Policies, procedures and key documents
There are a number of key documents which relate to all work of the Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership.
- Communication, Engagement and Inclusion Strategy 2021 - 2024.
- Escalation Policy
- Safeguarding Privacy Notice and Training Privacy Notice
- Strategic Plan 2021-2024
- Safeguarding Arrangements 2024 - 2025
- Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report 2022 - 2023
- Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2023 - 2024
- Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership Modern Slavery Statement
Best Practice Guidance
- Professional Curiosity best practice guidance and poster
- Cultural Competency Guidance
- Language Guide best practice
Adults
All of the multi-agency policies and procedures for practitioners working with adults within Telford and Wrekin are compliant with The Care Act 2014. Some of the policies are for use across the West Midlands, and there are some local policies and procedures too.
West Midlands Policies and Procedures
Within the West Midlands, there are fourteen local authorites and Safeguarding Adults Boards/Partnerships work together to introduce a consistent approach and practice within the adult safeguarding environment.
Visit the West Midlands policies and procedures which the Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership have adopted for use.
Local policies and procedures
- Adults in a Position of Trust Framework, Referral Form and Continuation sheet.
- Framework for Responding to Organisational Failure or Abuse and Best Practice Guidance for Responding Organisational Failure or Abuse
- Provider Record or Alternative Actions to Raising a Safeguarding Concern
- Hoarding Policy and Hoarding and Clutter Image Rating Assessment tool.
- Home Office Modern Slavery Guidance. and Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership Modern Slavery Statement
- Safeguarding Threshold of Needs Matrix.
- Section 42 Enquiry referral by other agencies form.
- Section 42 and Other Enquiries Framework
- Out of Area Safeguarding Adults Policy
- Safeguarding Adults Quality Assurance Standards and Framework
- The Herbert Protocol is a form that carers, family or friends of a vulnerable person, or the person themselves can fill in.
Safeguarding Adults Reviews
A Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) is a statutory duty of the Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership (TWSP) under Section 44 of the Care Act 2014, and must be undertaken when:
• An adult or adults with care and support needs die as a result of abuse or neglect and there is a concern that partnership agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult(s); OR
• An adult or adults with care and support needs has not died, but the TWSP knows or suspects that the adult has experienced serious abuse or neglect with a concern that partnership agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult. SARs are not enquiries into how an adult died and who is responsible. That is a matter for the Coroner or criminal courts.
The purpose of a SAR is to:
• Learn from cases where agencies could have worked together more effectively;
• Consider whether serious harm could or could not have been predicted or prevented, and develop learning that enables the partnership to improve its services, and prevent abuse and neglect in the future; • Identify any issues in multi or single agency policies and procedures;
• Agree on how the learning will be acted on, and what is expected to change; and
• Publish a summary report, which is available to the public. SARs help to improve services, multi-agency working, share best practice and lessons learnt, and to better safeguard adults from risk of abuse and neglect.
What happens when I refer a case for a SAR?
• Information will be requested from agencies known to be or have been involved in the case, as part of the initial scoping exercise; • The SAR Review Panel will meet to discuss the referral, and consider whether the case meets the SAR criteria;
• The SAR Review Panel will make a recommendation to the TWSP Independent Chair;
• Where the criteria is met, the individual or organisation that requested the SAR will be notified and engage in the proceedings of the review. Families will also be invited to contribute to the review; and • If the criteria is not met, the individual or organisation will be notified, and the SAR Review Panel will ensure that any learning from the scoping exercise is retained by TWSP for future improvement. Equally where the criteria is not met the SAR Review Panel may still recommend to the TWSP Independent Chair that a learning exercise or discretionary SAR be undertaken, dependant on the case circumstances.
Key documents:
- Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) - Friends, Family and Carers Info leaflet
- Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) - Practitioner Info leaflet
- Escalation protocol for raising issues among wider locality regions
- Safeguarding Adults Review Library (searchable) National Network for Chairs of Safeguarding Adults Boards
- TWSP SAR Best Practice and Methodologies Guidance
- SAR 7 minute briefing
- SAC Data - 2022 - 2023 - This publication provides findings from the Safeguarding Adults Collection (SAC) for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. Safeguarding Adults is a statutory duty for Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities in England under the Care Act 2014, in order to safeguard vulnerable adults from abuse or neglect. The data is collected directly from these councils, also known as local authorities in this publication. The aim of this publication is to inform users about aspects of safeguarding activity at national, regional and local level. This page presents the key facts and data tables. Further chapters give more detailed information about data quality, how the data should be used, how the data was collected and collated (Introduction and Key Points chapter) and background about safeguarding (Supporting Information chapter). The Safeguarding Adults dashboard, which is an interactive business intelligence tool published alongside the data tables, presents further insight of the data including breakdowns by local authority.
Safeguarding Adults Reviews – themes and implications from a national analysis: in discussion with Professor Michael Preston-Shoot
In this ‘in conversation’ Alex Ruck-Keene talks to Professor Michael Preston-Shoot about the second national analysis of safeguarding adults reviews he recently led with Professor Suzy Braye. They talk about the background and context, and Michael draws out some of the key themes, before they conclude with asking whether SARs actually achieve anything.
Watch the recording here – https://www.mentalcapacitylawandpolicy.org.uk/safeguarding-adults-reviews-themes-and-implications-from-a-national-analysis-in-discussion-with-professor-michael-preston-shoot/
The three reports coming from the analysis can be found here:
Stage 1: Case characteristics; nature of the abuse and neglect; SAR reviewing process
Stage 2: Analysis of learning
Stage 3: Conclusions and improvement priorities
The Safe Care at Home Review Michael talks about can be found here.
Advocacy support
Are you, or do you know someone who, because of disability, illness, social exclusion and other challenges, find it difficult to express their views or get the support they need?
Did you know there are people that can help?
Visit the POhWER website to find out more and make contact!
Children
All of the mult-agency policies and procedures for practitioners working with children within Telford and Wrekin are compliant with Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018. Some of the policies are for use across the West Midlands, and there are some local policies and procedures too.
West Midlands Policies and Procedures
Within the West Midlands, there are nine local areas that collaborate together regarding children safeguarding procedures, which form the policies and procedures library.
There are three different sections within the procedures:
- Statutory Child Protection/Adult Safeguarding Procedures;
- Regional Safeguarding Guidance; and
- Local Area specific Safeguarding Information and Procedures.
Download all of the West Midlands policies and procedures for those working with children.
Please use the link on the contents page to access the section you are looking for, or, alternatively, select a region from within the drop-down menu on the left-hand side to go straight to policies and procedures specifically for Telford and Wrekin.
Local policies and procedures
- Threshold Guidance, Early Help Assessment and Support Plan, including Family Connect request for service form and Family Circle tool
- West Mercia Missing Pathway
- TWSP Neglect Strategy 2020-2023
- CYP in Emotional Mental Health Crisis Resolution SOP September 2021 and Pathway
- Home Conditions Procedure 2022
Joint thematic areas
A lot of the work carried out by the Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Partnership (TWSP) crosses over between adults, children and community safety. All of our joint policies and procedures can be found below.
- Child Sexual Exploitation Strategy 2017 - 2020.
- Domestic Abuse Strategy 2023 - 2025.
- Early Help Strategy 2018 - 2020.
Guidance and briefing notes
Download the guidance and briefing notes.
NICE Guidelines
These guidelines and subsequent recommendations address how best to keep adults in care homes safe from abuse and neglect.
The Guidelines include information on potential indicators of abuse and neglect by individuals or organisations and the safeguarding process from when a concern is first identified through to section 42 safeguarding enquiries. These guidelines make action-orientated recommendations to improve safeguarding for residents of care homes. There are recommendations on policy, training, and care home culture, to improve care home staff awareness of safeguarding and ensure people can report concerns when needed. They cover all adult residents of care homes, including people who stay at care homes for shorter periods (for example day visitors).
The TWSP recommend that these Guidelines should be used and referred to by the following groups:
- care home providers, managers, staff and volunteers
- other health and social care practitioners working with adults in care homes
- health and social care commissioners of residential care for adults
- local authorities and Safeguarding Adults Boards
- adults living in care homes, their families, friends, carers and advocates, and the public.
For a copy of the full Guidelines along with other useful information please visit the NICE website.