To receive an updated report for the Committee on Adult Safeguarding within Herefordshire.

The Committee received a report on the latest position on adult safeguarding within Herefordshire.

The Head of Safeguarding reported that the Department of Health had published a report entitled A Vision for Adult Social Care Capable Communities and active Citizens which set out the overarching principals for adult social care and provided a context for future reforms. The document reinforced the commitment to the local community being part of the safeguarding framework, and the importance of the personalisation agenda whereby people make informed choices regarding the care they received. However, the there will be an even greater need in future to balance safeguarding against a person’s rights to make decisions about how they live their lives

The Safeguarding Adult Board provided the multi agency strategic leadership for safeguarding adults.  Whilst it had not been in existence for as long the Safeguarding Children Board, their work increasingly dovetailed in order to ensure that robust safeguarding processes were in place across the County.  The Board would be chaired by the Interim Director of Adult Social Services and would have representatives from the agencies involved in the safeguarding of adults, ranging from the Police to the Third Sector.  The joint working between the Boards would ensure that there were improved linkages between Adult Social Care and Children’s Services.

The Head of Safeguarding went on to say that a Quality Concerns Process was being developed whereby early intervention could take place to support care homes when quality issues were identified in order to lessen the risk of safeguarding issues.  In addition, a MARAC (Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference) had been set up.  This was a meeting where information was shared between different agencies on the highest risk cases of domestic abuse including: police, criminal justice, health, child protection, adult social care, housing, Independent Domestic Violence Advisers and other specialists from the statutory and voluntary sectors. Herefordshire MARAC reviewed approximately 50 cases per quarter and had recently received a quality assurance visit from CAADA (Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse).

In the ensuing discussion, the following points were made:

• In reply to a question from a Member, the Interim director of Adult Social Services said that it may not be appropriate that the Safeguarding Board should include elected Members, as it was primarily an operational Board that would be considering procedural matters and confidential cases.  The Board would be accountable to Members through this Committee and the NHS Herefordshire PCT Board, in line with the practice of the Children’s Safeguarding Board.  She undertook to review the Membership of the Board in the light of comments made. She added that the Council’s responsibilities under Section 75 of the National Health Service Act 2006 would also be reviewed. 

• In reply to a further question, the Head of Safeguarding said that in order to ensure that the agencies involved were working together, there were regular monthly meetings between all the parties concerned at which frank discussions were held.

• In reply to a question from a Member as to whether the work of the Safeguarding Board could be undertaken within existing budgets, the Interim Director of Adult Social Services said that all efforts would be made to ensure that sufficient levels of safeguarding were in place with funds available.

RESOLVED:

That:

a)            the committee noted progress on adult safeguarding in Herefordshire;

b)           Consideration should be given to the inclusion of an Elected Member on the Adult Safeguarding Board; and;

c)            Safeguarding should be adequately and appropriately funded.