New, streamlined, safeguarding work is to start in Dorset to help protect vulnerable children.

The county council’s director of children’s services says the new arrangements, which will come into effect by September 2019, should be more cost-effective and easier to work with.

Director Nick Jarman said that existing meetings of the the Safeguarding Children Board had become ‘cumbersome’ often attended by more than 40 professionals.

He said the new system would involve far fewer people – typically only representatives from social services, the police and NHS, although others could be called on, if needed.

He said the new structure is likely to be pan-Dorset rather than reflecting the new unitary councils when they come into being in April 2019.

Mr Jarman told the county council’s safeguarding scrutiny committee that a report commissioned by the Government had found that the existing pattern of safeguarding boards were not sustainable, largely because of the number of people attending; and were not really effective.

Said cabinet briefholder for safeguarding, Cllr Steve Butler: “We need people who are decision makers in the room – if that happens it should work out quite well.”