Agenda item

To receive an update on the progress of objectives in 2019-20 and an outline of the overarching aims of the Board for 2020-22 and how the Board plan to achieve these, whilst acknowledging the effect the coronavirus pandemic may have on partner agencies’ ability to contribute to the plan.

The Committee received an update on the progress of the Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) objectives 2019-20, a summary of the overarching aims of the Board for 2020-22, an explanation of how the Board plan to achieve said aims and how the coronavirus pandemic may impact partner agencies’ ability to contribute to the plan.

The Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Adults Board began by summarizing the independent report that the Board commissioned from an external consultant. The primary aim of the review was to aid in evolving the governance structures of safeguarding. The commissioner was an Ofsted examiner and gave an overall positive update.

Members heard that the highlights of the report included:

•         The Work of subgroups was deemed to be very useful.

•         The SAB’s policy and procedures, which are updated every year, were positive.

•         The reviews follow up process and the action plans for learning were complimented.

•         The Board could improve their ‘Line of Sight’ to understand actual performance better on a day to day basis.

•         Meeting structures were causing duplication and overlap.

The Commissioner did not suggest a specific, new governance model, but the report showed that an overarching governance structure was required to strengthen safeguarding action. This would enable strategic planning to take place and allow staff to work better across the different themed areas of work. Domestic abuse was an issue that highlighted the need for better strategic planning to take place and reviews in the past suggested the need to integrate better and provide more support for individuals facing safeguarding issues. The overall message was that the SAB needed to continue to work harder on connecting on work across partnerships.

COVID 19 doesn’t feature in this report as it was looming at time this report was undertaken but the Committee heard that the SAB keep in contact with providers and voluntary sector agencies to enable them to contribute to the business plan. A successful event informed providers and voluntary sector agencies on liberty protection safeguards as well providing information on how to help vulnerable people to build healthy relationships.

The Committee heard that a Safeguarding Adults Review had also been undertaken and was published March 2019. A main aim was to disseminate the information more widely and communicate to providers how best to support people with a Learning Disability. The SAB ran a forum for service users looking at issues on personal safety for people who are vulnerable.

The Committee asked several questions on this update. One member asked how far the Keeping Adults Safe leaflet was circulated and whether it also featured on other media formats. The Committee were told that the information was available on the SAB website, had been shared widely with Council partner organisations and that work alongside the People First Forum had delivered an easy read version of the findings.

A question was posed on the findings data being difficult to interpret. The Independent Chair of the SAB explained that there would be more work done on analysing data to better relate it to information from partner organisations, but that this would need to be built into future resourcing.

On a query about duplication of work at Board meetings, it was heard that the SAB had held three, joint face-to-face meetings in March. Also, a tripartite system had been trialed where each board would have their own, separate meetings and another one together. Both Boards met separately in July and then in September the tripartite approach was tried again. The SAB were now at the stage where they could reflect and review what meeting format works best and what specific issues require joint working. Finally, the Committee were informed that meetings had been scheduled in October with the purpose of progressing safeguarding governance.

Safeguarding for homeless people and emergency temporary housing over the initial COVID19 lockdown was discussed following a question from a Member. The Committee heard that there had been a review into the cases of two homeless men that had died and that safeguarding of homeless people was a rising priority nationally as well as locally. This was in part due to the various new issues that occurred following emergency temporary housing, such as possible cuckooing and domestic abuse.

Questions were posed on safeguarding for people who self-neglect. Members heard that the SAB had requested site of examples of case work on this topic. A self-neglect and hoarding panel was also being set up alongside national research into the issue. Anaylsis showed that self-neglect ranked highly in the contributing factors of vulnerable people.

A question on the financial implications facing adult safeguarding was raised. The Independent Chair of the SAB explained that funding was not spread evenly between contributors and that all SABs received the majority of their funding from the relevant local authority, CCG and Police. Funding was also received from the hospitals and Dorset Healthcare but not from the Probation Office. One of the things the SAB would review was the funding spread as it had not been reviewed for many years. This would involve a zero-based budgeting exercise to assess how much funding was needed how this should reasonably be spread across partners.

The Independent Chairman of the SAB introduced the Business Plan 2020-2022. Members heard that it was a joint plan across BCP and Dorset Council. COVID19 had delayed the development and progress the plan whilst also potentially delaying the actions set out. As a 2-year rolling plan, an element of flexibility is needed due to problems that new outbreaks of COVID19 would cause. The Board were planning a reflective learning event for October to evaluate the impacts and lessons to be learned on keeping people safe in Care Homes going forward and to ensure that the Winter response addresses any known issues. An SAB in the Midlands was conducting a review into this matter and the Independent Chair felt that it was the right time to evaluate what opportunities have been missed while dealing with the COVID19 pandemic from a safeguarding perspective. 

The Committee heard that existing priorities were being built upon, such as Domestic Abuse. Services were becoming more alert to the wider extent of domestic abuse. Current reviews into cases in Dorset and abuse over long periods of time were being conducted.

Neglect and self-neglect were also big areas of concern for safeguarding and, similar to domestic abuse, they can entail lots of different categories of safeguarding. Members heard that it was difficult to target how to prevent neglect as it can occur in numerous forms, such as a carer not following a care plan, or a medicine regime. More work was needed to understand the issue locally and it remained a priority for both Boards.

Adaptions would have to take place in order to adapt to the numerous, emerging and pre-existing issues.

A question was asked on the issue of problem drinking, and a Member referenced a report from the national leaders of General Practice that suggested the number of individuals with a drinking problem had increased from 4.8 mil to 8.4 since February 2020. Local alcohol liaison services had seen a significant increase, including young people requiring help. The Committee heard that the national work on dependent drinking was to be completed at the end of the financial year and that it was a project between 20 partners, funded by Public Health England.

The Independent Chair of the SAB discussed the pressure on services due to COVID19 and highlighted loneliness, bereavement and dealing with grief. From this, services were noticing that there was an increase in the reasons for depression and neglect to occur.

On the subject of emergency service calls concerning safeguarding, the Committee were informed that there had been a 50% increase. However, not all of these calls had required further action and very few had resulted in a section 42. Most calls were concerning lack of care packages or care concerns. The Director of Adult Social Care explained that the quality of the Council’s triage service saw fewer cases go further or lead to Section 42s.

The Committee referenced Appendix 2 of the report, the “Feedback from ‘Harry Learning Event” and requested that the answers be provided for the ‘questions from the panel’ section. The Independent Chair of the SAB offered to seek whether these questions had been answered and respond to Members at a later date.

RESOLVED that the Committee agreed to note the content of both reports as per the recommendations.