors attending meetings of Area Child Protection Committees. Work is currently in hand to look at senior officer resilience. Re-alignment of SCD5 boundaries from 4 regions to be co-terminus with the 5 Strategic Health Authorities is the favoured option at this point in time.

SCD5 change management team

11. A team has been established at New Scotland Yard under the leadership of a detective chief inspector to manage the changes brought about by the Victoria Climbié Inquiry report, Government initiatives and new legislation expected to be enacted during parliamentary year commencing October 2003.

Project management

12. A joint MPS – MPA Project Management Board will be established chaired by Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur. Mr Richard Sumray, the MPA Child Protection link member will represent the authority.

2 other groups with action project board decisions.

• A working group chaired by Commander Armond
• A user group chaired by Detective Chief Superintendent Kelleher

C. Equality and diversity implications

1. Some of the issues raised in the report highlight the importance of working very closely with minority ethnic groups. Negotiations are about to commence regarding the funding of 2 secondees from African and Asian communities to work in the SCD5 partnership office to develop 3rd party reporting systems and confidence building measures. There would be a strong link with domestic violence and forced marriage. The establishment of an SCD5 IAG is also being considered.

D. Financial implications

1. The MPA has agreed to ‘roll over’ the £450K reserve fund for implications arising from the Victoria Climbié Inquiry. This will be used to fund anticipated increased multi-agency training and Area Child Protection Committee costs.

2. An additional £500K has been provided to enhance MPS Child Protection service delivery in the financial year of 2003-2004. This sum will be used to fund improvements as follows:

• IT costs including links to social services offices
• Additional vehicles
• Project Amethyst
• Working with minority communities

3. In order to secure the concept of Referral Managers in social services offices a further 9 detective sergeants growth posts are required. This will be the subject of internal negotiation.

4. The establishment of 2 funded posts for seconded community representatives for 2 years would cost approximately £60,000 per year.

5. The piloting of the Referral Manager scheme in the City of Westminster, Redbridge, Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea is costing between £5K and £12K per site, this is dependent on the proximity of existing MPS IT currently located in Youth Offending Teams premises.

E. Background papers

‘The Victoria Climbié Enquiry - A Report by Lord Laming’

F. Contact details

Report author: Detective Chief Superintendent Derrick Kelleher, MPS.

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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