THE search is on for a child protection expert who will play a key role in helping keep children safe in East Sussex.

The East Sussex Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) wants to recruit a new independent chair to succeed Cathie Pattison, who is                                                   retiring after four years in the role.

The LSCB is responsible for overseeing how agencies work together to protect children and it has members from various organisations including East Sussex County Council, Sussex Police, the Probation Service, the NHS, the district and borough councils and local community and voluntary groups.

Mrs Pattison said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as the chair of the LSCB in East Sussex and I’m proud of what we have achieved. Partnerships between different agencies in East Sussex are strong and the LSCB plays a really important role firstly in ensuring that remains the case, and also making sure child protection remains a high level of priority for any organisation working with young people.”

The East Sussex LSCB was inspected by Ofsted recently and was graded as “good” – becoming one of the first LSCBs in the country to achieve the grade within the new performance framework.

Ofsted described the LSCB as “an effective, well established and mature safeguarding board.”

The LSCB is looking for candidates with exceptional leadership, partnership and communication skills at a senior level. They will also need substantial experience and knowledge of safeguarding policy and practice.

The appointment is on a consultancy basis and it is anticipated will need a maximum of 30 days a year.

Anyone interested should contact Liz Rugg, Assistant Director Children’s Services on 01273 481274 for an informal discussion.

For more information on the LSCB visit: www.eastsussexlscb.org.uk