The CCPC (or, to give it its full name, the Child Care and Protection Committee) is the key local body for developing and implementing child protection strategy across and between agencies. In other words, the Committee provides the framework and structure for services to come together to decide what the priorities are and how we meet them.

It is set up under national guidance from the Scottish Government. There are committees in all areas of Scotland. Most are based on local authority boundaries, although there are some that cover more than one local authority.  All the key agencies involved in the protection of children and young people are represented on the CCPC.

The CCPC has a number of functions, or jobs. These are:

Public Information

This means:

• raising awareness of child protection issues within communities, including children and young people;
• promoting the work of agencies in protecting children to the public at large; and
• providing information about where members of the public can go if they have concerns about a child and what could happen.

Continuous Improvement

This means:

• making sure that policies, procedures and protocols are relevant and up-to-date;
• having good management information on which to base decisions
• ensuring proper systems are in place to check the quality of the services that are provided;
• making sure that agencies and professionals learn from practice;
• designing and commissioning training and staff development programmes.

Strategic Planning

This means:

• making sure that there is proper communication and co-operation within and between agencies and professions
• linking in to other planning structures that exist in Dundee and making sure that joint working happens where this will provide better services for children, young people and families

Doing these things well ensures that, within Dundee, there is:

• greater strategic leadership and ownership of activity to protect children and young people;
• improved co-operation between agencies in their work to protect children;
• clearer understanding of the functions of the CCPC and the key tasks it undertakes in order to fulfil those functions; and
• a better contribution by CCPC, both to the development and delivery of services in Dundee and, in sharing good practice, to child protection across Scotland.