Section 11

Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 places duties on all organisations and individuals who work with children in Sandwell to ensure their functions, and any services that they contract out to others, are discharged with regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Completion of the Section 11 self assessment is a statutory requirement and is carried out every 2 years.

The Section 11 self assessment is a comprehensive document, which requires agencies to self score and provide evidence that they have appropriate and effective arrangements in place on the following standards:

• Leadership and Accountability
• Use of policies and procedures to safeguard children
• Recruitment and selection
• Staff induction, training and development
• Complaints, allegations and whistleblowing
• Information Sharing, communication and confidentiality
• Listening to children and young people

Evidence is also required, where applicable, regarding the impact on outcomes for children and young people.

The Section 11 self assessment period was active in Sandwell between October 2021 and January 2022, with 100% compliance from all partner agencies tasked with completing the return. Initial headlines were presented to the QPPA subgroup in March 2021, with the final report scheduled for completion in June 2022.