Pan Bedfordshire - What does this mean?

Pan Bedfordshire means where the Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton Partners and Safeguarding Children Partnerships join up to work together to support and safeguard vulnerable children, young people and their families.

For many of our Partners for example Police and Health services who work across the three Safeguarding Children Partnership areas it makes sense to support them and prevent duplication of work if a Pan Bedfordshire approach is undertaken where appropriate.

The three Safeguarding Children Partnerships have an agreement between the three Councils, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB) and Bedfordshire Police (known as the Safeguarding Partners) to collaborate in a bid to keep children, young people and their families who are at risk, safe.

Working Together to Safeguard Children - A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (page 77) provides much greater freedom for local areas to manage the way they approach the partnership.

Each Safeguarding Children Partnership has its own structure to deal with issues that are placed based and focus on children and young people in their area, but they will also work across the other Safeguarding Children Partnership’s footprint when it makes sense to do so.

We know when it comes to safeguarding, the boundaries between the three Safeguarding Children Partnerships areas are irrelevant as some children young people and families move between them on a daily basis whether to attend school or health appointments, meet friends and family or long term move house. Therefore it makes sense for the three Safeguarding Children Partnerships to work closely together, share knowledge, expertise and prevent duplication.

Every Safeguarding Children Partnership has their own Multi Agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASA) that take into account this Pan Bedfordshire approach. These can be found in the following sections below.

Pan Bedfordshire Structure