Partnership work to keep children safe highlighted in annual report
Strengthening the work being done across a range of organisations to protect child has been the main focus of an annual plan from the body that brings child services together.
Article date: 15 October 2026
St Helens Safeguarding Children's Partnership has released its Annual Report for 2025/26 to highlight the work being done between St Helens Borough Council. Merseyside Police and the NHS to keep children and young people safe.
The report is a review of the work partners have done through the year to continuously improve the work done jointly to keep vulnerable children safe.
It looks at the four key aims for the year, which were achieving sustained improvement in the multi-agency response to children and families experiencing neglect, strengthening the multi-agency response to children and families experiencing domestic abuse, developing a new model of practice, and family help and multi-agency child protection reforms.
During 2025/26 the partnership carried out a wide range of works to focus on the effectiveness and learning for the organisations and covered areas such as strengthening multi-agency safeguarding practice, embedding learning from child safeguarding practice reviews, strengthening the partnership response to neglect, responding to emerging risks, developing the workforce, improving outcomes for children and families and implementing national reforms.
Anna Berry, Independent Scrutiny Lead for St Helens Safeguarding Children's Partnership said: "The St Helens Safeguarding Children Partnership continues to demonstrate strong leadership, effective partnership working and a positive culture of learning and improvement. Partners show a clear understanding of local safeguarding challenges and are willing to respond proactively to learning from reviews, audits and national developments.
"Whilst there remain opportunities to strengthen impact measurement, participation and some areas of practice, I am assured that the partnership has robust governance arrangements, effective safeguarding leadership and a clear commitment to improving outcomes for children and families across St Helens."
Councillor Michael Chesworth, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at St Helens Borough Council, added: "Children and families rely on the close partnership between the organisations that make up the St Helens Safeguarding Children's Partnership to keep them safe and supported. This thorough report shows that continual learning, development and strengthening partnership working is vital to improving the lives of the most vulnerable people in our society and we, as a key partner, remain a committed member in the best interests of our residents."
Councillors will discuss the annual report at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday 22 October at 4pm. To find out more and to watch live visit: Agenda for Cabinet on Thursday, 22nd October, 2026, 4.00 pm St Helens Borough Council