Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health.

Recommendation:

1. That Cabinet note the development of the Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board Strategic Plan 2025 – 2028.

Consideration was given to the report which asked Cabinet to endorse the Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Strategic Plan 2025-28. The Plan was produced by the Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board (RSAB) who ensured that local safeguarding arrangements and partnerships acted to help and protect adults at risk of or experiencing neglect and/or abuse. The Strategic Plan informed the public about the RSAB's plans and commitment to keeping adults safe.

The previous Strategic Plan was developed in 2022 and covered the period 2022-2025. The Plan had three strategic objectives to be delivered during the 3-year period. The objectives were titled Back to Basics; Systems, Processes and Performance; and Strengthen Partnership. Paragraph 1.4 of the report set out the achievements against these objectives. Some of these included providing safeguarding training to the partnership voluntary sector and commissioned services; developing a new Safeguarding Referral Process to ensure the customer’s voice was heard throughout the process; and commissioning a Local Government Peer Review to ensure all Board partners worked together to provide the best outcomes.

The Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board Strategic Plan 2025 -2028 was developed in consultation with Board members, including the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care. A development day was held in January 2025 to bring partners together to agree the safeguarding priorities for the next three years. The development session included workshops to understand what the safeguarding partnership felt were the areas for development, and where, by working together, it could improve services for the people of Rotherham. Five new strategic priorities, detailed in paragraph 2.1 of the report, had been agreed:

• Strategic Priority 1 – Communication, Engagement and Voice.
• Strategic Priority 2 – Prevention and Early Intervention.
• Strategic Priority 3 – Leadership and Partnership
• Strategic Priority 4 – Making Safeguarding Personal
• Strategic Priority 5 – Learning and Development
  
  

There were four subgroups that sat under the Board and Executive Group and each group had a work plan to support delivery of the Strategic Plan. A new subgroup, Voice, was to be developed to bring the customer voice and experience to the Board. A business plan would track the progress made on each of the priorities, and the SAB Executive would monitor all actions quarterly.

The Independent Chair of the RSAB, Moira Wilson, was present at the meeting and spoke in support of the Plan. She stated that there was strong, multi-agency working in Rotherham and the Board received excellent support from its partners. It was reiterated that this was a three-year plan which would be regularly monitored by the Board. A report would also go to the Health Select Commission for scrutiny. The Chair of RSAB informed the meeting that the week commencing 17 November was Safeguarding Awareness Week and there were a range of training opportunities available.

It was agreed that the recommendation be changed from Cabinet noting the Plan to Cabinet endorsing the Plan.

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board agreed that members of the Improving Lives Select Commission should be invited to scrutinise the Plan along with the Health Select Commission and asked that those arrangements be put in place.

Resolved:

1.    That Cabinet endorse the development of the Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board Strategic Plan 2025 – 2028.