The Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board
Purpose
The Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board (SAPB) is a partnership that promotes the prevention of vulnerable adult abuse through the coordination and integration of safeguarding work. Vulnerable adults are people who need assistance from health or social care services and are over 18 years of age.
The SAPB determines the strategy of SA work in Southwark. It ensures that vulnerable adults in Southwark can live free from abuse. It also implements effective inter-agency working for example, supporting providers and commissioners of services to implement good practice and a programme of campaigns to raise public awareness of abuse.
The SAPB published its SA Policy and Procedure document in November 2006, and it is compliant with ADASS best practice guidance. The SA Policy and Procedure document established actions, timescales and the resources required to achieve our priorities for the protection of vulnerable adults. In November 2008 we reviewed our progress against the plan over the previous 12 months, addressing the five key areas of work below:
- Integration of Acute Trust policies and processes
- Promotes the awareness of vulnerable adult abuse through the development of high profile publicity campaigns - including the recent ‘Don’t turn your back on abuse’ campaign, which was launched at the SA Stakeholder’s Conference 08.
- The development of process to reduce and to prevent instances of the financial fraud of vulnerable adults.
- The development and integration of cross-partnership HR policies and processes
- The development of robust SA operational procedures, through rigorous audit monitoring, and policy and protocol development.
- The development of a comprehensive range of SA face-to-face and E-Learning training programmes.
Structure
The SAPB consists of key representatives from partner agencies with contact and responsibility for vulnerable adults:
· Strategic director of adult social services and chief executive of the Primary Care Trust (PCT), chair
- Carers
- Commissioning
- Independent sector senior managers
o PLUS
o Southwark Carers
- Operational managers
o Acute Trusts
o Health and Social Care
o Mental Health
o PCT
- Service users
o Southwark Disability Forum
o Southwark Disablement Association (SDA)
o Southwark Pensioners’ Forum
o Southwark MIND
- Statutory sector senior managers
o Housing
o London Ambulance Service
o Police
o Safer Southwark
- Voluntary sector senior managers
o Community Action Southwark
o SDA
Please click here for further information about SAPB membership. In consultation with the SAPB, the SA Executive makes key operational decisions about the implementation of strategic plans. The SA Executive also develops methods for implementing and monitoring safeguarding adults work and this is chaired by the Head of Provider Services Commissioning, Sena Shah.
The executive also appoints and defines the tasks of sub-groups, manages resources and budgets, and leads an annual review of the strategic plan and produces an annual report. Additionally, the SA Executive coordinated the work of a number of project and sub-groups, which address the five key areas of work itemised above.