Line of Sight Process

• Cases meeting the significant harm criteria, where there are complex issues which would benefit from identification of learning on an inter-agency basis;
• Cases where there are potential practice issues and interagency learning but where the serious harm criteria is not met (There is a separate referral process for cases potentially meeting the Serious Harm Criteria).

Referral to the Line of Sight process can be made by any partner agency. There is a requirement for cases identified to be raised with the organisational Designated Safeguarding Lead and Head of Service by practitioners within the agency and agreement sought and given by the Designated Safeguarding Lead/Head of Service to making a referral to the SCP. The Designated Safeguarding Lead/Head of Service is responsible for ensuring the quality of the Line of Sight referral. Where the referral is being made in respect of a case that the referring agency is involved in but is not the case holder for, the team holding the case should be notified by the referring agency.

Following identification of a Line of Sight referral by agencies a meeting of the SCP Triage Panel will be convened to consider if the criteria is met.  The LOS triage panel consists of the Police, Children's Services and Health. The Chair of the Safeguarding Review Group will provide governance in ensuring the serious harm criteria is not met. The meeting of the SCP Triage Panel will be convened within two weeks of the receipt of a referral. Following receipt of the referral a receipt will be sent to the referrer and the referrer will be invited to present the case to the SCP Triage Panel. The referring agency will be invited to present the case and the current case manager. 

Partner agencies will be required to undertake a case audit of the identified cases and present their analysis and findings within one month of the SCP Triage Panel’s decision to undertake a Line of Sight event. The agency reports will be collated in order to inform the event.

The process is aligned to the Quality Assurance and Learning Framework. The Line of Sight events will be managed and supported by the SCP Manager and triage panel. There will be a pool of managers who will be chosen to facilitate/ chair the Line of Sight events based on the specific issues and their area of expertise. The process involves:

• Involved agencies identified;
• Involved agency managers/ case supervisor contacted by the SCP team and requested to provide brief audit of involvement with identified cases;
• Managers within agencies to complete the agency case chronology informed by the involved practitioner and submit to the SCP team at nel.scpenquiries@nelincs.gov.uk.

• The Line of Sight meeting will be held within two weeks of the agency reports being received;
• Attended by involved practitioners and managers (supervisors). A one day event with practitioners attending for the first 1.5 to 2 hours of the event;
• Agency manager with the most involvement/understanding of the case presents a brief summary of their agencies audit findings and learning, followed by all other involved agencies;
• Event facilitated and chaired by an identified and agreed manager from one of the partner agencies;
• Line of Sight chair facilitates focused discussion on issues and learning and collates findings and records assessment and findings;
• Line of Sight chair presents their findings to the Line of Sight Executive Panel in the afternoon of the same day using an agreed format.

• Partner agencies will be required to identify involved managers and practitioners, to undertake a case audit of the identified cases and present their analysis and findings and account for activities and decision making to the Line of Sight event;
• To embed the agreed learning and actions within their organization;
• To complete a form to evidence how they have disseminated the learning/7-minute briefings from LOS and what the impact has been. 

• The Line of Sight chair will reiterate the purpose of the meeting is about learning lessons and identifying good practice. The event will not apportion blame but will encourage honest and open discussion, constructive challenge, identification of learning and areas where partnership practice could be strengthened. The Line of Sight chair will facilitate the discussion;
• The Line of Sight chair completes a brief report of the event and reports back to the Line of Sight Executive identifying good practice, practice issues and themes;
• The Chair to write the 7-minute briefing within one week of the Line of Sight event;
• A pool of chairs will be created, with peer support and mentorship from an allocated buddy.

The Line of Sight Executive panel is made up of strategic managers from relevant SCP agencies, its role and remit is to:

• Consider the learning and themes from the individual Line of Sight events with a view to the learning across the safeguarding system;
• The Executive Panel will consolidate the learning and themes and set actions in order to drive practice improvement;
• Following the Line of Sight event, the overview report and action plan will be formalised by the SCP Manager;
• The 7-minute briefing from the Line of Sight event to then be approved virtually by the Line of Sight Executive panel.

• The Line of Sight overview report and action plan will be considered at the next available Quality Assurance Group (QAG);
• Outcomes and progress against the action plan will be reported to the SCP Executive by the QAG Chair as part of the quarterly QAG report to the SCP Executive;
• The Line of Sight action plan will be monitored by the QAG and impact measured.