Agenda item

This report introduces the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board’s (KMSAB) Annual Report for April 2021–March 2022. The Annual Report sets out the responsibilities and structure of the Board and details how the multi-agency partnership delivered against its priorities for the year.  The report also provides information pertaining to Safeguarding Adults Reviews and safeguarding activity information.

The Independent Chair, Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board introduced the annual report which detailed the multiagency delivery of priorities for the year.

The following was highlighted:

• This was an independent Board, and the report summarised all the work done in conjunction with partners over the last 12 months.
• In the last 12 months, 59 workshops had taken place which were attended by over 638 delegates.
• Since 2016 there had been a year-on-year increase of safeguarding adult reviews, and this was due to increased awareness of the reporting process by professionals as well as the public.
• There had been notable emerging trends in the area of self-neglect.
• There was increased concern regarding issues of crime experienced by vulnerable adults and those with learning disabilities as their experiences were being under reported and under recorded.

Members of the Board then raised a number of questions and comments which included:

The format of the action plan which was easy to read was welcomed and it was a document format that others could learn from.

The Board was commended for their response and efforts to the Ukraine Crisis.

Raising Awareness – reassurance was sought on the ability of the public to recognise and raise safeguarding issue and it was asked what was being done to increase public awareness. The Independent Chair responded that everyone had a responsibility to raise safeguarding concerns. The increase in referrals evidenced increased awareness of what could be deemed as safeguarding. There was information on partners websites and the Boards’ website on how to make contact but more work was needed on empowerment through awareness to increase people’s confidence in reporting incidences and concerns. The voluntary agencies in Medway were instrumental in the work taking in promotion of awareness in the community.

The Assistant Director Adult Social Care added that there had been a 21% increase in the last year of SAR reporting with referrals received from a broad range of people which included partners, professionals, and the public. Progress continued to be made and this was encouraging.

Placements in Medway – a concern was raised on the strain on services due to placement of families in Medway. The Assistant Director Adult Social Care provided assurance that when someone was placed in Medway that had care support needs, the placing authority retained responsibility of the care support. In the event that a safeguarding concern was raised for that person, Medway had a statutory responsibility to investigate the concern.

Model of Best Practice – in response to a question on whether a model of best practice was followed that supported adults through the investigation process, the Independent Chair said that work needed to be done to bring together different Boards who all were focused on various aspects of the safeguarding process. Discussions needed to continue to take place on what could be done better to improve processes and experiences of residents. The Assistant Director Adult Social Care added that Adult Social Care was on a journey to improve integration through making safeguarding personal. Work was underway on a strength-based approach and getting partners working collaboratively.

Exploitation – it was asked if there was a stream of work in progress that the Community Safety Partnership service could support in tackling the increasing landscape of increased criminal gang operations that targeted vulnerable residents of Medway. The Independent Chair said that exploitation of vulnerable people was a national crisis. Increased assurance was sought by the public that action would be taken when they reported incidences. Increased training and awareness were needed by front line officers, in particular police officers on mental capacity of vulnerable people so as to prevent assumptions being made on people’s capacity and understanding of situations. There was an opportunity in Medway for more joined up partnership working to tackle issues.

Independent Chairs’ Group- in response to a question on whether there was an opportunity for independent Chairs in England and Wales to meet and share learning, Members were informed that meetings were held between Regional and National groups who met regularly to share practice. The National Body also challenged on National issues and National Institutions responses to safeguarding where appropriate.

Public Confidence – it was asked how to ensure that public trust was retained and to ensure that the important level of trust gained between Medway residents and partners continued to be maintained. The Independent Chair said that public confidence was an area in which Kent and Medway continued to perform well. In order to maintain this, it was important not to be complacent and to continually evaluate processes and maintain transparency.

Decision

The Board noted the report.