Agenda and minutes

Councillor Jarvis declared a non-pecuniary interest in Minute No. 39 (Domestic Abuse Service Provision in Rotherham) as she was a Board member of the Rotherham Rise Trust.

There were no members of the public or press present at the meeting.

Councillor Cusworth gave a brief verbal report on the business conducted at the recent meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel.  The agenda included:-

-          Looked After Children and Care Leavers’ Strategy 2017-2020

-          Ofsted Activity Report – Children Looked After

-          CCG Commissioning Compliance Tool for Looked After Children and Care Leaver Health Services

-          LACC Report July to end of October, 2016 presented by 3 young people who were either current LAC or Care Leavers

-          “The Care We Receive as Children Colours our Whole Life” (CQC 2016)

-          Rotherham Fostering Service Performance Report 2015-16

Any Member wishing further information on the items discussed should contact Councillor Cusworth.

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission, held on 2^nd November, 2016, be approved as a correct record for signature by the Chairman.

Sandie Keene, Independent Chair of Rotherham Safeguarding Adult Board, presented the Board’s 2015-16 annual report in accordance with the Care Act 2014.

Whilst good progress had been made there was still much to do.  It was the Board’s aim to ensure that everyone in the Borough shared its zero tolerance of neglect and abuse of individuals with care and support needs whether in a family, community or care setting.

The key priorities for 2016-18 were:-

-          All organisations and the wider community work together to prevent abuse, exploitation or neglect wherever possible

-          Where abuse does occur we will safeguard the rights of people, support the individual and reduce the risk of further abuse to them or to other vulnerable adults

-          Where abuse does occur, enable access to appropriate services and have increased access to justice while focussing on outcomes of people

-          Staff in organisations across the partnership have the knowledge, skills and resources to raise standards to enable them to prevent abuse or to respond to it quickly and appropriately

-          The whole community understands that abuse is not acceptable and that it is ‘Everybody’s business’

Sandie highlighted:-

-          The Board had been reconstituted and relaunched in 2015 and had reviewed its membership and agreed its priorities

-          There had been 2,556 concerns/alerts received in 2015.  Of those 579 concerns were investigated further and a plan in place to protect the individuals concerned to prevent further abuse and ensure that the outcomes desired by the individual were met

-          The need for proper performance management and to look at the quality of the work across agencies

-          Refocussing of resources had enable a new Safeguarding Service Manager from within the establishment to be allocated

-          Good attendance and commitment from all agencies at the Board

-          Strategy, Constitution and Mission Statement published

-          Emerging Safeguarding Adult Reviews of historical cases – 3 Reviews commissioned

-          Discussion regarding creation of a budget for 2017-18 with possible contributions from agencies

-          Abuse occurred in care settings as well as in people’s homes

-          Future contribution to the national work taking place looking at people with Learning Disabilities who died an untimely death

Discussion ensued on the report with the following issues raised/clarified:-

·           Was performance information available in a timely way to support the work of the Board?  This had been raised with the Chief Executive and there was now a much more timely response.

·           What measures and interventions led to an improvement in standards of care and safety?  This was with regard to the Council’s Contract Commissioning Team and contract quality rather than Safeguarding.  If there was a Safeguarding enquiry it would be followed up as Social Worker intervention to make sure that things were resolved.

·           Why had 306 individuals not been assessed under the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards?  The issue of the backlog had occurred because of a change in the interpretation of the Law and exponentially increased the numbers for the Local Authority.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

Councillor Hoddinott, Cabinet Member for Waste, Roads and Community Safety, and Chair of the Safer Rotherham Partnership, referred to the recent history of the Safer Rotherham Partnership and the criticism it had received in the Casey report regarding its operation and the lack of challenge.   

The previous Cabinet Member, former Councillor Kath Sims, who had had responsibility for the Partnership, had spent a lot of time restructuring and reinvigorating the Partnership and had started the work on a plan which included domestic violence.

Progress had been made but the Partnership was not where it wanted to be as yet.  There was a lack of strategic overview and it was not known where the gaps in service provision were.  The report submitted set out the current domestic and sexual abuse offer in Rotherham and responded to the key lines of enquiry identified by the Commission:-

-          What services are in place in Rotherham?

-          How well do agencies work together at a strategic and operational level and how is this evidenced and evaluated?

-          On what basis are services commissioned?

-          How is the effectiveness of services evaluated for children and adult victims of domestic abuse and perpetrators?

-          What is the funding available for services and is this resilient?

-          How does provision compare with statistical neighbours?

Some funding had been secured from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Community Safety Fund to fund work going forward.  An independent Peer Review had also been requested which would inform the revised Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy.  Discussion at the Select Commission would help inform that revision.

There was now a Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator, Amanda Raven, in post.  The multi-agency Domestic and Sexual Abuse Priority Group would be re-established consisting of officers and partners which would co-ordinate the work that needed to take place.

Phil Morris, Business Manager, Children and Young People’s Services, and Amanda Raven, Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator, then gave the following powerpoint presentation:-

The Government definition of domestic violence and abuse

“Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over, who are or have been intimate partners or family members”

This is, but not limited to the following types of abuse

-          Psychological

-          Physical

-          Sexual

-          Financial

-          Emotional

Harm to children who witness domestic abuse can be signified.  It is often categorised as

-          Emotional abuse

-          Physical abuse

-          Neglect

Impact is on every aspect of a child’s life

-          Education

-          Emotional wellbeing

-          Social wellbeing

-          Cognitive development

What is the prevalence

-          130,000 children live in households where there is high risk of domestic abuse

-          64% of victims have children

-          62% of children are directly harmed by their abuser

-          25% of children in high risk households are under 3 years of age and the abuse has been present throughout pregnancy

-          39% of children had difficulties at school

-          60% of children feel to blame

-          52% have behavioural  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

Resolved:-  That meeting be held in 2017 as follows:-

Wednesday, 1^st February

                        22^nd March

all commencing at 1.30 p.m.