Agenda item

The Board considered a report of the Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Children and Adults Boards, Sue Fiennes.  The report provided an overview of Safeguarding activity in Sheffield and outlined priorities for 2016/17.  The Annual Reports of the Safeguarding Children and Adults Boards for 2014-15 were appended to the report submitted to the Board. 

The Board was asked to consider how Safeguarding related to the Board’s current priorities and whether there were any developments the Board would want to see that would better align the work of the Safeguarding and Health and Wellbeing Boards.

Sue Fiennes stated that a governance review of the Safeguarding Adults Partnership had been completed and implemented in 2014/15. The leadership and governance of safeguarding was mature and enabled challenge and

openness and there was a good basis for continuing improvement. It was also likely that the Child Death Overview panel would be taken out of the Safeguarding Board structure. With regard to adult safeguarding, Sheffield was at the forefront of issues concerning self-neglect and was well placed to develop this work. There were links between narrowing the health gap between communities in the City and keeping people safe. There was also recognition of diversity and the requirement to consider the needs of different communities and approach these in the appropriate way.

Members of the Board asked questions and made comments as summarised below:

It was important to make sure that as much as possible was being done in relation to safeguarding and it had to be a foremost priority to keep people safe.

There was a balance required of proactive and reactive approaches and the question was asked as to how this might be done better. In response, the Board was informed that as regards adult safeguarding, the Safe in Sheffield scheme had been well received by people with disabilities and a positive programme of prevention had been created. If progress was made in relation to health and wellbeing programmes, for example therapeutic support and suicide pathways, this might help to realise a more balanced approach.

As regards what needed to happen in order to make a difference, there was a significant challenge in relation to available resources and other approaches were being looked at. In relation to emotional wellbeing, resources could be pooled to provide support to people in need.

There was a need to train and support people who were the eyes and ears of the Board and respective organisations in relation to safeguarding, be they in services which required them to visit people’s homes or other services such as licensing. They should be able to help recognise signs of issues relating to safeguarding and exemplar training was available to enable and support people in such roles to do so. Training should also be available for elected members.

The health gap was something that was recognised by the Board and the changing nature of the City’s population and requirement for proactive measures in relation to safeguarding was also something to which the Board would need to give its attention.

Members thanked Sue Fiennes for her work for adults and children in respect of safeguarding and it was recognised that as Independent Chair, she had held organisations to account, including the Council and health trusts in the City, and had provided challenge. There were initiatives including the Safe in Sheffield initiative that could contribute to adult safeguarding and helping people to keep well in the future.

The Health and Wellbeing Board needed to be able to respond quickly to new and emerging issues and policy changes. For example, the implications for safeguarding of the decision to make primary schools become academies. At present, local authorities had responsibility for the safeguarding of vulnerable children at primary school age.

Councillor Julie Dore, on behalf of the Board, expressed the Health and Wellbeing Board’s best wishes and thanks and appreciation for the work that Sue Fiennes had contributed to safeguarding, especially in the most recent few years in relation to Child Sexual Exploitation and with regard to individual safeguarding cases.

RESOLVED: That the Health and Wellbeing Board:-

1.      Endorses and supports the work of the Safeguarding Boards in Sheffield; and

2.      Commits to continuing to work with the Safeguarding Boards to protect people at risk.