Hello everyone and welcome to the March edition of our newsletter. As I write this, the sun is shining in through the window and there is a distinct feeling of Spring in the air. I love this time of year, there is a feeling of new beginnings as things start to re-emerge following Winter.

It’s a perfect time to re-focus and think about your own CPD for the months ahead. We hope you find something in this month’s edition which inspires you to refresh and grow your knowledge and skills.

Fiona Pollock, Chair – Protecting People Angus Workforce Learning & Development Sub Group

I have worked in the fire service for over 24 years initially as a retained firefighter in Montrose but joined as a wholetime firefighter in 2001.  My role as a Liaison Officer is linking with partnerships i.e. community mental health teams, social care, housing, Police Scotland to name a few.  These engagements are based around the risk reduction of service users in a fire situation.

Youth Justice Work - I have recently piloted a young fire fighter scheme at Rossie Secure Unit in Montrose, allowing us as a service to have a better understanding of the youth justice system. Youth engagement is a huge part of my role within the community safety team, and we are constantly delivering courses with Prince's trust school groups. 

Hoarding and Self-neglect - During my time within the L&D sub group so far, I have taken on and produced a package for the  delivery and awareness of hoarding and self neglect.  The end goal with this will be a Tayside delivery of 3 packages hopefully giving a rounded understanding of the issues and legislation linked to hoarding and self neglect.

Gender Based Violence - I am part of the Angus Violence Against Women Partnership (AVAWP) Committee where I try to learn and get a better understanding of this issue within Angus.  During my time with this, I have been granted a funding application which will allow us as a department to fit a letter/mail guards to occupier properties that have had threats of fire or violence.

It has been a whirlwind first year in Prevention and Protection Function of the fire service, and we don't just rescue cats from trees.. well sometimes we do. I have thoroughly enjoyed this last year gaining an understanding and an appreciation of all the hard work and effort that goes on throughout each partnership group. 

Gary Wood, Watch Commander, Local Authority Liaison Officer (Angus) 

LEARNING BITE

ROLE OF NHS ADULT PROTECTION TEAM

NHS Tayside has a shared responsibility with other agencies for protecting adults and ensuring their welfare in line with the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007.  As part of this, NHS Tayside is responsible for ensuring its workforce are confident and competent in carrying out their responsibilities for protecting and promoting wellbeing of adults at risk in line with statutory, national and local guidance.

NHS Adult Protection Team is a relatively new and recently expanded team, existing to provide advice and guidance around these issues, in addition to facilitating training and acting as a ‘single point of contact’ in terms of the role of health in adult safeguarding.  There are three Adult Protection Advisers in the team, who each provide a contact point for the three Local Authority areas in Tayside:

Susan Torrance, Adult Protection Advisor, Dundee susan.torrance@nhs.scot

Cherie Lamont, Adult Protection Advisor, Angus cherie.lamont@nhs.scot

Doreen Reid, Adult Protection Adviser, Perth and Kinross   doreenreid2@nhs.scot

In addition, the team encompasses three specialist roles.   Jodie Gunn recently joined the team as Gender Based Violence/Violence Against Women Adviser, covering Tayside;  jodeen.gunn@nhs.scot.  Jackie Daly has taken on the role of Adult Protection Adviser focusing on ‘care home oversight’.  Paul Winter’s role as MAPPA (Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements) Health Liaison Officer also contributes to the safeguarding agenda addressed by the NHS Adult Protection Team; paul.winter@nhs.scot.

Please get in touch should you wish to know more!  Our main contact number is 01738 562471; we have a duty worker available on a daily basis.

Angus Community Justice Partnership

I’ve been part of the Protecting People Angus team since starting my secondment as a development officer for the Angus Community justice Partnership (ACJP) in April 2019.

Previously, working as a social worker with the Munro team (male only) within Justice Services.

My role involves a diverse range of tasks, including supporting various statutory and third sector members of the partnership to work together to meet local needs and keep the community safe. Organise/co-facilitate and evaluate online learning sessions and events with partners to promote workforce/services knowledge around what is going on in services. Support partners to develop and meet actions set within the ACJP Outcome improvement plan aimed at improving service delivery for the Angus Community. Monitor and review the progress of the plan, write annual reports on services work and act as a facilitator between Community Justice Scotland (they oversee all the CJP across Scotland) and the partnership. I undertake small pieces of research to give people with lived experience a voice and work with colleagues within the PPA team to identify and meet the shared priorities of each other’s partnerships.
I’m also a Practice Educator for social work students, a passion of mine and immensely rewarding. There is nothing better than seeing someone grow and flourish and have the privilege of walking the journey with them.

Moving across from an operational environment to a strategic level was a huge learning curve, to be honest more like a rollercoaster, totally out of my comfort zone and working within a completely new language! Three years on, I’m thoroughly enjoying my role and
would advise anyone who is thinking about a change – go for it!

Angie Pert, Development Officer Community Justice / Protecting People

Prevent Webinars

We have been working closely with colleagues within Police Scotland and are pleased to be able to offer the following 4 Prevent Webinars via Microsoft Teams (20 spaces available at each session).  

These sessions are for NHS employees and as such have an NHS Focus on them, rather than a health and social care partnership perspective. 

Tuesday 8 March 2022 – 10.30am - 11.30am (register by 1 March)

Wednesday 18 May 2022 – 1.30pm – 2.30pm (register by 11 May)

Wednesday 13 July 2022 - 1.30pm – 2.30pm (register by 6 July)

Tuesday 11 October 2022 - 10.30am - 11.30am (register by 4 October)

Prevent is part of the UK’s counter terrorism strategy (Contest), preventing people from becoming involved in terrorism or supporting terrorism.  An integral part to the success of Prevent is involving people who already have the skills and support to hand that can recognise when someone may be becoming involved in or supporting terrorism and can help make a decision not to carry on that path before any crime is committed.

The Introduction to Prevent webinar is aimed at providing attendees with an awareness and understanding of the Prevent agenda and their role within it. In particular, it seeks to support them to recognise that by using their existing expertise and professional judgement, they may be able to recognise potentially vulnerable individuals who may be susceptible to being persuaded by an extremist or terrorist ideology.

If you/member of your staff would like to attend, please send your nomination and the date of preferred session to tay.resilience@nhs.scot. A Microsoft Teams link will be sent out the week before the session. Places will be on a first come, first served basis.

‘Save the Dates’ flyer for the forthcoming Neglect Learning Series

These will be webinar format and they are open to practitioners, managers, and CPC members. Please  encourage anyone interested to note their interest at celcis.learning@strath.ac.uk and they will be sent information for individual webinars with registration instructions in advance of each of the four sessions.