Safeguarding Adults Board

The NEL Safeguarding Adult Board (referred to as the SAB) is a statutory requirement for all local authorities under Sections 42-46 of the Care Act 2014 with the Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) taking the lead role and overall responsibility for adult safeguarding. As a minimum, the SAB membership must comprise of three main statutory partners, these being North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC), Humberside Police and local health services. These work together, within a broader multi-agency approach, to ensure that:

• The principle that ‘all people in North East Lincolnshire feel safe and are safe’ is upheld.
• All partners have policies and procedures in place to underpin safe practice with regard to the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Care Act 2014, and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
• All partners work within and deliver services that are compliant with NEL Safeguarding Procedures.
• Processes are in place to evidence that safeguarding is responsive to risk and need, is accessible to all people living in NEL and promotes choice through the application of a ‘Making Safeguarding Personal’ approach.
• Information sharing protocols between partners are compliant with data protection requirements.
• Diversity and difference is addressed effectively through interagency policy, procedure, guidance and SAB activity.

It is about both preventing abuse and neglect, and promoting good practice when responding to specific concerns, in line with our Key Principles.

Where abuse is suspected or alleged, then  Safeguarding Adults Procedures (PDF) can be used by organisations and services to make sure that a consistent and comprehensive response is provided.

A vulnerable adult is defined as someone 18 years of age or over:

• Who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and
• Is or may be unable to take care of themselves, or unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation.

Safeguarding adults can include any work or activity which aims to support vulnerable adults to retain independence, well-being and choice and to be able to live a life that is free from abuse and neglect. To do this we employ an inter-agency policy called Making Safeguarding Personal.

North East Lincolnshire’s Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) will:

• Co-ordinate and ensure effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements, providing direction and support.
• Seek assurance of safeguarding arrangements through scrutiny and professional challenge.
• Champion the ethos that ‘safeguarding is everyone’s business‘ ensuring the person is always at the centre of what we do, ‘Making Safeguarding Personal’. 

The SAB has agreed three thematic priorities for 2019-2021; however, they found common themes that underpin elements within all three priorities and addressing these will be central in our approach:

• Lack of Professional Curiosity – the failure of professionals to identify safeguarding issues or challenge others.
• Considering the presence and impact of the ‘toxic trio’ of domestic abuse, mental ill-health and substance abuse.
• Professional and public awareness and communication of safeguarding issues.

North East Lincolnshire’s Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) consists of:

• The  Executive Group which meets every six weeks and comprises: Bev Compton, Director of Adult Social Services (NELC); Jan Haxby, Director of Quality and Nursing (CCG); Darren Wildbore, Southbank Commander (Humberside Police); and Councillor Margaret Cracknell (NELC Portfolio Holder).
• The Executive Group is responsible for the SAB Forward Plan and Monitoring Performance, and oversees the work completed by the Sub-Groups to ensure delivery of the Forward Plan.
• Three Sub-Groups – Domestic Abuse; Exploitation and Neglect (see Terms of Reference in Related Documents section below).

The Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR), Significant Incident Learning Process (SILP) and Good Practice Group

• The purpose of the SAR, SILP and Good Practice Group is to ensure, on behalf of the Safeguarding Adults Board, that the responsibilities set out within the Care Act 2014, in particular section 14 of the statutory guidance, is compliant and supports the SAB Vision and Priorities (see Terms of Reference in Related Documents section below).