Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps through the Health and Care Bill to ensure that Integrated Care Partnerships take account of the Home Office Child House Local Partnerships Guidance.

Clinical commissioning groups’ existing child safeguarding responsibilities will transfer to the respective integrated care board (ICB), which must continue to have regard to the duties on safeguarding partners. The Government has accepted an amendment to the Bill that will require the joint forward plan for an ICB and its partners to set out proposals to address the particular needs of victims of abuse, whether they are children or adults.

Each ICB and their partner local authorities will be required to establish an integrated care partnership, bringing together health, social care, public health and wider representatives where appropriate. We expect local leaders to have regard to all relevant guidance in planning local services and ensure decisions regarding safeguarding children from abuse are based on the best possible evidence and expertise.