Issue - meetings

The Board received an update from the Strategic Director, Community and Resources, on key issues and progression of the agenda for safeguarding adults at risk of abuse in Halton.

Members were advised that the Care Act required that all Safeguarding Adults Boards were required to produce an Annual Report; this was attached at Appendix 1.  All of the key achievements and priorities the Board had been working towards over the last 12 months were summarised.  The report also set out the national and local developments on safeguarding adults at risk. 

It was reported that membership of the Halton Safeguarding Adults Board included senior representatives from all partner agencies, including Directors; Lead Clinicians and Lead Officers responsible for safeguarding adults in Halton and it was the responsibility of all to ensure that the community worked together to support and safeguard all adults who were most at risk in society.  In order to achieve this, Members were advised that the Board continued to develop and establish strong partnerships to ensure that the most vulnerable in society were safeguarded and were free from fear; harm; neglect and abuse.

Members were advised of the Safeguarding Adults Board’s four key priorities for 2014-15; these were outlined in the report and discussed.  Other areas highlighted were the Anti-slavery Network which Halton had recently joined; the Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) evaluation; and the development of a Financial Abuse Toolkit.

The following comments were made by Members:

·       Televisions were used a lot in hospitals to raise awareness of safeguarding issues; could they not be used in other locations where communities gathered – HBC were currently working with Liverpool City Region looking at more imaginative ways of raising awareness in this way;

·       An ‘act of omission’ was clarified by example – such as unintentionally missing a dose of medication;

·       The Safeguarding Board had scheduled a development meeting on 11 March 2016;

·       The number of safeguarding referrals had risen in relation to female victims – this could be attributed to the fact that there were more females supported in the community than males;

·       The total number of referrals had risen against previous years – this could be due to a greater awareness of the need for safeguarding and the dedicated role of the Safeguarding Unit in dealing with the more complex issues;

·       What was the difference between a Domestic Violence Protection Notice (DVPN) and a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) – this would be sent to Members after the meeting;

·       An increase in the number of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) nationally and locally was noted – an update would be brought to the next Board meeting.

RESOLVED:  That the Board notes the contents of the report.