gwent safeguarding annual plan 2020-2023 · national safeguarding week, and provide a good platform...
TRANSCRIPT
GWENT
SAFEGUARDING
BOARD
STRATEGIC PLAN
2020-2023
1
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS SAFEGUARDING?
HOW DO THE REGIONAL SAFEGUARDING BOARDS
WORK?
WHO ARE THE BOARD MEMBERS?
WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIC PRIORITY OBJECTIVES
OF THE BOARDS?
SUMMARY OF OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITY
OBJECTIVES AND HOW WE PLAN TO ACHIEVE THEM
HOW MUCH ARE WE GOING TO SPEND IN THE NEXT
YEAR?
COLLABORATIVE WORKING
ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION
CONTACT INFORMATION AND USEFUL LINKS
2
INTRODUCTION
This represents the third strategic plan across Gwent which has been produced to cover the
work of both the Gwent-wide Adult Safeguarding Board (GwASB) and the South East Wales
Safeguarding Children Board (SEWSCB). This joint strategic plan sets out fully aligned joint
strategic priorities for the first time, across an extended period of three years. This is a
reflection of the continuing progress made by the joint Gwent Safeguarding Board in its
approach to adopting an all age safeguarding people approach to children and adults at risk in
the region. We have reviewed carefully our information from our previous plan and reports
during recent months to ensure continuity of work across the region. We hope that this unified
format is more in line with the Welsh Government and Social Services and Well-being (Wales)
Act 2014, published guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard People’ Volume 1, and will
continue to bring together the work of both Boards, under the auspices of Gwent Safeguarding
Board.
Gwent Safeguarding Board members remain proud of the strength of collaboration and
partnership working that has been established at a senior executive board and sub group level ,
when serving the citizens and diverse communities of the Gwent region. We welcome the
opportunity to continue to build upon the strong foundations established in the preceding three
years to deliver against our priorities, and to continue to protect and prevent chi ldren and adults
from experiencing harm.
The Chairs of both Boards are Directors of Social Services in the Region. They are actively
supported by a Vice Chair, who is an Assistant Director from a local authority Children’s
Services Department.
Our Plan has been produced in conjunction with Board members and a wide range of
stakeholders, professionals and volunteers who contribute to the work of the Board, through the
sub groups, task and finish groups and our Local Safeguarding Network Practitioner Forums.
At the time of publication, due to the current spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), all
Safeguarding Board member agencies are working extremely hard to ensure that essential
services remain open to the most vulnerable children and adults. All agencies are looking at
how best to prioritise critical service delivery and to continue to deliver vital safeguarding
services, at this time. It is anticipated that this situation will have some impact on Board
partners’ capacity to deliver against all objectives wi thin this plan, in a timely fashion, as they
focus on safeguarding children and adults, during these very challenging times. The impact of
the COVID-19 situation will need to be reviewed at regular intervals throughout the course of the
coming year.
Keith Rutherford Damien McCann Chief Officer Social Services Director of Social Services
Torfaen Blaenau Gwent
3
WHAT IS SAFEGUARDING?
The Welsh Government “Working Together to Safeguard People Guidance” Volume 1 states
that the objectives of a Safeguarding Children Board are:
a) To protect children within its area who are experiencing, or are at risk of abuse, neglect
or other kinds of harm, and
b) To prevent children within its area from becoming at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds
of harm.
The objectives of a Safeguarding Adults Board are:
a) To protect adults within its area who -
(i) Have needs for care and support (whether or not a local authority is meeting any
of those needs), and
(ii) Are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse or neglect
b) To prevent those adults within its area mentioned in paragraph (a) (i) becoming at risk of
abuse or neglect.
In order to achieve these objectives both Boards have agreed a joint vision statement, which
ensures that when we do business we are clear about our purpose and goals:
The vision of the joint Gwent Safeguarding Board is:
To ensure that all children and adults within the Gwent area are
safeguarded.
It is the role of Gwent Safeguarding Board to set the strategic direction for safeguarding and to
carry out core functions in relation to multi-agency safeguarding. The Board carries out these
day to day functions, through policy direction, monitoring the effectiveness of safeguarding
within agencies, commissioning practice reviews and disseminating learning to practitioners to
ensure that safeguarding is high on the agenda at all levels of the workforce.
4
HOW DO THE SAFEGUARDING BOARDS WORK?
Regional Strategic Safeguarding Structure
Protocol &
Procedures
Chi ldren
Qual i ty
Assurance
Adult Qual i ty
Assurance Learning &
Development Engagement &
Communication
Case Review
Panels
SEWSCB GWASB VAWDASV
Business
Planning Group
Case Review
Group
Blaenau Gwent
Safeguarding
Network
Caerphilly
Safeguarding
Network
Monmouthshire
Safeguarding
Network
Newport
Safeguarding
Network
Torfaen
Safeguarding
Network
5
The above diagram illustrates the structure of the Safeguarding Boards and their sub
groups. It also includes the regional Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and
Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) Board. Gwent Safeguarding Board will continue to
work collaboratively with the regional VAWDASV partnership, offering support to
ensure that this regional strategy continues to be effective across the region.
The majority of our sub groups report to Gwent Safeguarding Board via the Business
Planning Group. We are making plans to merge our Quality Assurance groups in the
next year to provide a fully integrated joint sub-group structure.
Our Local Safeguarding Networks continue to meet every two months. Their purpose
is to make sure that we maintain a local connection to the regional Boards. This was
deemed important by Board members when local safeguarding boards were
regionalised.
In addition, every six months the Local Safeguarding Network Forums continue to
provide the opportunity for a range of multi-agency practitioners to come together to
network and receive information on topics relevant to the locality and their
safeguarding work. These informative networking events continue to play a
significant part in raising awareness of safeguarding issues across the region during
national safeguarding week, and provide a good platform to publicise nationally
agreed themes. These forums remain very popular and an excellent way of keeping
staff and volunteers involved in the work of the Boards. They have also given us the
opportunity to consult with practitioners on a variety of topics which in turn informs
Board members on the strategic direction of both Boards. These Forums will
continue on a bi-annual basis for the duration of this strategic plan.
The functions and procedures of Regional Safeguarding Boards are set out clearly in
statute and the accompanying Working Together Guidance, and the above structure
enables us to fulfil these functions largely through the work of individual groups,
supplemented by review panels and task and finish groups.
6
WHO ARE THE BOARD MEMBERS?
Membership
The membership of each Board is as follows:
SOUTH EAST WALES SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN BOARD
McCann Damien Chair / Director SSD Blaenau Gwent C.B.C.
Jenkins Gareth Vice Chair / Assistant Director Children’s Services
Caerphilly C.B.C.
Bakewell Ian Housing & Communities Manager
Monmouthshire C.C.
Barrett Nicola Service Manager Safeguarding
Caerphilly C.B.C.
Binding Diana Assistant Chief Executive Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service
Chicken Sian Head of Operations GDAS
Cole Keri Chief Officer Education Caerphilly C.B.C
Davies Alun Head of PPU Gwent Police
Davies Deborah Group Manager Torfaen C.B.C
Dent Janice Regional Adviser VAWDASV Regional Team
Doubler Mark Head of Community Services Bron Afon Community Housing
Evans Tanya Head of Children’s Services Blaenau Gwent C.B.C.
Featherstone Martin Chief Executive Officer GAVO Hamlet Ann Safeguarding Lead A.B.U.H.B.
Harvey Nikki Head of Safeguarding Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust
Jenkins Sally Head of Children’s Services Newport C.C.
Jones Lynette Chief Education Officer Blaenau Gwent C.B.C.
Kennedy Peter Senior Executive Officer Torfaen Voluntary Alliance
Manners Bethan Senior Solicitor, Legal Services
Caerphilly C.B.C
McCann Kathryn Paediatrician A.B.U.H.B
McChrystal Dermot
Chief Officer, Education and Lead Director of Children and
Young People Torfaen C.C.
McLean Will Chief Education Officer Monmouthshire C.C.
Moon Marisa Assistant Director Barnardos
Morgan Sarah Chief Education Officer Newport C.C.
Naughton Aideen Designated Doctor Public Health Wales O'Brien Jason Head of Children’s Services Torfaen C.B.C
Ramshaw Alison Safeguarding Manager Blaenau Gwent C.B.C
Richards Kelly Business Manager Regional Safeguarding Business Unit Rodgers Jane Head of Children’s Services Monmouthshire C.C.
Rogers Michaela Service Manager YOS Caerphilly & Blaenau Gwent
7
Ryan Mary Service Manager – Corporate Safeguarding Newport C.C.
Thomas Eleri Deputy Crime Commissioner Police & Crime Commissioner
Turner Kelly Safeguarding Service Manager Monmouthshire C.C
Young Tony NISB member National Independent Safeguarding Board
GWENT-WIDE ADULT SAFEGUARDING BOARD
Rutherford Keith Chair / Director, SSD Torfaen C.B.C.
Bakewell Ian Head of Housing Monmouthshire C.C.
Barrett Nicola Service Manager Safeguarding Caerphilly C.B.C.
Bartley Steve Older Peoples Commissioner for Wales
Binding Diana Assistant Chief Executive, LDU Head, Gwent
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS)
Davies Deborah Group Manager Torfaen C.B.C
Chicken Sian Head of Operations GDAS Davies Alun Head of PPU Gwent Police
Davies Deborah Group Manager Torfaen C.B.C
Day Andrew Service Manager Blaenau Gwent C.B.C
Dent Janice Regional Adviser VAWDASV Regional Team Farr Dr Nigel G.P. Public Health Wales
Featherstone Martin Chief Executive Officer GAVO Galvin Kay Head of Education South Wales Fire Service
George Louise H & S C Facilitator GAVO
Hamlet Ann Safeguarding Lead A.B.U.H.B.
Harvey Nikki Head of Safeguarding
Welsh Ambulance Services
NHS Trust Hiscocks Vikki Head of Active Ageing Derwen Cymru (part of POBL
Group) Hoskins Alyson Head of Adult Services Blaenau Gwent C.B.C.
Humphrey Chris Head of Adult Services Newport C.C.
Mason Giles Governor H.M.P. Usk
Parkinson Eve Head of Adult Services Monmouthshire C.C.
Pratlett Gill Head of Adult Services Torfaen C.B.C.
Ramshaw Alison Safeguarding Manager Blaenau Gwent C.B.C
Richards Kelly Business Manager Regional Safeguarding Business Unit
Ryan Mary Service Manager - Safeguarding Newport C.C.
Street Dave Director of Social Services Caerphilly C.B.C
Thomas Eleri Deputy Crime Commissioner Police & Crime Commissioner
Turner Kelly Safeguarding Service Manager Monmouthshire C.C
8
Williams Jo Assistant Director, Adults Services Caerphilly C.B.C.
Young Tony NISB member National Independent Safeguarding Board
9
WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIC PRIORITY
OBJECTIVES OF THE BOARDS?
Gwent Safeguarding Board members came together as part of a development
session in February 2020 to evaluate its progress against its existing strategic
priorities, to review emerging national and regional safeguarding themes and to
identify future priority areas. This session was fully informed by reports from sub
groups to establish our current position in relation to our work plans and to agree a
plan. Our completed work items and progress to date will be reported, as required, to
Welsh Government in our next Annual Report 2019 to 2020.
Whilst completing this work we established several emerging themes which will
influence the strategic direction of our work over the course of our next strategic plan
period (2020-2023).
From this work we established that exploitation of children and adults was emerging
for us as a broader theme in Gwent. By removing restrictions associated with age or
type, we will attempt to enable a more panoramic perspective of the context and
range of issues associated with exploitation and we can promote a more holistic set
of response options and collaborative approaches. We will apply this to our work to
safeguard children and adults from different types of exploitation in 2020-2023. We
will work with other partnerships to understand the prevalence of exploitation for
children and young people transitioning into adulthood who are also involved in
criminality/community safety incidents where it is identified that exploitation/ACEs
are significant contributory factors.
Building resilience remains a key factor in all of the work streams that we need to
prioritise this year. Last year, we acknowledged the vulnerability of children, young
people and adults who may be at risk is often inextricably linked to their ability to
build resilience and maintain well-being through times of stress and crisis.
We acknowledged the building blocks of resilience including one or more stable,
caring child adult relationships, being equipped to manage your own behaviour,
feeling you can overcome hardship and being involved and connected. All of our
work with children and young people continues to hold this thread, with the aim to
continue to develop and support resilience as our children and young people mature
into adulthood.
In addition, we recognise that building resilience remains a general theme for Gwent
Safeguarding Board when reflecting on how to develop capacity and infrastructure
through effectively strengthening partnerships across other associated agendas.
10
This will assist in promoting cross sector learning and maximising our shared efforts
in safeguarding adults and children in Gwent.
In order to review the performance of the Board, its partners and represented bodies
in carrying out its objectives, Gwent Safeguarding Board intends to prioritise the
implementation of a quality assurance framework. It is critical that the Board is
able to scrutinise the efficacy of measures taken by Board partners to effectively
safeguard children and adults and to evidence what impact its work has had in
delivering positive outcomes across Gwent. Having developed a draft quality
assurance framework we intend to prioritise its implementation in the next period.
As a result of the review, the Gwent Safeguarding agreed an overarching strategic
vision underpinned by three joint strategic priorities as follows:
One Joint Overarching Vision:
To ensure that children and adults, in Gwent, are safeguarded. Three Joint Strategic Priorities:
To better protect children and adults at risk of exploitation.
To better protect children and adults from neglect, physical, emotional, sexual
and financial harm.
To improve and maintain the effectiveness of the Regional Safeguarding Board.
In order to identify what needs to be done to achieve each of these strategic
priorities we have listed specific priority focus areas for the attention of the Board and its sub groups and progress against these will be reviewed on an annual basis. The delivery of the strategic priorities set out within this document will be supported
by an internal implementation plan which will assist in promoting ownership and focus to the specific priority themes.
We will ensure that detailed work plans are produced for, and owned by, sub groups and these will form the basis of our reporting framework through our Annual Report.
These work plans will include detailed actions and chart progress by each of the groups, enabling us to quantify the work as it is completed and allowing a ‘smarter’
reporting process. Our summary of actions for each work stream has been included as the next part of
our plan to illustrate what we intend to do and how we plan to do it.
11
SUMMARY OF OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITY OBJECTIVES AND HOW WE PLAN TO
ACHIEVE THEM
Joint Strategic Priority 1 – To better protect children and adults at risk of exploitation
Priority Focus What do we want to achieve? What are the outcome indicators?
Exploitation
To better understand how to recognise and respond to all forms of exploitation.
To support professionals in identifying approaches, tools and services to respond to all
forms of exploitation, with specific consideration given to mapping and targeting local hotspots.
To promote training opportunities at a strategic
and practitioner level in order to embed awareness of exploitation.
A regional framework and toolkit which supports practitioners in understanding and responding to
exploitation is scoped, developed and implemented.
Training and awareness-raising relating to all forms
of exploitation is identified and delivered.
The transition of the regional Multi-Agency Sexual
Exploitation meetings into Multi-Agency Child
Exploitation meetings is fully implemented across Gwent.
Child Sexual
Abuse
To ensure that all professionals are fully
appraised of national information and research emerging in relation to child sexual abuse.
To ensure that a consistent regional response is given to the three year national action plan for
preventing and responding to child sexual abuse.
Opportunities for child sexual abuse training for
practitioners are identified and promoted. This includes engaging with the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse.
An effective awareness-raising campaign is
implemented across the region as a response to the national action plan for preventing and
responding to child sexual abuse.
12
Transitional
Pathways
To adopt a more collaborative approach in establishing links between children’s and adult
services as recognition of the situational and environmental factors which exist for children transitioning into adulthood.
To identify and target risk factors for young
people transitioning into early adulthood who are in receipt of substance misuse services.
Complexities of needs and associated triggers for children moving through transitional stages and
into adulthood are identified and partner agencies work together to safeguard and support individuals through this transition.
Development of a set of principles for transition
that are endorsed by the Board and shared with partner agencies.
Liberty Protection
Safeguards
To ensure that the impact of the change in
legislation from Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards to Liberty Protection Safeguards
(LPS) is fully anticipated and consideration is given to how the implementation of the new LPS framework will impact upon service users,
practitioners and services (including children’s services).
Development of a mechanism to assure the Board
that the forthcoming Liberty Protection Safeguards legislative changes are effectively implemented in
Gwent.
Contextual
Safeguarding
To improve regional understanding of a
contextual safeguarding approach specifically in relation to peer-on-peer abuse, online abuse,
missing episodes, gang involvement, radicalisation, trafficking and modern slavery.
To identify and promote the ways in which professionals, adults and young people can
change contexts and social conditions in which abuse has occurred.
Engagement with regional partners and sectors
who have a bearing on social contexts, i.e. local policing and community leaders, to make
environments safer.
13
Financial Abuse
To maximise opportunities to tackle financial abuse in the community and help individuals
remain safe.
To support practitioners to understand the types
and consequences of financial abuse and to be equipped to work with victims.
Raised awareness of varying examples of financial abuse with professionals and citizens across
Gwent.
Develop and deliver a training module on financial
abuse to raise awareness amongst professionals and give them confidence to deal with victims.
14
Joint Strategic Priority 2 – To better protect children and adults from neglect, physical,
emotional, sexual and financial harm.
Priority Focus What do we want to achieve? What are the outcome indicators?
Elder domestic abuse
To improve awareness of the connections
between adult safeguarding and domestic abuse to understand the barriers to reporting which can
be experienced by older people.
To improve understanding as to how to better
support the most vulnerable groups who are at a high risk of domestic abuse e.g. learning disability
and mental health.
To ensure joint working between Gwent
Safeguarding Board and VAWDASV to increase awareness of, and to improve multi-agency
response to, coercive control.
Adults at risk identify positive improvements in their
safety and wellbeing as a result of the work arising from their Care & Support Plans.
Increased clarity across all agencies around the
effective management of domestic abuse with specific focus on coercive control.
Increased awareness and understanding of coercive control for all statutory partners, in collaboration with
the work of the regional VAWDASV agenda.
Mental Health (Children and
adults)
Ensure that any learning identified through our safeguarding activities supports the development
of prevention strategies within Gwent.
Raise awareness amongst professionals to understand the nature of this harm and to be able
to spot the signs and respond appropriately.
Young people and adults are better informed about issues that may impact on their mental
health and well-being.
Improved understanding of self harm and suicide across a multi-agency workforce.
15
Falls
To gain assurance that adults are safeguarded through timely and proportionate responses to
concerns relating to fall risks.
Preventative strategies that aim to reduce instances of falls in Gwent are supported ,
developed and given appropriate oversight.
Skin
Management
To improve awareness amongst professionals in understanding the nature of this harm and
improving guidance on pressure sores and safeguarding.
Appropriate guidance and tools are promoted to raise awareness of effective skin management. This will
enable improvements in practitioner responses to this type of harm.
Neglect (Children and
Adults)
To continue our work in relation to neglect to ensure that it continues to be recognised and
responded to as a safeguarding concern.
To support practitioners to understand the types and consequences of neglect and be equipped to
work with children, young people and adults who are at risk of, or experiencing, neglect.
A neglect training course is delivered to improve understanding amongst professionals when working
with this particular type of harm.
The regional neglect protocol and toolkit is refreshed and informed by the Wales Safeguarding
Procedures before being launched.
Commissioning of care
To improve safeguarding in the commissioning of
care by providing assurance that there are clear mechanisms in place, which are being
implemented and complied with by care homes and local authority commissioners, as required by the Regulation & Inspection of Social Care (Wales)
Act 2016.
Lessons, which are learned from regional and
national practice reviews in relation to the commissioning of care, are appropriately
disseminated and acted upon across Gwent.
Appropriate links are made with care home
governance teams and local authority commissioners to ensure that safeguarding
mechanisms are in place and adhered to whilst care is commissioned.
16
Joint Strategic Priority 3 – To improve and maintain the effectiveness of the Regional
Safeguarding Board.
Priority Focus What do we want to achieve? What are the outcome indicators?
Wales Safeguarding Procedures
implementation
To ensure effective and timely awareness-raising of the Wales Safeguarding Procedures to practitioners
across the region.
To complement the Wales Safeguarding Procedures
launch with a fully compliant suite of accompanying regional practice guides for practitioners to support
their work as necessary.
Awareness-raising sessions are delivered to multi-agency teams across the region.
Existing safeguarding training materials
are reviewed and revised to ensure that they are compliant with the Wales Safeguarding Procedures.
Bespoke training is available to provide
support for specific roles within the Wales Safeguarding Procedures.
Practice reviews
To engage with the work programme for the national
single unified review process in order to ensure that
Gwent contributes pilot learning to the development
of this innovative process.
To maintain a pool of suitably skilled reviewers to
undertake child and adult practice reviews, domestic-
adult practice reviews and multi-agency professional
forums.
To agree and implement a consistent and effective
process for approving, disseminating and monitoring
Improvements in the number of Domestic
Homicide Reviews meeting Home Office timescales and quality standards.
Facilitator training is delivered on an
annual basis and that all Board member
agencies are fully committed to resourcing
this process as a region.
A common process is in place across the Gwent region to refer cases, undertake
reviews, share learning and examine the impact.
17
the learning outcomes of review.
Performance Monitoring
To further develop and implement our regional
approach to quality assurance including audit programmes, tools and processes to support improvements to multi-agency practice.
To agree a suite of performance measures to satisfy
the Board that safeguarding activities carried out by its partner agencies are effective and are achieving positive outcomes for people.
Alignment of the Quality Assurance sub-
groups to promote improved cohesiveness.
Establishment of a clear quality assurance
and performance framework across the Gwent region, covering both children and
adult safeguarding, including routine implementation of a Section 135 audit.
Partnership
working
To establish the links with other regional partnerships
in order to identify and promote co-deliverance
opportunities for the safeguarding agenda.
Links between the Safeguarding Board and other regional or national partnerships
are established and any actions agreed.
Safeguarding
Board resilience
To ensure that the Board’s strategic plan is supported by an implementation plan which will provide the
required actions, timescales and ownership and will enable effective alignment of all work plans for the
Board and its Sub Groups.
To agree the required resources to manage the
business of the Board including the financial contributions of our statutory partner agencies.
Disseminate the approved joint Partnership Agreement to Board and sub-group
members ensuring that it serves as an induction tool to the Board’s work
programme and promotes ownership and commitment from Board partners.
A resourcing and budget agreement for Gwent Safeguarding Board is in place.
18
Voice of the Service User
To promote effective community engagement with Safeguarding Children and Adults work and ensuring
that the voice of the citizen is heard.
To build on existing links with youth and adult
forums/groups across the region to provide
opportunities for improved citizen involvement in the
work of the Board.
An increased number of children, young
people and adults participating in the work
of the Board.
An increased number of children and
adults being offered/accessing advocacy
support.
19
HOW MUCH ARE WE GOING TO SPEND IN THE
NEXT YEAR?
The Joint Gwent Safeguarding Board is funded by contributions from statutory partner agencies who have agreed the funding formula as set out in the Welsh Government
document ‘Working Together to Safeguard People Volume 1 – Introduction and Overview,’ the guidance which accompanies the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. The Safeguarding Board Lead Partner role is set out within this guidance and
for Gwent the Lead Partner is Caerphilly County Borough Council, who operates as the budget holder.
The funding from Board partner agencies resources a regional Safeguarding Board Business Unit consisting of a Business Manager, Development Officers and
Administrative Support staff who provide support for both Children and Adult Boards, the sub groups, Local Safeguarding Networks and the regional VAWDASV partnership. The
host organisation for the Business Unit is also the Lead Partner. The Board also provides an extensive multi agency regional training programme. This
consists of a range of generic safeguarding courses which enable free access for practitioners and volunteers across the region. They are designed to complement and add
value to the training provided by workforce development teams in the region. The statutory guidance states that Boards should agree a budget as part of its medium
term financial plan which is then rolled forward until modified to ensure stability and security of funding over more than one financial year. The specific costs for the Joint
Gwent Safeguarding Board are set out below: Total costs £396,000
Staff costs £ 322,000 Day to day running costs £ 18, 500 Provision of Multi-Agency Training and Practice Reviews £ 40, 000
Engagement / Websites & Publicity / Professional events (Including National Safeguarding Week) £ 15, 500
In addition, as and when additional financial contributions are allocated to regional safeguarding boards to address regional or national needs, the Lead Partner also acts as
budget holder for those funds.
It is acknowledged that resources used to support the work of the Joint Safeguarding Board are not confined or restricted to financial contributions from statutory partner agencies. The Gwent Safeguarding Board Chairs, Executive Board Members, Sub Group
Chairs and members provide a significant amount of their professional time to support the Board and its work. This is often in addition to their identified professional roles and day
to day responsibilities.
20
COLLABORATIVE WORKING
Across Gwent we have a long history of collaboration across agencies and
partnerships. This collaborative work is reflected in the membership of both of our
Boards which includes not only the statutory partners prescribed in guidance, but
also voluntary sector partners and those where safeguarding is an integral part of
their work.
This inclusive approach allows us to include partners who can influence the
safeguarding agenda on a local, regional and national level. This is demonstrated by
our close working relationships with the Office of the Police and Crime
Commissioner, the Older People’s Commissioner and nationally recognised bodies
such as Public Health Wales and Barnardos Cymru, along with our regional
volunteering agencies, Gwent Association of Volunteering Organisations (GAVO)
and Torfaen Voluntary Alliance (TVA).
In Gwent, we are fortunate to have a close working relationship with a number of
other regional partnerships:
The strongest link exists with the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and
Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) Strategic Partnership Board. Our strategic support
teams work collaboratively, providing an administrative support role with regards
training and a number of strategic meetings for the VAWDASV partnership. The
Safeguarding Boards have been instrumental in the production of the VAWDASV
strategy document and associated delivery plans and we ensure that our
engagement and communication work is undertaken across the children, adult and
VAWDASV agenda. The reporting framework and governance for this work is also
across all three strategic Boards.
We continue to drive forward innovative practice as demonstrated by the recent
commission of our second regional pilot project using adult practice review
methodology for a Domestic Homicide Review (DHR), as part of the work of the
Safeguarding Boards. The results of the first pilot were praised by Home Office
Colleagues, members of Board and Case Review Group members. In addition to
this, we have also supported another regional Safeguarding Board in applying this
unified methodology to a DHR. These recent developments have enabled us, as a
region, to respond to the suggestion made by the Home Office DHR Quality
Assurance group to undertake an additional pilot.
We are considering opportunities to create stronger links with other regional
partnership forums. Our Board chairs are also chairs of a number of partnership
forums, and Board members ensure that the work from relevant partnership groups
is recognised and reported at Board level. In the coming year, we plan to develop
these collaborative links by considering the development of a mapping activity with
21
Board members to ensure that we identify relevant partnerships, share priorities and
encourage co-deliverance.
We have continued work across the region in relation to advocacy. We believe that
this is an excellent example of collaborative working as it is not only across
partnerships from the Gwent region, but is a tangible example of working across a
number of partnerships and agencies in both statutory and voluntary services.
We value the opportunity of continuing to work closely with the members of the
National Independent Safeguarding Board (NISB). The consistent representation
from the NISB at regional Board meetings and developmental workshop events has
proved valuable, in promoting strong levels of collaboration and communication
throughout the year.
22
ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION
Gwent Safeguarding Board ensures that it takes account of the voices of those it
seeks to protect and support and continue to promote a number of methods of doing
so.
A member of the Gwent Citizen Panel continues to attend our Engagement and
Communication sub group meetings. Careful consideration on how best to ensure
meaningful participation by young people in the work of our Board resulted in the
decision to consult with children and young people on specific relevant occasions,
using online surveys and face-to-face methods. We have in the past used various
methods of communicating with young people including youth forums and school
councils, an interactive drama production for a specific year group, viewpoint
electronic surveys and general awareness raising events. We plan to continue with
as many of these forms of engagement in the future, where resources permit.
During 2020-2023, we intend to use varied approaches to engagement and
communication to reach the wider adult population, enabling us to target our
resources, to be informed about the most relevant safeguarding themes identified by
citizens.
Survivors of VAWDASV have been instrumental in the development of the
VAWDASV strategy with the support of partner organisations. We will continue this
collaboration through our joint Engagement and Communication work and the Gwent
Survivor Engagement Group.
Consultation with our Local Safeguarding Network Forums ensures that practitioners
and volunteers views continue to inform the more practical elements of the Boards
work including the content of our websites and the provision of training. We intend to
continue this form of consultation to inform our work in the future.
We continue to work hard in the Gwent region to ensure that our partners are fully
consulted when we develop new policies or procedures and we have a robust and
trusted mechanism for ensuring this two week consultation process is an integral
part of endorsing our documents. This process will continue via website consultation
through the period.
23
CONTACT INFORMATION AND USEFUL LINKS
Everyone has a duty to be alert to concerns about the abuse and neglect of people and know to whom they should report their concerns.
If you are worried that a child or adult is being abused or neglected you must report your concerns to your local Social Services contact. Details are listed below:
Caerphilly: Concerns about an adult: Tel: 0808 100 2500
Concerns about a child: Tel: 0808 100 1727
Monmouthshire:
Concerns about an adult: Tel: 01291 638928
Blaenau Gwent: Tel: 01495 315700
Torfaen: Tel: 01495 762200
Newport:
Tel: 01633 656656
Concerns about a child: Tel: 01291 635669
After 5pm and on weekends and bank holidays please contact the South East Wales Emergency Duty Team on 0800 328 4432.
If you think a person is in immediate danger then contact the Police on 999.
If a person tells you something that concerns you or them, listen carefully and say
that you will need to share this information.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
For further information on safeguarding people go to:
www.gwentsafeguarding.org.uk