5.2 Bury Safeguarding Adults Board – Roles and Responsibilities

1. Introduction

Bury Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) is a multi-agency forum which provides strategic oversight and leadership of safeguarding adults practice.

Under the Care Act 2014, the local authority must establish a Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB). The main objective of a SAB is to assure itself that local safeguarding arrangements and partners are working well together to help and protect adults who:

• have needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs);
• are experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect;
• as a result of those care and support needs are unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect.

The SAB has a strategic role, and it oversees and leads adult safeguarding across the locality. It will have an interest in a range of matters that contribute to the prevention of abuse and neglect. These include the safety of patients in its local health services, the quality of local care and support services, the effectiveness of prisons and approved premises in safeguarding offenders and awareness and responsiveness of further education services.

The SAB needs intelligence on safeguarding in all providers of health and social care in its locality (not just those with whom its members commission or contract). It is important that SAB partners feel able to challenge each other and other organisations where it believes that their actions or inactions are increasing the risk of abuse or neglect. This includes commissioners, as well as providers of services.

The SAB can be an important source of advice and assistance, for example in helping others improve their safeguarding mechanisms and practice. It is important that the SAB has effective links with other key partnerships in the locality and that they share relevant information and work plans. The board should consciously cooperate to reduce any duplication and maximise efficiency, particularly as objectives and membership are likely to overlap.

2. Core Duties

A SAB has three core duties:

• It must publish a strategic plan for each financial year (see Section 2.1 SAB strategic plans below);
• It must publish an annual report (see Section 2.2, SAB annual reports);
• It must conduct any Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) in accordance with Section 44 of the Care Act (see Section 2.4, Safeguarding Adults Reviews).

2.1 SAB strategic plans

The SAB must publish a strategic plan each financial year.

This plan should address both short and longer-term actions and it must set out how it will help adults in its area and what actions each member of the SAB will take to deliver the strategic plan and better protect adults in its area. This plan could cover 3-5 years in order to enable the Board to plan ahead as long as it is reviewed and updated annually.

The plan should be evidence based and informed by all available information and intelligence from local partners. As part of this, the SAB must consult the local Healthwatch and involve the local community. The local community has a role to play in the recognition and prevention of abuse and neglect but active and on-going work with the community is needed to tap into this source of support.

The SAB must understand the many and potentially different concerns of the various groups that make up its local community. These might include scams targeted at older householders, bullying and harassment of disabled people, hate crime directed at those with mental health problems, cyber bullying and the sexual and criminal exploitation of people who may lack the capacity to understand that they have the right to say no.

In order to make the plan understood as widely as possible, it should be free from jargon and written in plain English with an easy read version available.

2.2 SAB annual reports

After the end of each financial year, the SAB must publish an annual report that clearly states what both the SAB and its members have done to carry out and deliver the objectives and other content of its strategic plan. The reports should have prominence on each core member’s website and be made available to other agencies.

Specifically, the annual report must provide information about any Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs) that the SAB has arranged which are ongoing or have reported in the year (regardless whether they commenced in that year). The report must state what the SAB has done to act on the findings of completed SARs or, where it has decided not to act on a finding, why not. (See 2.3 SAB Responsibilities).

The annual report must set out how the SAB is monitoring progress against its policies and intentions to deliver its strategic plan. The SAB should consider the following in coming to its conclusions:

• evidence of community awareness of adult abuse and neglect and how to respond;
• analysis of safeguarding data to better understand the reasons that lie behind local data returns and use the information to improve the strategic plan and operational arrangements;
• what adults who have experienced the process say and the extent to which the outcomes they wanted (their wishes) have been realised;
• what front line practitioners say about outcomes for adults and about their ability to work in a personalised way with those adults;
• better reporting of abuse and neglect;
• evidence of success of strategies to prevent abuse or neglect;
• feedback from local Healthwatch, adults who use care and support services and carers, community groups, advocates, service providers and other partners;
• how successful adult safeguarding is at linking with other parts of the system, for example children’s safeguarding, domestic abuse, community safety;
• the impact of training carried out in this area and analysis of future need; and
• how well agencies are cooperating and collaborating.

The annual report should be a document that can be read and understood by anyone, which may include an easy read version. It is likely the SAB will publish the report via its website. It should actively publicise the report and seek feedback regarding the report from local communities.

The SAB must send a copy of its report to:

• the Chief Executive and leader of the local authority;
• the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable;
• the local Healthwatch; and
• the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

It is expected that the above organisations will fully consider the contents of the report and how they can improve their contributions to both safeguarding throughout their own organisation and to the joint work of the Board.

2.3 SAB responsibilities

The Safeguarding Adults Board should:

• identify the role, responsibility, authority and accountability with regard to the action each agency and professional group should take to ensure the protection of adults (see also Partner Agencies – Role and Responsibilities);
• establish ways of analysing and interrogating data on safeguarding notifications that increase the SAB’s understanding of prevalence of abuse and neglect locally that builds up a picture over time (see also Safeguarding Adults Data);
• establish how it will hold partners to account and gain assurance of the effectiveness of its arrangements;
• determine its arrangements for peer review and self-audit;
• establish mechanisms for developing policies and strategies for protecting adults which should be formulated, not only in collaboration and consultation with all relevant agencies but also take account of the views of adults who have needs for care and support, their families, advocates and carer representatives;
• develop preventative strategies that aim to reduce instances of abuse and neglect in its area (see Preventing Abuse and Neglect);
• identify types of circumstances giving grounds for concern and when they should be considered as a referral to the local authority as an enquiry;
• formulate guidance about the arrangements for managing adult safeguarding, and dealing with complaints, grievances and professional and administrative malpractice in relation to safeguarding adults (see Complaints or Appeals in relation to the Safeguarding Adult Process);
• develop strategies to deal with the impact of issues of race, ethnicity, religion, gender and gender orientation, sexual orientation, age, disadvantage and disability on abuse and neglect;
• balance the requirements of confidentiality with the consideration that, to protect adults, it may be necessary to share information on a ‘need-to-know basis’ (see Information Sharing);
• identify mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing the implementation and impact of policy and training;
• evidence how SAB members have challenged one another and held other boards to account; and,
• promote multi-agency training and consider any specialist training that may be required. Consider any scope to jointly commission training with other partnerships, such as the Community Safety Partnership (see Section 7, Training).

Strategies for the prevention of abuse and neglect are a core responsibility of the SAB, and the Board should have an overview of how this is taking place in the area and how this work ties in with the health and wellbeing board, quality surveillance groups (QSG), community safety partnership and Care Quality Commission’s stated approaches and practices (see also Preventing Abuse and Neglect).

The SAB must develop clear policies and processes that have been agreed with other interested parties, and that reflect the local service arrangements, roles and responsibilities. Policies will state what agencies and individuals are expected to do where they suspect abuse or neglect.

2.4 Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs)

See also Safeguarding Adults Reviews chapter.

The SAB must arrange a Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) when an adult in its area dies as a result of abuse or neglect, whether known or suspected, and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult.

The SAB must also arrange a SAR if an adult in its area has not died, but the SAB knows or suspects that the adult has experienced serious abuse or neglect. In the context of SARs, something can be considered serious abuse or neglect where:

• the individual would have been likely to have died but for an intervention, or;
• has suffered permanent harm or;
• has reduced capacity or quality of life (whether because of physical or psychological effects) as a result of the abuse or neglect.

The SAB is free to arrange for a SAR in any other situations involving an adult in its area with needs for care and support.

The adult who is the subject of any SAR need not have been in receipt of care and support services for the SAB to arrange a review in relation to them.

2.5 Collaboration and cooperation

Safeguarding requires collaboration between partners in order to create a framework of inter-agency arrangements.

Local authorities and their relevant partners must collaborate and work together as set out in the cooperation duties in the Care Act and, in doing so must, where appropriate, also consider the wishes and feelings of the adult on whose behalf they are working.

Local authorities may cooperate with any other body they consider appropriate where it is relevant to their care and support functions. The lead agency with responsibility for coordinating adult safeguarding arrangements is the local authority, but all the members of the SAB should designate a lead officer. Other agencies should also consider the benefits of having a lead for adult safeguarding.

3. SAB Arrangements

Each SAB can decide how it will operate, but it must ensure that its arrangements / terms of reference will deliver the duties and functions as set out in the Care Act. The arrangements / terms of reference will need to include, for example:

• how often it meets;
• the appointment of a Chair;
• any sub-groups; and
• any other practical arrangements such as minute taking, distribution of minutes etc.

It also needs to be clear about how it will seek feedback from the local community, particularly those adults who have been involved in a safeguarding enquiry.

Although it is not a requirement, the local authority should consider appointing an independent chair to the SAB who is not an employee or a member of an agency that is a member of the SAB. The Chair has a critical role to lead collaboratively, give advice, support and encouragement but also to offer constructive challenge and hold main partner agencies to account. An independent chair can provide additional reassurance that the Board has some independence from the local authority and other partners. The Chair will be accountable to the Chief Executive of the local authority as the lead body responsible for establishing the SAB but should be appointed by the local authority in the name of the SAB having consulted all its statutory partners. There is a clear expectation that chairs will keep up to date with, and promote, good practice, developments in case law and research and any other relevant material.

Two or more local authorities may establish a SAB for their combined geographical area of responsibility.

Information about how the SAB works should be easily accessible to partner agencies and to the general public.

4. Membership

The following organisations must be represented on the Board:

• the local authority which set it up;
• the Integrated Care Board (ICB) for local authority area; and
• the chief officer of police in the local authority’s area.

The SAB may also include other organisations and individuals as the establishing local authority considers appropriate having consulted its SAB partners from the Integrated Care Board and police.

The SAB may wish to invite additional partners to some meetings depending on the specific focus or to participate in its work more generally. Examples include:

• ambulance and fire services;
• representatives of providers of health and social care services, including independent providers;
• Department for Work and Pensions;
• representatives of housing providers, housing support providers, probation and prison services;
• general practitioners;
• representatives of further education colleges;
• members of user, advocacy and carer groups;
• local Healthwatch;
• Care Quality Commission;
• representatives from the safeguarding children partnership; and
• Trading Standards.

This is not a definitive list, but the SAB should assure itself that the Board has the involvement of all partners necessary to effectively carry out its duties.

4.1 Related partnerships

Additionally there may also be effective links that can be made with related partnerships to maximise impact and minimise duplication and which would reflect the reality and interconnectivities of local partnerships. There are strong synergies between the work of many of these bodies, particularly when looking at the broader family agenda as well as opportunities for efficiencies in taking forward work.

Partnerships may include the:

• community safety partnership;
• safeguarding children partnership;
• health and wellbeing board;
• quality surveillance group;
• Integrated Care Board; and
• health overview and scrutiny committee.

4.2 Members skills and experience

The local authority that establishes the SAB must ensure that between them, all members of the SAB have the requisite skills and experience necessary for the SAB to act effectively and efficiently to safeguard adults in its area.

Members who attend in a professional and managerial capacity should be:

• able to demonstrate a personal commitment to the 6 safeguarding principles (see Principles of Adult Safeguarding, in the Safeguarding: What is it and why does it Matter? chapter)
• able to present issues clearly in writing and in person;
• experienced in the work of their organisation;
• knowledgeable about the local area and population;
• able to explain their organisation’s priorities;
• able to demonstrate a clear understanding of their role and and that of their agency within the SAB;
• able to promote the aims of the SAB;
• able to commit their organisation to agreed actions;
• have a thorough understanding of abuse and neglect and its impact;
• have knowledge of local safeguarding services; and
• able to understand the pressures facing front line practitioners.

Members of the SAB are expected to consider what assistance they can provide in supporting the Board in its work. This might be through payment to the local authority or to a joint fund established by the local authority to provide, for example, secretariat functions for the Board.

Members might also support the work of the SAB by providing administrative help, premises for meetings or holding training sessions. It is in all core partners’ interests to have an effective SAB that is resourced adequately to carry out its functions.

4.2 How members should take learning back into their own organisation

• Challenge language, practice and policies that do not embody or enable holistic, person-centred and outcomes focussed safeguarding practice. This may be through meetings, communications, feedback and reporting. Mechanisms should be in place to ensure that any concerns can be raised and dealt with efficiently and effectively, and practices and policies can be continuously monitored with regular feedback and accountability.
• Identify what enables agencies to work together to  safeguard adults and what acts as a barrier. It is important for organisational structures, processes, practices and policies to fulfil a consistent aim of providing high quality safeguarding. SABs will have a key role in ensuring this aim is fulfilled and encouraging and inviting a wide range of views and challenge from system partners, holding leaders to account and ensuring continuous system improvement
• Create a positive culture of continuous learning and development by identifying and seeking feedback on any gaps and opportunities that can be addressed to better the safeguarding offer and practices in the local authority and ensuring learning and development opportunities are made available to practitioners. This includes reflecting on any recent experiences, outcomes and Safeguarding Adult Reviews (Analysis of Safeguarding Adult Reviews: April 2017 – March 2019 (Local Government Association) to identify and learn from lessons and challenges. It is important for SABs to share this learning and expertise on a local, regional and national level, and likewise draw on learning from other areas or emerging practice approaches.
• Establish and promote ways to co-produce policies and strategies so that they are informed by the roles and views of professionals, providers and system partners, and are informed by the people who rely on a service or safeguarding practice, their families, communities, advocates or carers. Where policies and strategies are developed or reviewed or where decisions have been made, it’s important for these to have considered the impacts of trauma and life experiences, as well as the impact on protected characteristics, equality, diversity and inclusion.

5. Supply of Information

See also Information Sharing and Confidentiality.

In order to carry out its functions, the SAB will need access to information that a wide number of people or other agencies may hold. Some of these may be SAB members, such as the NHS and the police. Others will not be, such as private health and care providers or housing providers / housing support providers or education providers.

In the past, there have been instances where the withholding of information has prevented agencies being fully able to understand what ‘went wrong’ and so has hindered them identifying, to the best of their ability, the lessons to be applied to prevent or reduce the risks of such cases reoccurring. If someone knows that abuse or neglect is happening they must act upon that knowledge, not wait to be asked for information.

A SAB may request a person to supply information to it or to another person. The person who receives the request must provide the information provided to the SAB if:

• the request is made in order to enable or assist the SAB to do its job;
• the request is made of a person who is likely to have relevant information and then either:
  1. the information requested relates to the person to whom the request is made and their functions or activities or;
  2. the information requested has already been supplied to another person subject to a SAB request for information.

6. Training

See also Safeguarding Training for Staff and Volunteers.

The SAB should ensure that the relevant partners provide training for staff and volunteers on the policy, procedures and professional practices, including awareness, recognition of abuse, roles and responsibilities, undertaking enquiries and post qualifying advanced training for those working with complex enquiries and responses.

Training is a continuing responsibility and should be provided as a rolling programme.

Whilst training may be undertaken on a joint basis and the SAB has an overview of standards and content, it is the responsibility of each organisation to train its own staff.