Toggle Contrast

Learning and Improvement

Learning and Improvement Framework

The East Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership is publishing this ESSCP Learning and Improvement Framework 2022 (September 2022) to sets out how it intends to support and strengthen a culture of learning across all agencies in East Sussex who work with children and young people.

The framework sets out the different tools used by the partnership to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding practice, how learning from activity is shared, and how the partnership reviews the impact of this work.

Learning Strategy

The ESSCP Learning Strategy 2020-2023 was developed and published at the end of 2020 to ensure that ESSCP has a clear and shared vision as to the priorities for safeguarding learning and training and how this will be achieved. The Strategy aims to:

  • Ensure that safeguarding training/learning activities are based on local necessity and enable practitioners to recognise and respond to need and risk.
  • Measure the impact of safeguarding training on practice and improving outcomes for children and young people.
  • Ensure that learning from Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews, Audits, the Child Death Overview Process (CDOP) and the Voice of the Child is embedded into practice and ensures continuous learning and improvement.
  • Ensure key safeguarding messages (local, pan-Sussex and national) are communicated.

Evidencing Impact

A key statutory function of safeguarding children partnerships is to conduct safeguarding practice reviews after a child has died, or is seriously harmed as a result of abuse or neglect. The purpose of reviews of serious child safeguarding cases, at both a local and national level, is to identify improvements to be made to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Given the considerable amount of time and resource reviews take to complete, it is imperative that the partnership is able to evidence the impact the reviews have on safeguarding practice and outcomes for children.

The ESSCP’s Learning & Improvement Framework proposed conducting ‘evidencing impact’ events with front-line practitioners and managers, some of whom were involved in the original case. These events are used to consider how the review has impacted on local practice and outcomes for children and families.

The ESSCP has held two evidencing impact events:

  • In December 2022 the ESSCP held an evidencing impact event on the Child T Serious Case Review which was undertaken in 2018/19. This was the case of an 18-year-old who died in hospital following complications arising from the management of their type 1 diabetes. His presentation on admission to hospital indicated severe neglect which started during his childhood. A learning briefing for professionals has been developed which we encourage you to read and discuss with your colleagues and team: ESSCP – Child T Evidencing Impact – briefing FINAL. 
  • In April 2023 the ESSCP held an evidencing impact event on the theme of ‘infant injury’. The event considered learning from the Child V and Child W serious case reviews, undertaken in 2019, and three rapid reviews held in 2020. All these reviews involved non-accidental injuries in babies. A learning briefing for professionals has been developed which we encourage you to read and discuss with colleagues in your team meetings or group supervision: ESSCP – Evidencing Impact INFANT INJURY – briefing