Agenda item

To consider an update from the Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board regarding the 2022-2023 Annual Report.

This agenda item considered an update from the Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board, regarding the March 2022 to March 2023 Annual Report.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting, Moira Wilson, the Independent Chair of the Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board. The Chair invited Moira to introduce the report and give the presentation.

The presentation gave an overview of the following content:

·       The Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board had focused on three main priorities throughout the last year:

?   Going back to basics post-pandemic, by working with partners to ensure the six principles of safeguarding were embedded in practice and that making safeguarding personal was a part of everything the board did. The six principles focused on empowering people, protecting people, being proportionate, prevention, working in partnership and ensuring all organisations were held accountable for safeguarding within their organisations.

?   Systems, processes, and performance, ensuring that all services had appropriate systems and processes in place to support and safeguard adults effectively.

?   Strengthening the partnership, by ensuring that partners, organisations and communities worked together to prevent abuse from happening.

?   There was an action plan in place to monitor the progress of the three main priorities, this was monitored by the Safeguarding Adults Executive Group, which sat under the Safeguarding Adults Board.

·       The Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board completed the following actions throughout the period of March 2022 to March 2023:

?   A new Strategic Plan was developed for the period of 2022-2025, which set the plan for the next three years.

?   The Safeguarding Adults Board and the Childrens Safeguarding Partnership completed a second joint self-assessment with partners, in September 2022.

?   A Safeguarding Adults Review (Samantha) was completed and published in March 2023.

?   Safeguarding Awareness Week was successfully held across South Yorkshire in November 2022. Safeguarding teams from Adults and Children’s Services combined, delivered twenty-seven awareness sessions across the borough, with over six-hundred attendees.

?   The board hosted a Local Government Association Peer Review in July 23.

·       The activities completed by the board during the period of 2022-2023, were as follows:

?   3666 Safeguarding concerns were received in 2022-2023, this was an increase on the previous year.

?   559 (15%) of the above concerns progressed to a safeguarding enquiry.

?   634 safeguarding enquiries were completed in 2022-2023.

?   Of the completed enquires, 430 (68%) people expressed their views and wishes and 417 (97%) people had their outcomes met or partially met.

·       Future activities the board had planned for the upcoming year, were as follows:

?   The board would hold a Board Development Day, taking forward the recommendations made by the Peer Review in July 23.

?   The board would develop a multi-agency learning approach, to ensure Safeguarding Adults Reviews were embedded.

?   The board would hold Safeguarding Awareness Week which would take place between the period of 20^th November to the 24^th November. Rotherham would host the Regional Launch Event.

?   The board would continue to develop joint working with Community Safety Teams and the Children’s Partnership, to share learning and training.

The Chair thanked the relevant officer for the presentation and invited questions, this led to the following points being raised during discussions:

·       Under the Care Act, a safeguarding concern was described as anything that an individual may be concerned about. A high proportion of concerns were raised by the Care Sector and the Police, however not all concerns raised progressed to safeguarding enquiries.

·       There were training and development opportunities provided to many agencies, to ensure thresholds for safeguarding were understood and that concerns raised were appropriate.

·       In the report, the number regarding ‘no abuse type recorded’ had increased, this was due to changes to the safeguarding system within the local authority. Reassurance was provided that a process had been put into place to mitigate this and as a result employees were unable to close the system until the abuse type was recorded in the system.

·       The Peer Review highlighted the positivity of the Safeguarding Champions Network throughout the local authority.

·       The Safeguarding Childrens Partnership were focusing on so called honour-based violence, female genital mutilation, and domestic abuse.

·       Assurance was provided that the joint self-assessment was very comprehensive across both children’s and adult’s services. The Board worked with individual organisations to look at what systems were in place within organisations, to ensure that employees were trained correctly. This was monitored through the Performance and Quality Sub-Group. A stronger line of sight between individual organisations and the Safeguarding Adults Board was also being developed.

·       The previous report was developed during the pandemic, the increasing number of safeguarding concerns was because of the impact of the pandemic and an increase in awareness raising.

·       Adults with capacity had the right to refuse safeguarding support, however, this could be mitigated by building trust with individuals. Mental Capacity Act Assessments were completed in situations where it was felt that an individual may not have had capacity. 

·       The Board worked with people who did in some situations, have complex needs and the board promoted a Vulnerable Adults Risk Management Approach (VARM). This was a multi-agency panel that focused on appropriate intervention, where required.

·       A multi-agency training and development approach was important, to ensure that there would be a high level of confidence that there was consistency around mental capacity. Working with residential care homes was important, to ensure all employees were trained in all issues regarding capacity.

·       A new training organisation had been procured to deliver all training agreed by the Training and Workforce Development Sub-Group. Individual organisations had a responsibility to ensure they had their own workforce training programmes in place.

·       The board worked closely with the Police in matters of criminal activity and there was Police representation on the board. There were multi-agency systems in place to ensure criminal activity was reported to the police when required.

·       It was noted that there was a good level of participation and engagement with the relevant Cabinet Member and the Safeguarding Adults Board.

·       It was emphasised that safeguarding was everybody’s business and responsibility. Safeguarding Awareness Week would be a good opportunity for the board to promote safeguarding across the Borough.

Resolved: - That

1)    The Improving Lives Select Commission accept the report and note the progress made.

2)    The Peer Review Report be shared with the Commission once it is in the public domain.

3)    Invitations to the Safeguarding Awareness Week be circulated to the Commission.

4)    A further briefing be circulated, with an analysis of data regarding outcomes partially or fully met.