Agenda item

To receive the annual Safeguarding Adults Executive Board Report 2020/21.

7.1       The Committee received a written and short verbal update from Aileen Buckton (Independent Adult Safeguarding Chair), supported by Louise Butler (Head of Safeguarding Adults) on the Safeguarding Adults Executive Board Annual Report.

7.2       The Committee welcomed Professor Jill Manthorpe (Professor of Social Work, London Kings College) attending as an expert witness. The Professor reflected that the report was comprehensive and overall the ASC team was to be congratulated. The Committee heard from Professor Manthorpe that she welcomed the emphasis on safeguarding being ‘everyone’s business’ and noted that both Westminster and RBKC do not stand out against national trends. Professor Manthorpe highlighted areas covered by the report, including hoarding, self-neglect, gambling, serious adult reviews, scamming and cuckooing. The Committee also heard that, whilst the Covid context had presented challenges, it had also created opportunities to identify the shielding populations. Professor Manthorpe identified that there was no mention in the report of autistic people, often being blended into the grouping of people with learning difficulties, and that there could have been more detail on convictions as well as providers and engagement with the providing community.

7.3       The Committee discussed the following topics in detail:

•           the specialist training available for staff for complex safeguarding cases

•           safeguarding concerns around pressure sores

•           the link between obesity and vulnerability

•           the intended target audience for the Annual Report and if the report would be read by both professionals and residents 

•           the process for making a safeguarding referral and if it easy to do so for residents

•           the language used when describing people with learning disabilities 

•           the presentation of age data within the report and whether this could be broken down further

•           increases in Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) during the pandemic. 

7.4       Concerning pressure sores, Professor Jill Manthorpe, the independent witness, noted that this safeguarding issue was notably absent from the Safeguarding Adults Executive Board Annual Report. Professor Manthorpe observed that pressure sores presented a complex safeguarding issue and were often not mentioned in any safeguarding training. The Committee asked how to include this in Council work and was advised by Professor Manthorpe that dealing with pressure sores and ulcers was not always included in training, so it should be ensured that this is included in training. The Committee noted that the National Stop Pressure Ulcer Day was the third Thursday in November (this year 18 November 2021) and requested communications to highlight this. Professor Manthorpe observed that with more people living and dying at home, pressure ulcers would become more of an issue.

7.5       The Committee discussed obesity and whether there was a connection between mental health, physical appearance and obesity. Officers noted that there was a connection between obesity and increased vulnerability and also advised that a priority of safeguarding partners was often the physical health of people with learning disabilities and that this issue had become more marked during the pandemic.

7.6       The Committee reflected on the design of the report and its intended target audience. The Committee observed that, for example, in a map of the two boroughs, Westminster was covered under an informational box. Members recommended that the report could be improved by including data on what had improved since the previous report and by being made more accessible to residents. The Independent Chair of the Board reflected that it was a struggle to strike the right balance between being read by both professionals and residents.

7.7       The Committee discussed the process of making a safeguarding referral. Officers informed the Committee that there were three stages to a safeguarding referral and that they used a person-centred approach, which meant firstly trying to reach out to the individual about whom the referral had been made. Healthwatch informed the Committee that they were about to undertake a mystery shopper exercise to test the Council’s and NHS safeguarding referral routes.

7.8       Concerning specialist training for staff across the Council, the Committee was informed that frontline staff were strongly encouraged to undertake safeguarding training. Members of the Committee recommended that level 1 safeguarding training be made mandatory for all frontline staff and frontline contractors working with the Council. The Committee also discussed thresholds, domestic abuse and coercive control.

7.9       The Committee queried how little English was needed before an interpreter would be used and queried the language in concerning the case study on page 23 of the report. The Committee was advised that in future the SAEB would be supported by more user groups and noted the comments concerning language.

7.10     The Committee queried whether the report could be broken down into age categories and ethnic identification. The Committee observed that currently the report referred to adult safeguarding referrals in the age range of 18-64 years old. The Committee was interested to learn whether referrals were more dominant in specific age ranges. Bernie Flaherty advised that, until two years ago, data had been very poor, that a disproportionate number of alerts came from BAME communities and that this would now form a base for further work.

7.11     Concerning FGM, the Committee asked the witnesses whether this issue had had become more prevalent over the Covid19 pandemic. The Committee was informed that, whilst Officers were aware and concerned about this issue, it was hard to get referrals and data on this as often people were worried about coming forward for support or to make a referral.

7.12     The Committee commended the report, the work being done to safeguard the City’s adults and the exemplary work being carried out on cuckooing.

7.13     RECOMMENDATIONS: The Committee recommended that:

•           level 1 safeguarding training for all frontline Council staff and frontline contractors working with the Council be mandatory.

•           councillor inductions after the upcoming local elections in May 2022 include mandatory training of child and adult safeguarding.

7.14     RESOLVED: that the Committee note the Safeguarding Adults Executive Board annual report.