Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report

1. Executive Summary

1.1 The purpose of this paper is to present the Hampshire Adult Protection Committee/Safeguarding Adults Board (herein known as the Safeguarding Adults Board) Annual Report 2008/09 to the Executive Member for Adult Social Care.

1.2 Hampshire County Council Adult Services have the leadership role for safeguarding adults across all agencies and the Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Elected Members provide scrutiny of this role.

1.3 All safeguarding referrals alerts raised, either through Hampshire County Council or partnership organisations, are reported to the Adult Services Department and are contained within the data outlined in the Annual Report 2008/09.

1.4 The report describes all the activity of the Safeguarding Adults Board for 2008/09 and highlights reports for key partner agencies who are members of the Board (Appendix C) and priorities for 2009/10.

1.5 The report positively highlights an increase in the number of reported cases

of adult abuse during 2008/09. This is evidence of;

· Changes in demography, through increased life expectancy, have lead to increasing numbers of older people and adults with complex needs, who are most vulnerable to abuse, living in the community

· Hampshire County Council and partners have worked hard to raise public and professional awareness of safeguarding. This work has included the production of public awareness literature, developed alongside service users through the Safeguarding Board Forum, for dissemination in public places

· There has also been increased levels of training for professionals, both provided by individual organisations and in partnership with one another, which lead to increased referrals

· Data collection processes are continually being refined in order to make better links between the information and other systems across partner organisations.

2. Contextual information

2.1 The Annual Report is published on behalf of the Hampshire Safeguarding Adults Board and contains contributions from the broad range of agencies who are members of that Board. These contributions for 2008/09 reflect a strong joint commitment and the continuing and positive development of a robust multi agency response to Safeguarding Adults in Hampshire.

2.3 There has been significant progress against the priorities set out in

the previous annual report particularly around: our approach to

commissioning and providing safe services in Hampshire; involvement

of Service Users in Safeguarding Adults; responding to national

inquiry findings such as the inquiry into the murder of Steven Hoskin;

contributing to and learning from national developments in the field of

Safeguarding Adults.

2.4 In particular, there has been a focus on financial abuse which has shown a

76% increase during 2008/09. The County Council has worked with the police, legal and banking organisations - both locally and nationally - to develop our joint approach to situations of financial abuse and to raise awareness of what it is and how to report it.

2.5 During the year, the Adult Protection Committee was restructured to become

the Safeguarding Adults Board. Hampshire County Council have developed and adopted a new strategy and terms of reference which reflect a formalising of structures and reflects constructive working across all agencies to address key issues which will make a difference and deliver positive outcomes for vulnerable adults in Hampshire. The Executive Member for Adult Social Care has renewed her commitment to this structure and her scrutiny role within this.

2.6 At the end of 2008/09, Hampshire County Council has actively engaged in the

national consultation on the Department of Health No Secrets Guidance which underpins all safeguarding work. Many of the responses to this consultation have called for a strengthening of the legislation relating to Adult Safeguarding in order to further clarify roles and responsibilities in this area. It is anticipated that the Government response to this consultation will be available in the latter half of 2010/11, following the anticipated general election.

3 Legal

3.1 Local Authority Adult Services Departments have the lead coordinating role for Safeguarding / Adult Protection. (No Secrets: Guidance on developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse, Department of Health 2000). In this role, the Adult Services Department coordinates strategic and operational activity and convenes a Multiagency committee to ensure effective Safeguarding in Hampshire.

4. Financial

4.1 In 2008/09, Hampshire County Council has made an additional investment of £600,000 into safeguarding services in order to put more front line posts in place. This investment will continue and is a clear recognition of the Council's desire to support those who are most vulnerable within our communities.

5. Performance

5.1 Safeguarding referrals, across all agencies, come through the Adult Services Department. In 2008/9, there has been a significant increase in situations of abuse which are reported and we expect this trend to continue.

5.2 It is important to note that when dealing with safeguarding issues, the needs and wishes or the victims are put first within the process. Hampshire County Council are keen that, as far as possible, the service user finds an outcome to the safeguarding process that is right for them and this may, or may not, include pursuing direct actions against perpetrators of abuse such as prosecution. Pioneering work with a voluntary organisation called "Daybreak", which provides Family Group Conferences in situations of abuse, is evidence of the Council's aim of ensuring that service users stay central to decision making.

5.3 As highlighted in the Annual Report for 2008/9, there has been positive engagement by a range of partnership agencies in finding the solutions to situations of abuse required by Services Users. In particular the engagement of: police; Adult Services, independent and voluntary sector service providers; the Office of the Public Guardian and a range of organisations within the NHS has been key to this.

6. Future direction

6.1 The Adult Safeguarding agenda is increasing in complexity and breadth. This Annual Report represents a genuine commitment across agencies in Hampshire to respond positively and effectively to this significant issue. The presentation of this report to the Executive Member for Adult Social Care is an important element of a strategy to ensure awareness in the local community of this issue.

6.2 During 2009/10 we will continue to develop this agenda with a focus on the following;

· Personalisation: Work to ensure that safeguarding is embedded in the development of the personalisation agenda, working in line with the Hampshire County Council policy (Choice, Empowerment and Risk: A positive risk taking policy for social care, 2009) to enable people to have more choice and control in the approaches they take to meeting their needs and the outcomes they wish to see

· Prevention of abuse: there is a programme of work to reduce the risk of abuse/neglect across a range of settings including work with service users to enable them to identify safeguarding risks and develop strategies for preventing abuse. In addition, there is also a focus on commissioning safe services

· Data Collection: continue to refine data collection processes, particularly focusing in a piece of work with service users to develop measurable outcomes from safeguarding processes. This will involve developing a range of outcomes that service users would wish to see

· Promotion of Awareness: this will continue and most recently, has resulted in a piece about financial abuse, placed in the Hampshire Now magazine which is delivered to every household in Hampshire

7. Recommendations

7.1 The Executive Member for Adult Social Care is asked to endorse the Annual Report 2008/09 of the Hampshire Adult Protection Committee/Safeguarding Adults Board

7.2 Through endorsing the report, the Executive Member for Adult Social Care supports the further raising of awareness of issues relating to Safeguarding Adults in the public arena.

8. Appendices

Integral Appendix A Corporate and Legal Information

Integral Appendix B Impact Assessment

Appendix C Members of the Safeguarding Adults Board

Appendix D Hampshire Adult Protection Committee/Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2008 / 09

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Links to the Corporate Strategy

Other Significant Links

Integral Appendix B

IMPACT ASSESSMENTS:

1. Equalities Impact Assessment:

1.1. The approach taken is to offer services equally to all - leaflets are produced on request for those with a sensory impairment as well as those for whom English is not a first language. A full impact assessment is underway to identify any further actions required in respect of equalities.

2. Impact on Crime and Disorder:

2.1. The County Council has a legal obligation under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to consider the impact of all decisions it makes on the prevention of crime.

2.2. Effective safeguarding impacts on both the community safety and the domestic abuse agendas. The Police and a member of Victim Support sit on the Safeguarding Adults multi-agency Board and other emergency services are represented on a sub-group of the Board. Joint work is underway with those leading on domestic abuse to ensure that the safeguarding agenda is run in parallel.

3. Climate Change:

a) How does what is being proposed impact on our carbon footprint / energy consumption?

At present, there is no impact on HCC carbon footprint or energy consumption.

b) How does what is being proposed consider the need to adapt to climate change, and be resilient to its longer term impacts?

There is no impact on the need to adapt to climate change.

Appendix C

LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE HAMPSHIRE SAFEGUARDING ADULTS BOARD

· Hampshire County Council Adult Services

· Hampshire Police

· Hampshire Probation Service

· Hampshire Community Health Care

· NHS Hampshire

· Hampshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

· Surrey and Borders Foundation Trust

· Acute Health Trusts:

Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Foundation Trust

Frimley Park Hospital Foundation Trust

Southampton General Hospital

· Community Action, Hampshire (voluntary sector)

· Hampshire Care Association

· Hampshire Domiciliary Care Association

· Supporting People

· Direct Payments

· Strategic Housing Officers Group Representation

· Commission for Social Care Inspection

· Victim/Witness Support

· (Service User/Carer representation)

· Shared Lives

· Crown Prosecution Service

· (Department of Work and Pensions)

· (South Central Ambulance Service)

· (Hampshire Fire Service)

· (Domestic Abuse Partners)

For those organisations listed in ( ) there is currently not a representative attending the Board on a regular basis but they have strong links with the Board through membership of sub-groups and receive the minutes