Agenda item

To consider the Safeguarding Alerts and Referrals Analysis Report  for Quarters One and Two 2014/15. The Committee is also informed of service developments in Adult Safeguarding and planning underway in relation to the Safeguarding aspects of The Care Act 2014 and improvements both underway and planned, ahead of the Local Authority Peer Review of Blackpool Council Safeguarding Adults activity, scheduled to take place in January 2015.

Ms L. Gornall, Principal Social Worker (Adults), presented a report to the Committee which detailed the findings and service responses in relation to safeguarding adults at risk for quarters 1 and 2 of 2014/15.

The report commenced by highlighting the key facts, which were explained as follows:

The Safeguarding Adults Framework was accessible to all individuals aged 18 years of age or above, if they had been harmed or were at risk of harm and were unable to protect themselves – whether or not they were eligible to receive social care services.

In 2013/14, 771 safeguarding alerts had been raised with the Council at year end and in Quarters 1 and 2 of 2014/15, 307 alerts had been raised. Of the 307 alerts, 49 were deemed to be not safeguarding, 110 were incident only and 148 were referred for further investigation, which had often required complex and lengthy multi-disciplinary enquiries. 91 of those 148 investigations had been completed at the end of Quarter 2.

The Committee was informed of the types of abuse that were cited within alerts. It was pointed out that often, one alert for one person would cite that more than one type of abuse had occurred and therefore the number of types would therefore exceed the number of cases that were investigated. Of the 148 cases that were referred for investigation, the main types of abuse cited (229) were:

75 neglect, mistreatment and acts of omission (as one type).

47 financial.

47 psychological.

30 physical.

13 institutional (to be known from April 2015 as organisational).

10 sexual abuse.

7 other.

In relation to age and gender, of the 148 cases referred for further investigation, 36 related to adults aged 18-64 and 101 related to adults aged over 65 (where recorded). Of those 148, 53% were female and 43% male (where recorded).

Members were then given details of the outcomes of the investigations. Of the 91 cases both referred for investigation and completed by the end of Quarter 2, outcomes based upon the balance of probabilities were found to be as follows:

19 were found to be not safeguarding and after further enquiries, 20 were found to be inconclusive, where insufficient information was available to make a fair judgement on balance.

34 were not substantiated, where all of the allegations in the case were found not to be substantiated.

9 were partly substantiated, where findings of fact related to some of the types of abuse that were alleged were found.

8 were wholly substantiated, where there were findings of fact around all types of abuse within the allegation.

Ms Gornall went on to outline the service responses and future plans, which were summarised as follows:

Amendments to the recording processes had been undertaken since March 2014 in order to expedite the speed at which cases were concluded.

In depth audit processes were now being undertaken to ensure accurate recording, with 150 audits having been undertaken since April 2015.

Listening reviews were being undertaken by an independent advocacy provider.

A ‘thinking framework’/decision support tool was being developed, along with a publicity campaign.

A peer review process was being undertaken.

Closer working between front line staff and commissioning and contract monitoring teams was now being undertaken.

Closer operational involvement was being carried out with care provider forums.

There would be a rewrite of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Adults Policy.

Training was being carried out for internal staff and partner agencies about the new requirements under The Care Act 2014.

To conclude, the Committee was informed of the implications of The Care Act 2014 that would impose additional requirements on local authorities, police and health organisations from April 2015. The main requirements were explained as follows:

Safeguarding Adults Boards would become the statutory responsibilities of local authorities and The Care Act would require co-operation across agencies.

The local authority would co-ordinate all enquiries brought to its attention.

The local authority would have to make enquiries, or cause enquiries to me made in appropriate cases (previously known as ‘investigations’).

Domestic abuse and ‘self neglect’ in some cases would become additional areas for consideration and enquiry.

The Committee was informed that in Blackpool, all partner agencies and commissioned services would be guided by the revised Multi-Agency Safeguarding Adult Policy.

The Committee agreed to note the report.

Background Papers: None.