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Children Act 2004

Section 13: Establishment of LSCBs

83.The purpose of this section is to place local arrangements for co-ordinating the work of key agencies in relation to safeguarding children on a statutory footing.

84.Subsection (1) requires each local authority to establish a Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB). The agencies which are ‘Board partners’ are listed in subsection (3). The authority must co-operate with the Board partners in establishing the Board and the Board partners each have a reciprocal obligation to co-operate with the local authority (subsection (7)).

85.Subsection (2) provides for the Secretary of State to make regulations about representation on the LSCB. For example, regulations might be used to ensure that every Board partner, and the local authority, had a representative on the LSCB, albeit possibly through two or more sharing a single representative. Regulations may also set out the level of seniority required of representatives.

86.Subsections (4) and (5) provide for representation from persons other than Board partners exercising functions or engaged in activities in relation to children in the area. These might include schools and voluntary groups. The local authority must take steps to ensure representation of prescribed persons (subsection (4)) and may also invite representation from other persons or groups in consultation with Board partners (subsection (5)). This reflects that there will be other bodies in each area with a contribution to make to the work of the LSCB. It also allows the Board to seek specialist expertise where it sees fit.

87.Subsection (8) enables two or more local authorities to join together to establish an LSCB covering their combined areas.

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