Hertfordshire launches child protection unit

A joint child protection investigation team involving social workers and police has been launched in Hertfordshire.

The team will be based at Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Welwyn Garden City base and involve seven Hertfordshire County Council children’s social workers and 24 police officers who will be working in shifts.

Around 50 cases a month will be managed by the team, which is assisted by two administrative workers and a case manager.

The aim is to improve information sharing between police and social care units, and the speed of responses to allegations of child abuse.

Joint training, in areas such as interviewing vulnerable witnesses, will also be a focus of the team.

Hertfordshire County Council’s lead member for children’s services, councillor Richard Roberts said: “This joint child protection unit builds on this strong partnership, enabling us to have a much more co-ordinated approach to incidents of abuse and neglect, with social workers working alongside the police to provide a rapid and effective response to child protection issues.

“The new team will reduce bureaucracy and provide a robust approach to protecting Hertfordshire’s children.”