Safeguarding Adults Service

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• Safeguarding Adults Service
• Amanda Hitchcock
• Independent Chair

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The Extent?

• As many as 500,00 elderly people in this country
  are experiencing abuse
• 51 of recent or current inpatients in mental
  health wards reported being verbally or
  physically threatened during their stay in
  hospital
• 27 of Adults with a Learning Disability report
  they have been physically assaulted

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Who May be in need of Safeguarding Services? A
person aged 18 years or over, who is, or maybe in
need of community care services by reason of
mental or other disability, age or
illness. AND who is or may be unable to take
care of him or herself, or unable to protect him
or herself against significant harm or
exploitation   Whether or not a person is
vulnerable in these cases will depend upon
surrounding circumstances, environment and each
case will be judged on its own merits. Surrey
Multi-Agency Procedures
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Defining Abuse       Abuse is the violation of a
persons human rights or civil rights       Abuse
is the harming of another individual usually by
someone in a position of power, trust or
authority over that individual         The harm
may be physical, psychological, sexual, financial
or emotional or may be directed at exploiting the
vulnerability of the victim in more subtle
ways       The threat or use of punishment is
also a form of abuse       Abuse may be a
one-off or it may be a regular feature of a
relationship.       In many cases it may be a
criminal offence
Centre for Policy on Aging
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Significant Harm   Harm should be taken to
include not only ill-treatment (including sexual
abuse and forms of ill-treatment which are not
physical), but also the impairment of, or an
avoidable deterioration in physical or mental
health and the impairment of physical,
emotional, social or behavioural development
 
Making Decisions 1999
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Responding to Abuse

• Do
• Listen to what the person is saying
• Safeguard the vulnerable adult
• Record the words of the Vulnerable Adult
• Discuss and negotiate with the vulnerable adult
  who will be involved and why

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Responding to Abuse  

• Do Not
• Promise to keep anything secret
• Confront the alleged abuser
• Begin an investigation
• Damage / destroy possible evidence
• Discuss with peers

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The National Framework
   


                         
   

  Crime and Disorder Act 1998
Safeguarding Adults
  Mental Capacity Act 2005
  Sexual Offences Act 2003
No Secrets
  Adult Protection
  Care Standards Act 2000
  Human Rights Act 1998
 
  Public Interest and Disclosure Act 1998
Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004
Youth and Criminal Evidence Act 1999



National Minimum Standards
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Safeguarding Support Service Structure
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Adult Protection Team Structure
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Adult Protection Process
Adult Protection Process  
 
Referral to Contact Centre ? Initial Assessment
? Discussion with Manager (08456)
009009 Is this abuse?
Decision within 4 hours

Decision
 

? Investigation ?
Inter-Agency Planning Meeting ? Consult with
Police/ CSCI takes place
Within 3 days
Decision
Decision   ? Adult
Protection Conference ? Review of
Conference Within 15 days of completion
6 months of
investigation Decision
Adult Protection Conference ? Review of
Conference
Within 15 days of completion of investigation
6 months
Decision
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Principal Accountabilities of theIndependent
Chair Post
To chair all Adult Protection Case Conferences
across Surrey, to ensure a consistent and
effective approach To carry out a quality control
function in relation to the work of front line
services and follow up concerns about practice
standards To ensure recommendations, that are
agreed as part of the Multi Agency decision
making process, are actioned within agreeable
time scales To provide advice and guidance to
operational staff in relation to safeguarding
issues To contribute to the implementation of
appropriate strategic policy and development
issues around the local and national safeguarding
agenda
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Surrey Initiatives

• Service User Audit
• Equalities Workshop
• Update Multi Agency Procedures
• Implementation of the Mental Capacity Act
• Launch of Jakes Justice
• Launch of Managers Toolkit

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Surrey Initiativescontinued
Memorandum of Understanding Trading
Standards Launch Internal Guidelines Health Care
Commission Protocol Implementation of Serious
Case Review recommendations Adult Protection
Awareness Week Launch of new Surrey Adult
Protection Committee publicity material
branding Contract Development
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Prevention

• Acknowledge it COULD happen here!
• Encourage reporting of any concerns in whatever
  way necessary to be heard
• Be aware of all possible explanations for
  distress
• Implement and follow policies and procedures for
  intimate personal care, physical interventions
  and sexuality, which link in with and support The
  Surrey Multi-Agency Protection of Vulnerable
  Adults Procedure (Feb 2003)
• Ensuring staff attendance on appropriate adult
  protection training
• Employ enough staff

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Every day, people say nothing!
If you are worried about someone being abused or
neglected by others
. . . for their sake, please say something!