Cleveland Police’s child protection initiatives have had mixed
success, according to a report published today by Her Majesty’s
Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services
(HMICFRS).
The report concluded that while the force has
taken positive steps to improve how it keeps children safe,
Cleveland Police’s good work has not yet translated into better
outcomes for children.
The post-inspection review follows an initial
inspection in May 2017 which found that poor supervision and
record-keeping had undermined decision-making and safeguarding
measures in a significant number of cases.
While the force has implemented new measures
to address these failings, in some cases it was too early to tell
if they were helping children to get the support and protection
they need.
HM Inspector of Constabulary Phil
Gormley said:
“Where Cleveland Police has acted quickly,
we’ve seen some real improvements. Children in custody are
treated better. The force takes on board the views of children
affected by domestic abuse. It has shown a genuine commitment to
do better, introducing its own child protection case audits to
keep track of its own performance.
“That said, there are some areas where the
force has made slow progress. For instance, Cleveland Police has
introduced new guidance to help officers respond appropriately to
missing children incidents. But when we looked at eight cases
involving missing children, we found the force’s response was
inadequate.
“Cleveland Police immediately took steps to
address our concerns and take corrective action. Whilst
encouraging, and I welcome the force’s willingness to respond to
our feedback, it is too soon to be confident these new processes
are having a positive impact on outcomes for children.
“This was a recurring theme across our
inspection. There was insufficient evidence to demonstrate if the
force’s frontline training had yet improved the operational
delivery. A new triage system – intended to speed up response
times in domestic abuse cases – produced a backlog of nearly 500
cases in its first three weeks. It is unclear if these changes
have helped children at risk.
“The force accepts it has more work to do and
is striving to improve. With this in mind, I am confident that
Cleveland Police is making every effort to enhance the service it
provides to vulnerable children.”
HMICFRS will continue to monitor Cleveland
Police’s progress against the recommendations from its 2017
report. It will also assess the force’s understanding of the
nature and scale of vulnerability as part of the force’s
Integrated PEEL Assessment in 2019.
Notes to editors
-
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary
and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) is inspecting the
child protection work of every police force in England and
Wales. The reports are intended to provide information for the
police, the police and crime commissioner (PCC) and the public
on how well children are protected and their needs are met, and
to secure improvements for the future.
-
Under the National Child Protection
Inspection (NCPI) programme, HMICFRS will assess how
effectively each force in England and Wales safeguards children
and young people at risk, make recommendations to forces for
improving child protection practice, highlight effective
practice in child protection work and drive improvements in
forces’ child protection practice.
-
Follow up activity by HMICFRS is an integral
part of the NCPI programme. It allows inspectors to assess the
progress each force is making in its work to improve services
for the safety and protection of children.
