Provider Meeting Briefing Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board Provider Meeting Briefing

What is safeguarding? Safeguarding means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is: people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is promoted including having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action. This must recognise that adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear or unrealistic about their personal circumstances. People have complex lives and being safe is only one of the things they want for themselves.

What is safeguarding? Professionals should work with the adult to establish what being safe means to them and how that can be best achieved. Professionals and other staff should not be advocating ‘safety’ measures that do not take account of individual well-being (or lack of safety measures that increases the risk of significant harm).

What safeguarding isn’t… Safeguarding is not: A substitute for issues relating to safe, effective care and support by staff with the right skills. In place of ensuring that the right services are available in the right places. Monitoring the safety and effectiveness of services, ensuring that everyone meets their legal requirements. A substitute for the core duties of the police to prevent and detect crime and protect life and property. Criminal offences should be reported to the Police. Safeguarding is not: A substitute for issues relating to safe, effective care and support by staff with the right skills. Poor care should be addressed with the care provider unless the poor care causes serious harm or is persistent/recurrent. In place of ensuring that the right services are available in the right places. This is the role of commissioning bodies, such as the Local Authority and Clinical Commissioning Group. Monitoring the safety and effectiveness of services, ensuring that everyone meets their legal requirements. This is the role of the commissioners and the Care Quality Commission. a substitute for the core duties of the police to prevent and detect crime and protect life and property. Criminal offences should be reported to the Police.

To date: 1447 (52%) increase in alerts The Local Picture… Total alerts % Increase Apr 2015 377 Apr 2016 552 46% May 2015 303 May 2016 648 114% Jun 2015 421 Jun 2016 631 50% Jul 2015 435 Jul 2016 575 32% Aug 2015 305 Aug 2016 640 110% Sep 2015 415 Sep 2016 593 43% Oct 2015 547 Oct 2016 611 12% Nov 2015 411 To date: 1447 (52%) increase in alerts (Apr-Oct comparison) Dec 2015 431 Jan 2016 505 Feb 2016 514 Mar 2016 492

Alerts Progressed to Safeguarding The Local Picture… Alerts Progressed to Safeguarding   No. Progressed % Nov 2015 114 28% Dec 2015 120 Jan 2016 170 34% Feb 2016 216 42% Mar 2016 186 38% Apr 2016 167 30% May 2016 203 31% Jun 2016 194 Jul 2016 165 29% Aug 2016 185 Sep 2016 163 27% Oct 2016 153 25%

percentage going to enquiries The Local Picture… percentage going to enquiries   Care Home Family & Friends Health Housing LA Other Police Provider Agency Self Nov 2015 9% 40% 24% 67% 50% 33% 31% 27% 38% Dec 2015 20% 46% 21% 25% 68% 17% Jan 2016 19% 35% 44% 57% 28% 47% Feb 2016 22% 60% 53% Mar 2016 18% 59% 41% 52% 55% 37% Apr 2016 16% 36% 85% 42% May 2016 43% Jun 2016 39% 30% 29% Jul 2016 32% 56% Aug 2016 14% 23% Sep 2016 13% 26% 54% Oct 2016 15%

What Abuse Can Look Like? Abuse and Neglect can include: Inappropriate restraint indecent exposure withdrawal of services or supportive networks internet scamming coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions (financial abuse) failure to provide access to appropriate health, care and support or educational services Neglect of oneself Self-neglect This covers a wide range of behaviour neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding. It should be noted that self-neglect may not prompt a statutory safeguarding investigation (known as a section 42 enquiry, taken from S42 of The Care Act). A decision on whether a response is required under safeguarding will depend on the adult’s ability to protect themselves by controlling their own behaviour. Part of the challenge is knowing when and how far to intervene when there are concerns about self-neglect and a person makes a capacitated decision not to acknowledge there is a problem or to engage in improving the situation, as this usually involves making individual judgments about what is an acceptable way of living, balanced against the degree of risk to an adult and/or others.

How to Support Safeguarding Have clear roles and responsibilities and professional boundaries Create strong multi-agency partnerships Ensure a positive learning environment Enable access to mainstream community resources that can reduce the social and physical isolation Clarify how responses to safeguarding concerns deriving from the poor quality and inadequacy of service provision should be responded to ensure that everyone is clear about their roles and responsibilities and professional boundaries create strong multi-agency partnerships that provide timely and effective prevention of and responses to abuse or neglect support the development of a positive learning environment across these partnerships and at all levels within them to help break down cultures that are risk-averse and seek to scapegoat or blame staff and volunteers enable access to mainstream community resources such as accessible leisure facilities, safe town centres and community groups that can reduce the social and physical isolation which in itself may increase the risk of abuse or neglect clarify how responses to safeguarding concerns deriving from the poor quality and inadequacy of service provision, including patient safety in the health sector, should be responded to

What to do if you have a concern take any necessary immediate action to keep the person safe Seek advice from the Adult Safeguarding Service if you’re unsure it’s a safeguarding issue Record and report any safeguarding concerns appropriately within your organisation take any necessary immediate action to keep the person safe (proportionate to your role and with the person’s consent where they have capacity) Discuss concerns with your line manager or seek advice from the Adult Safeguarding Service if you’re unsure it’s a safeguarding issue Record and report any safeguarding concerns appropriately within your organisation following your organisation’s policies and procedures or through local safeguarding procedures to another service or organisation. Adult Safeguarding issues can be reported online or by telephone. Please visit the OSAB website (www.osab.co.uk) and click the “Concerned About An Adult” button (found on every page of the website) for more information.

What to do if you have a concern Adult Safeguarding issues can be reported online or by telephone. Please visit the OSAB website (www.osab.co.uk) and click the “Concerned About An Adult” button. Consultation Service: you can call 01865 328232 and ask to speak to the triage team for a safeguarding consultation. This is only for consultations on issues where you are unsure if it is a safeguarding issue or not. take any necessary immediate action to keep the person safe (proportionate to your role and with the person’s consent where they have capacity) Discuss concerns with your line manager or seek advice from the Adult Safeguarding Service if you’re unsure it’s a safeguarding issue Record and report any safeguarding concerns appropriately within your organisation following your organisation’s policies and procedures or through local safeguarding procedures to another service or organisation. Adult Safeguarding issues can be reported online or by telephone. Please visit the OSAB website (www.osab.co.uk) and click the “Concerned About An Adult” button (found on every page of the website) for more information.