Shine a Light Areas

Children’s MARS ‘Shine a Light’ Areas of Focus

The Children’s MARS Board have recently agreed our shine a light areas of focus for 2025/26.

There are specific areas of focus in which the Children’s MARS Board wish to ‘shine a light’ on and to maintain oversight of to ensure there is focused partnership action, system change and robust practice to contribute to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and families.

The ‘shine a light’ areas of focus for 2025/26 will be:

• Transitions to adulthood
• Domestic abuse and the impact on children
• Voice
• Neglect
• Child Sexual Abuse

As well as our specific ‘shine a light’ areas of focus, the Children’s MARS Board adopts a ‘right to roam’ approach and as such, will maintain a line of sight on Assurance around care leaver offer, Reforms, for example, Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Harm Outside the Home. As part of this, to orientate ‘line of sight’ activity, the Children’s MARS Board will take account of performance, practice wisdom and voice and experiences on wider emerging need and harm.