Our Safeguarding Children Partnership (OSCP)
The government has said that the statutory safeguarding partners need to work together to keep children safe.
The way in which these organisations and agencies work together is known as multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.
To do this in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly we set up OSCP who oversee the arrangements and agree the ways that everyone who is involved will work together to promote, safeguard and protect the welfare of children and young people.
Our Safeguarding Children Partnership is underpinned by
(Please note - We are aware that we currently make reference to Working Together 2023 in a multitude of our procedures, briefings and other information. Any hyperlinks will take you to the new guidance as we update our wording.)
Working Together 2026 outlines the roles and responsibilities relating to our four safeguarding partners (the local authorities, the police and the health service). The lead safeguarding partners are referred to as LSPs and each partner agency has appointed a delegated safeguarding partner (DSP) responsible for operational delivery.
| Lead Safeguarding Partners |
| Russell Ashman, Chief Executive |
Council of the Isles of Scilly |
| James Vaughan, Interim Chief Constable |
Devon & Cornwall Police |
| Kate Kennally, Chief Executive |
Cornwall Council |
| Mark Hackett, Interim Chief Executive Officer |
NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board |
| Delegated Safeguarding Partners |
| Susan Bracefield, Chief Clinical Officer |
NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board |
| Sue Butcher, Director of Children's Services |
Council of the Isles of Scilly |
| Scott Bradley, Chief Superintendent - Policing Commander for Cornwall & IOS |
Devon & Cornwall Police |
| Kate Evan-Hughes, Strategic Director - Together for Families |
Cornwall Council |
On behalf of Devon & Cornwall and Police, Scott Bradley will be continuing to fulfil the role Partnership Chair for multi-agency arrangements in 2025/26. He will facilitate partner discussions, provide continuity, and act as a single point of contact for the partnership. The partnership chair role will be rotated annually.
OSCP Business Plan
Our 2026–28 Business Plan sets out the key priorities that will guide our work over the next three years. It describes the areas we will focus on to deliver our objectives, alongside the structures and governance in place to support delivery. The plan also explains how progress against our priorities will be monitored and reported, ensuring transparency and accountability as we move forward.
OSCP Governance
The OSCP structure and ways of working are supported by a number of governance documents.
These include the Scheme of Delegation and Terms of Reference for the Strategic Group, Partnership Forum and Learning and Review Group.
The relationship between the OSCP, Cornwall Education Partnership and the Local Authority is detailed in this briefing.
The South West Child Protection Procedures
These procedures set out local protocols, core procedures and safeguarding practice guidance for all agencies in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly about how they are expected to provide safeguarding services.
Legal Framework
Freedom of Information Requests
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) provides the public with a general right of access to information held by public bodies, such as local government, the police, the NHS and state schools.
The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Safeguarding Children Partnership (OSCP) is a statutory partnership in its own right set up under the Children Act 2004 and is not a public authority for the purposes of the FOI.
It is therefore exempt from the duty to provide information under the FOI.
Section 3 of the FOI provides that:
(2) For the purposes of this Act, information is held by a public authority if—
(a) it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person, or
(b) it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.
A FOI request may be made directly to partner agencies of the OSCP.
Where a OSCP partner which is deemed to be a public authority under the FOI holds information for its own purposes, then it does so otherwise than on behalf of another person and the information held will be subject to the FOI.
However, partners in possession of OSCP minutes, documents, reports etc. are holding this information on behalf of ‘another person’ (the OSCP) and it is therefore not liable to disclosure under a FOI request.
Details of how to access information from a public body can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website here.