5th October 2021

Pan-Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership welcomes new Independent Chair & Scrutineer

The Pan-Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Independent Chair/Scrutineer.

From October 2021, Anthony Douglas CBE will step down from the interim role he took up in April 2020 and pass the baton of responsibility to James Vaughan. 

“Any role in child safeguarding is a privilege and a responsibility to be carried out on behalf of the increasing number of vulnerable children and children at risk across Dorset. Their number has increased during the pandemic; hence the role James is now taking on has an increased importance.

I am proud of the way the statutory partners across Dorset have interpreted the 2019 reforms and how they have strengthened the operational arrangements in the BCP and Dorset Council footprints. The Pan-Dorset Partnership will continue to play a crucial role in the strategic oversight of child safeguarding and in the quality of services received by children, young people and their families” – Anthony Douglas CBE

James Vaughan is a well-known figure amongst local partner agencies, having recently retired from the role of Chief Constable of Dorset Police, following a 30-year career in policing, during which he worked in various uniform and detective roles before moving up through the ranks to work in major, serious and organised crime, citizen-focused policing, partnerships and safer neighbourhoods, CID and ultimately joining Dorset Police as Deputy Chief Constable and then taking the role as Chief Constable from 2018.  He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the New Year’s Honours in 2018.

James has most recently chaired the Dorset Local Resilience Forum, working with key statutory and voluntary sector partners to co-ordinate the joint local response to the emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. He takes up this new role in mid-October 2021.

James was keen to take on the role supporting the four statutory partners (BCP/Dorset Local Authorities, NHS Dorset and Dorset Police) which have oversight of the local safeguarding system:

“I am delighted to have been appointed to this very important role and look forward to working with statutory partners to drive improvements in outcomes for children and young people across the County and the BCP areas” James Vaughan QPM.