Report: Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI) of Solihull – Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

By Iain MacDonald, Reporter21st February 2022Reports & ResourcesCare Standards, Child Abuse, Child Protection, Childrens Services, Inspection, Local Authorities, Registration / Regulation, Report, Social Work, West Midlands

Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the Chief Inspector of Probation (HMIP) for England and Wales has published a report following a joint targeted area inspection (JTAI) in Solihull.

In December 2021, the Secretaries of State for Education, Health and Social Care, the Home Office and Justice requested that the inspectorates carry out a JTAI in Solihull, following the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.

The JTAI looked at how all local agencies in Solihull are working together to respond to the identification of initial need and risk to children.

Headline findings

Children in need of help and protection in Solihull wait too long for their initial need and risk to be assessed. This means that for a significant number of children, they remain in situations of unassessed and unknown risk.

Weaknesses in the joint strategic governance of the multi–agency safeguarding hub (MASH) have led to the lack of a cohesive approach to structuring and resourcing the MASH.

The Local Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP – Solihull’s multi–agency safeguarding arrangements) does not have a clear understanding of the impact of practice from the MASH or the experiences of children and their families that need help and protection in their local area.