Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests declared.

The minutes of the meeting held on 29^th July 2014 were agreed and signed as a true record.

Report of the Executive Director, People

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Executive Director, People, which set out the key plans and activities to be delivered in relation to supporting people with Learning Disabilities in the City, through the Learning Disability Strategy.

The Strategy brought together key policy drivers as set out in ‘Valuing People Now’ (2009), ‘Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives’ (2010), ‘Think Autism’ (2014), the ‘Winterbourne Concordat’ (2012) and ‘No Health Without Mental Health’ and balanced them with key priorities identified by stakeholders including people with learning disabilities, carers of people with learning disabilities, voluntary organisations and officers from statutory organisations that will be involved in delivering the Strategy.

The Strategy had been co-produced and was available as an easy read document.  The co-production has taken place since 2013 and had focused primarily on working with adults and their carers.

Action plans that sat under the Strategy would be more focussed on an all age disability approach and future versions of the Strategy would have a stronger emphasis on co-production across all ranges, particularly younger people and their families.  The Strategy would be implemented between 2014 and 2017.

The report had also been considered by the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) at its meeting on 15^th October 2014.  A briefing note detailing the Board’s consideration of the report along with its recommendations to the Cabinet Member was considered.  In particular, the Board requested that the Cabinet Member:

i.  Ensures that Care Act compliance is at the heart of work to implement the Learning Disabilities Strategy, and

ii.  Ensures that all agencies, staff and service users are aware of how to report safeguarding concerns and that they have a duty to do so.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member (Health and Adult Services):-

1.  Agrees with the requests from the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5).

2.  Approve the Strategy on behalf of the Council.

Report of the Executive Director, People

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Executive Director, People, which set out the annual report of the Coventry Safeguarding Adults Board 2013/14.

The Coventry Safeguarding Adults’ Board was a multi-agency partnership made up of statutory sector member organisations and other non-statutory partner agencies.  The Cabinet Member noted that an Elected Member also attended meetings of the Board as an observer.

The role of a Safeguarding Adults’ Board was laid out in the Care Act 2014.  For the first time, the Act made it a statutory requirement for Local Authorities to have a local Safeguarding Adults’ Board.  Coventry had a Board for many years and was ahead of this Legislation.  The report indicated that Board had strategic responsibility for the development, co-ordination, implementation and monitoring of multi-agency policies and procedures that safeguard and protect vulnerable adults in Coventry.  Through its work, the board promoted the welfare of adults at risk and their protection from abuse and harm.

Coventry Safeguarding Adults’ Board met quarterly to provide strategic leadership and direction.  The work of the Board was supported by a number of Sub-Groups that were responsible for developing and managing the delivery of activity to achieve the Board’s priorities.

The Annual Report covered the Board’s activities for the period April 2013 to March 2014 and recorded the progress that had been made over the year, whilst acknowledging the considerable challenges in the year ahead.  Each year the Board reviewed progress against actions set for the previous year and established new priorities for the forthcoming year to ensure that safeguarding arrangements in Coventry continued to be improved. The annual report provides a public record of this.

During 2013/14, the Board was chaired by Brian Walsh, Executive Director, People.  In April 2014 Joan Beck, former Director of Adult Social Care in Doncaster, was appointed as Independent Chair to the Board.  Joan would work closely with the Independent Chair for the Children’s Safeguarding Board.

The Annual Report was appended to the report and, in summary, set out the achievements of each of the Board’s Sub Groups, which included Partnership and Practice Development; Policy and Procedures; Quality and Audit; Serious Case Review; Workforce Development; and Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

The Cabinet Member was also advised of the priorities for the Board for 2014/15 within the areas of prevention; quality; Care Act 2014; domestic violence and abuse; and synergies between safeguarding boards.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member (Health and Adult Services) endorses the contents of the report.

There were no other items of public business.