Shine a Light Areas
Children’s MARS ‘Shine a Light’ Areas of Focus
The Children’s MARS Board agrees a small number of priority areas each year where it will “shine a light” to maintain strategic oversight and drive focused partnership action. These priorities are intended to strengthen safeguarding arrangements, support system change and promote consistently effective practice to improve outcomes for children and families.
Shine a Light Areas of Focus – 2026/27
The three areas of focus for 2026/27 were shaped through a collaborative and evidence‑informed process.
Initial themes were explored at the Safeguarding Partnership Meeting in January 2026 and refined through discussion at the January 2026 Children’s MARS Board, with input from Designated Safeguarding Partners. The Board also drew on learning from assurance activity, including audits, reviews and performance analysis.
Children and young people’s voices were central to shaping the final priorities.
Together, professional expertise, local evidence and the lived experiences of children and young people informed the final Shine a Light priorities for 2026/27:
- Safeguarding children with additional needs, including disability and neurodiversity
- Reducing the impact of parental mental ill health, domestic abuse and substance misuse on children
- Online and technology‑related harm
Right to Roam and Wider Line of Sight
Alongside its specific Shine a Light priorities, the Children’s MARS Board adopts a ‘right to roam’ approach. This enables the Board to maintain a wider line of sight on safeguarding assurance across emerging risks and areas of concern, ensuring responsiveness to changing need and harm.
This approach includes ongoing oversight of areas such as:
- Domestic Abuse
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Transitions
To support this, the Board will continue to draw on performance information, practice wisdom, and the voices and experiences of children, young people and families, ensuring a well‑rounded understanding of safeguarding effectiveness across the system.