Director, Clare Law was in Parliament in June with Tom Collins MP and Jess Phillips MP discussing the NSPCC‘s excellent new report, It Takes a Place, written by Alexandra Galvin

The report explores the vital role of multi-agency safeguarding through Family Hubs and the unique opportunity they present.

What struck Clare most was the honesty of the conversation. They talked openly about the challenges that exist across the system, but importantly, this wasn’t just another discussion. With Tom at the helm with a huge whiteboard and pen, the group left with clear actions and a shared commitment to improving how we work together for babies, children and families.

The report reinforces something we have seen first-hand in Blackpool. Effective safeguarding is about much more than training programmes, policies or frameworks. Those things matter, but they are only part of the picture. A truly shared approach to safeguarding starts with a common vision, strong relationships and collective leadership. The real test is not whether organisations sit around the same table; it’s whether professionals from different organisations make decisions together, learn together and take shared responsibility for improving outcomes.

Over the years, I’ve spoken a lot about the importance of good governance, and rightly so. Good governance provides the structure, challenge and accountability that systems need. But the strongest systems don’t stop there. They create the conditions for collaboration to become everyday practice, where trust, curiosity and joint problem-solving are embedded in the way people work.

That’s exactly what we see at Better Start Blackpool.  The progress made for babies, children and families has only been possible because partners have been willing to share responsibility, show humility, align around a common purpose and keep learning together.

Ultimately, that’s how safeguarding moves from being everyone’s responsibility in principle to everyone’s responsibility in practice.