Police force improves its flawed child protection
The force said it had invested in more staff for specialist teams
At a glance
Warwickshire Police has been inspected again after a critical report about its child protection services last year
The force was not adequately dealing with cases, it was found in 2022
A watchdog says improvements have since been made
- Published
A police force criticised for its child protection services has made progress but also has room for improvement, watchdogs say.
Warwickshire Police underwent a re-inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in February after being told to improve last August.
Inspectors found the force had since "committed considerable time, resources and energy" to making changes, with two areas still requiring attention, one of which involved response to reports of missing children.
The force said it was pleased its progress had been recognised.
During the initial inspection, HMICFRS found a third of child protection cases were dealt with inadequately and better investigations into online sexual exploitation was needed.
Of 74 cases where police had identified children at risk, the force's protection practice was deemed good in 23 cases, required improvement in a further 23 cases, and inadequate in 28.
In the latest review, inspectors said of the 34 cases audited, nine were good, 15 required improvement and 10 were inadequate.
The force had carried out a review of its structures and staffing levels and had markedly increased the number of investigators dealing with child abuse examinations, HMICFRS said.
Specialist training, inspectors added, had been provided to support these officers and staff, with guidance documents and videos issued to assist with a variety of child protection issues.
Additionally it was found staff in the operational command centre were able to make better decisions after training and that the force had also improved its diary appointment system to make sure children were properly safeguarded.
Two areas where inspectors still had concerns included an inconsistent response when children were reported missing and insufficient focus on children’s welfare when arrested and or charged.
Det Supt Pete Hill said: "We are pleased the inspection recognised much of the good work already going on in Warwickshire and the report acknowledges our commitment to child protection and to improving our services for vulnerable children.
“We had previously developed a robust action plan to address the areas for improvement around outcomes for children identified by the inspectors and many of these have already begun to be implemented by the force."
Investing significant resources in establishing dedicated chid protection teams across the county had "no doubt improved the quality of the most serious child protection investigations", he added.
