Partnerships in the Delivery of Policing and Safeguarding Children

Crime and policing-related problems – be they violence, abuse or child sexual exploitation - do not respect organisational boundaries but demand coordinated responses and joined-up solutions. In short, they necessitate policing partnerships. Nevertheless, the challenges associated with partnership working across organisational boundaries, cultures and established practices are significant. The benefits, however, are many and varied. Partnerships afford the potential coordination and pooling of expertise, information and resources, as well as opportunities for innovation, learning and cultural change that foster preventive and problem-solving approaches. Whilst a philosophy of partnership is strongly embedded within contemporary policy - notably in the context of child protection and safeguarding - there remains much to learn in developing and fostering multi-agency collaborations that achieve real public safety outcomes for the well-being of children and young people. Against this background Professor Adam Crawford and Dr Xavier L’Hoiry of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Leeds conducted exploratory research into policing partnerships with a focus on safeguarding children across Leeds in collaboration with West Yorkshire Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire. The findings highlight the importance of effective partnership working in the delivery of safeguarding children and young people as well as policing more generally. The quality of the partnership relations, in large part, determines the quality of the service provided to children and families as well as the outcomes realised. The implication is that successful inter-organisational partnerships do not arise spontaneously; they need to be forged, nurtured and supported at all levels by people committed to realising the benefits of collaborative working. They require both strategic leadership and appropriately knowledgeable and skilled people to deliver outcomes on the ground.