Agenda item

To present the 2022/2023 Kirklees Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report.

Contact:  Rob McCulloch-Graham, Independent Chair of the Kirklees Safeguarding Adults Board

Jacqui Stansfield, Safeguarding Adults Partnership Manager presented the Kirklees Safeguarding Adults Board’s (KSAB) Annual Report for 2022-23, on behalf of Rob McCulloch-Graham, Independent Chair of KSAB. In summary, the Health and Wellbeing Board (Board) was informed that one of the duties of KSAB is to produce an annual report, and the purpose of the information being presented to the Board is for information and awareness. It aims to demonstrate joint working across the partnership to deliver strategic objectives.

The Board was informed that safeguarding adults means stopping or preventing abuse or neglect of adults with care and support needs, whose care needs are caused by physical, mental or illness, people under the Care Act.

The role of KSAB is to ensure that there are arrangements in Kirklees that works well to help protect adults with care and support needs from abuse or neglect. It does this by:

-        Assuring itself that local safeguarding arrangements are in place as defined by the Care Act 2014 and statutory guidance

-        Assuring itself that safeguarding practice is person-centred and outcome focused

-        Working collaboratively to prevent abuse and neglect where possible

-        Ensuring agencies and individuals give timely and proportionate responses when abuse or neglect has occurred

-        Assuring itself that safeguarding practice is continually improving and  enhancing the quality of life of adults in its area

Referring to the slides, the Board was presented with information which gave a breakdown of the structure of KSAB and the different work groups that help to deliver the strategic objectives. The vision is to work together to keep the people of Kirklees safe from abuse and neglect and this is achieved by putting people at the heart of everything, following the six safeguarding principles.

The Board was informed that throughout the year, one of the objectives was supporting the workforce. In 2022/23, work was undertaken with regional consortium colleagues and, procuring an online platform, which has the overarching aim of enabling the joint multi-agency safeguarding adults policy and procedure to be easily accessed by partner organisations in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and the City of York. It is the same policy and procedures for those who work in different boroughs.

The platform provides practical support with a range of tools and guidance which have been tried and tested by practitioners. It has a dedicated area which can be populated with local safeguarding contacts and resources. Several networking events were held during 2022/23, inviting frontline staff and volunteers working in the safeguarding arena. The Dignity in Care steering group organised a network event to raise awareness of the NHS Civility and Respect campaign and how it can be adapted and adopted to improve the working practices of staff and volunteers across the safeguarding arena.

The Safeguarding Adult Review subgroup hold a network event each year and looked at learning from cases where people experience serious harm or death. The second network event followed up on practitioners and continuously take the feedback from those events to shape how to move forward into the next planning cycle.

The agreed shared objectives for 2022-23 were:

-        Supporting the workforce

-        Learning from Experience

-        Partnership Working

-        Community and Public Engagement

The Board was informed that as a way of seeking assurance one of the things KSAB undertakes is a challenge event led by the Independent Chair, and Healthwatch colleagues are invited along to help support. This is where constructive challenge around performance over the previous year, and to identify and agree some priority areas of focus for each agency and KSAB over the next 12 months. The main points for KSAB from the 2022 challenge event were reflecting on the past and looking to the future, minding the gap, where people might fall through services and communication, always looking at improving on that and information sharing.

Looking ahead to 2023/24, the aim was building on the successes and continuing to work together with partner organisations and people in the communities so that adults can live the best lives they can with their wellbeing and rights being supported, safe from abuse and neglect. With partners the workflow will follow six safeguarding principles, empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability.

RESOLVED:

That Jacqui Stansfield be thanked for presenting the Kirklees Safeguarding Adults Board (KSAB) Annual Report for 2022-23.