Agenda item - Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) Annual Report

Report of the Brighton and Hove Safeguarding Adults Board Independent Chairperson (copy attached)

RESOLVED – (1) That the Health and Wellbeing Board notes the contents of the Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) Annual Report 2019/20 and commends partners agencies for their contribution to safeguarding adults with care and support needs; and

(2) Notes SAB’s achievements and challenges as identified in Appendix 1 to the report.

26.1    The Board considered the Annual Report for 2019/20 of the Independent Chairperson of the Brighton and Hove Safeguarding Adults Board. Preparation of an annual report was a statutory requirement and covered the period 1^st April 2019 to 31^st March 2020 and outlined progress the B&H SAB has made over the last year in respect to safeguarding adults with care and support needs.

26.2    It was noted that theBrighton & Hove Safeguarding Adults Board (B&H SAB) comprised senior representatives from statutory and non-statutory agencies and organisations in Brighton & Hove with a responsibility for safeguarding adults with care and support needs, the Board co-ordinated local safeguarding activity and sought to ensure the effectiveness of local work by:

·       Monitoring and scrutinising work done by partner agencies to safeguard and promote the welfare of adults with care and support needs

·       Undertaking Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs) and other multi-agency learning reviews, audits and qualitative reviews as well as sharing learning opportunities

·       Collecting and analysing safeguarding data

·       Drawing evidence from the testimony of adults with care and support needs and frontline professionals

·       Publishing an annual report

26.3    During the period covered by the report, significant progress had been made against the priorities set out in the, Strategic Plan 2019-22 the hard work and commitment shown by all the partner agencies to achieve these aims was acknowledged. The highlight of the year had been securing funding for a full-time business manager and appointing Guy Jackson to the role This more than doubled previous management capacity and, were it not for Covid 19, would have enabled the Board to accelerate an ambitious programme of community and user engagement and care sector assurance. Other notable achievements included the agency self-assessment process, culminating in a pan-Sussex challenge event where significant introspection and learning took place and a robust action plan was developed. Additionally a successful safeguarding conference in November 2019 had focused on exploitation with a range of themes that included homelessness, trauma, personality disorder, county lines, cuckooing, coercive control and hoarding.

26.4     In answer to questions relating to work planned for the coming year and going forward it was explained that as well as developing new strands related to COVID 19, work would  resume to engage and inform the public, especially those who access safeguarding services and those who care for them, assess how the SAB can help agencies reduce the suicide rate and look for opportunities to share arrangements and good practice with neighbouring SABs and at a national level.

26.5    Members welcomed and commended this detailed report which set out in detail the important work carried out by the Board and the valuable and pro-active role which it had.

26.7    RESOLVED – (1) That the Health and Wellbeing Board notes the contents of the Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) Annual Report 2019/20 and commends partners agencies for their contribution to safeguarding adults with care and support needs; and

(2) Notes SAB’s achievements and challenges as identified in Appendix 1 to the report.