Client: North East Lincolnshire Council
Date: April 2019 – July 2019
Challenges faced by the client: North East Lincolnshire Council’s Director of Adult Social Services required a greater level of assurance regarding the effectiveness of Adult Safeguarding policies and procedures, and the implementation of these policies and procedures. The aim was to identify elements of current policy and procedure that could be improved, to the benefit of Adults At Risk in the area; the Adult Social Care and Adult Safeguarding provider; their partner organisations; and NHS Commissioners.
Challenges affecting the North East Lincolnshire Adult Safeguarding network included:
Safeguarding Adult Reviews accounting for the highest proportion of Safeguarding Adults Board business
Continuity, seniority and participation of Safeguarding Adults Board membership
Partner agency workloads, capacity and diminishing resources impacting on engagement and delivery
Managing the backlog and responding to delivering the new requirements of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
Need to improve transitions from Children’s Services to Adult Services
Support offered: Mutual Ventures undertook a review involving extensive engagement with a wide range of key stakeholders involved in Adult Safeguarding across the North East Lincolnshire system. Interviews were held with Commissioners, Senior Executives from the provider organisation and their partner agencies, and frontline practitioners, in order to gather views and insights.
Mutual Ventures also facilitated focus group sessions with the Single Point of Access team and the Safeguarding Adults team, and undertook a randomised and comprehensive Case Files audit.
The review covered the following areas:
Single Point of Access (SPA) processes
Safeguarding Adults Team (SAT) processes
Safeguarding Concerns
Low-Level Incidents
Non-Statutory / Statutory (Section 42) Safeguarding Enquiries
Advocacy
Outcomes
Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) principles
Multi Agency working
Transition from Children’s Services
Outcome achieved: The review confirmed that the provider organisations acknowledged, and acted upon, their Safeguarding Adults responsibilities, and the basic principles of Safeguarding were embedded across the local area. The Adult Safeguarding arrangements observed were good, however, there was variability in practice. A tendency towards professional focus, as opposed to a person-centred approach was highlighted. The quality of decision-making was also found to be inconsistent, which may have resulted directly from the inadequacies of the current clinical data system.
In order to address the issues identified, Mutual Ventures provided a comprehensive series of recommendations and mitigating actions. A supporting implementation plan was also produced to ensure the recommended actions were undertaken in a timely manner. The report, supporting recommendations and implementation plan were very well received by the Director of Adult Social Services, the NHS Commissioners and the provider organisation.
‘’We now have full oversight and assurance regarding Adult Safeguarding arrangements across North East Lincolnshire for the first time.’’
Beverley Compton, Director of Adult Social Services, North East Lincolnshire Council