Safeguarding children, young people and their families

The Children’s Multi-Agency Resilience and Safeguarding (MARS) Board has a joint and equal duty to make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in a local area.

In North Lincolnshire, the safeguarding partner organisations and the lead representatives are:

• North Lincolnshire Council – Chief Executive
• Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board – Executive Director of Nursing and Quality
• Humberside Police – Chief Constable.

The Children’s MARS Board website contains further information, advice and guidance for children, young people and families and professionals who work with them.

Definition of Safeguarding

Nothing is more important than children’s welfare. Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, stable, and loving home. Children who need help and protection deserve high quality and effective support. This requires individuals, agencies, and organisations to be clear about their own and each other’s roles and responsibilities, and how they work together. The Children’s MARS Board have a duty to make arrangements to work together, and with other partners locally including education providers and childcare settings, to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in their area.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:

• providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
• protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
• preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
• promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with the outcomes set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework.

For further information, see Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.

Safeguarding Children – Children’s MARS Training Courses

The Children’s Multi Agency Resilience and Safeguarding Board (CMARS) offers an extensive range of safeguarding training to people working with:

• children
• young people
• and their families

Take a look at the Children’s MARS training programme. To book your place on a course, please complete and return the Course Booking Form to mars@northlincs.gov.uk or to the Multi Agency Innovation Hub, Church Square House, 30-40 High Street, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN15 6NL

For more information, please contact the Multi Agency Innovation Hub on mars@northlincs.gov.uk

Workbooks

Children’s MARS also have a number of useful workbooks on their website. These include safeguarding awareness, female genital mutilation and child sexual exploitation.

Concerned about a child?

Tel: 01724 296500

Out of hours tel: 01724 296555

Children’s MARS Team

Church Square House
30-40 High St
Scunthorpe
DN15 6NL

Email: mars@northlincs.gov.uk