Section 18 — Further provision about arrangements

After section 16F of the Children Act 2004 (inserted by section 17 of this Act) insert—Further provision about arrangements16G (1) This section applies in relation to arrangements made under section 16E or 16F by the safeguarding partners for a local authority area in England. (2) The safeguarding partners must publish the arrangements. (3) The arrangements must include arrangements for scrutiny by an independent person of the effectiveness of the arrangements. (4) The safeguarding partners and relevant agencies for the local authority area must act in accordance with the arrangements. (5) Subsection (6) applies where a person is specified in regulations under section 16E(3) for the purposes of the definition of “relevant agency”. (6) The regulations may make provision for the enforcement against the person of the duty imposed by subsection (4), if the Secretary of State considers that there would otherwise be no appropriate means of enforcing that duty against the person (but the regulations may not create criminal offences). (7) At least once in every 12 month period, the safeguarding partners must prepare and publish a report on— (a) what the safeguarding partners and relevant agencies for the local authority area have done as a result of the arrangements, and (b) how effective the arrangements have been in practice.