During the last 12 months with the support of our partners CSAB have continued to share the clear message, safeguarding is everybody’s business and remains business as usual.
Partner organisation's across the system have continued to provide assurance to the Board during very challenging times, ensuring operational safeguarding continued in a safe and effective way.
I would like to extend my thanks to staff and practitioners across all areas of the system caring for adults at risk in Cumbria ensuring they are protected from abuse or neglect.
This newsletter will celebrate and highlight a small sample of our work during the last 12 months.
Jeanette McDiarmid, CSAB Independent Chair
Communication during covid
During the pandemic we strengthened and extended our links with Communication Leads across the system, making significant efforts to raise awareness of safeguarding adults with staff, volunteers, and local communities. Briefly this included;
30,000 “Keeping Safe” posters disseminated to residents across Cumbria via local Co-ordination Hubs in collaboration with Police & Crime Commissioner, Safer Cumbria, and Cumbria Safeguarding Children’s Partnership.
In collaboration with Cumbria Safeguarding Children’s Partnership, we produced a Safeguarding for Volunteers leafletto improve awareness and understanding of safeguarding aimed at high numbers of new volunteers responding to the pandemic. This was disseminated through Cumbria CVS.
A weekly review of the safeguarding data informed a total of 33 themed newslettersand 5 minute briefings meaning a total of 106,000 individual briefings for our news subscribers.
We developed a dedicated Covid-19 area on our websitewith information, resources and signposting to local support and national guidance
In November 2020 we supported National Safeguarding Awareness Week through daily briefings for news subscribers of nearly 3000 people amplifying the themed messages from Ann Craft Trust.
In collaboration with the local Care Consortium, CSAB developed communication to raise awareness of the impact of lockdown on unpaid carerssignposting to support and encouraging them to register with their GP ensuring they can be prioritised for a covid vaccination
Our statutory 'must-do's'
The Care Act statutory guidance describes what a SAB must do. CSAB have continued to meet our requirements during the pandemic.
During the last 12 months we have published SARs, Barry and Robyn. The learning from the SARs was shared via learning briefs. Learning from SARs will be further disseminated through “virtual” learning events with Robyn planned for 30th March with 100+ staff expected to attend.
CSAB published our 2019/20 Annual Report which was shared with partners, subscribers and on social media. You can find a copy on ourwebsite
During the pandemic we continued to review the impact of covid on our ability to deliver the priorities in our Annual Business Plan which are linked to the objectives as set out in our 3 year Strategic Plan.
We will review and publish our successes including learning from the pandemic in the Annual Report for 2020/21.
National networking and links
During covid CSAB have increased and strengthened links with the National SAB Chair and Board Manager’s networks meeting on a regular basis. This supported the Board to stay abreast of national developments, learn from other SABs and share good practice.
Social Care Institute for Excellent (SCIE)
CSAB are one of ten Board’s taking part in a national pilot with Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) to test out SAR in Rapid Time methodology. SCIE were commissioned to develop the method and tools by the Department of Health & Social Care as part of their covid action plan. The methodology is concerned with identifying systems learning in a much timelier way than traditional SAR approaches and concludes with a systems findings report.
CSAB are also linked into a national review with SCIE of the SAR Quality Markers.
Care & Health Improvement Programme
The Care & Health Improvement Programme (CHIP) commissioned the first national analysis of Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs). The report identifies priorities for sector-led improvements supported by the LGA and ADASS. CSAB have developed an action plan for a local response to the national improvements identified for SABs.
Modern Slavery
In December 2020 CSAB in partnership with CSCP and Safer Cumbria delivered 2 Modern Slavery virtual training sessions; Train the Trainer so that staff can disseminate bite size sessions to colleagues and teams and a session aimed at Safeguarding Leads across the partnerships. We are in the process of measuring how far this training has been disseminated to raise the awareness of Modern Slavery in Cumbria.
Policy & Procedures
A Task & Finish group established to develop and review Cumbria’s multi-agency safeguarding policy and procedures continued their efforts and have published refreshed policy and a number of guidance documents for practitioners.
A Thresholds Tool and Guidance was also published designed to support practitioners, partners and providers working with adult's to report and respond to concerns in the appropriate way.
You can find a copy of all CSAB multi-agency policy, procedures and guidance here
Looking forward
During 2021/21 CSAB and our partners will continue to strengthen the relationships established during the pandemic. We will engage widely with organisations and communities to ensure we protect adults at risk of abuse or neglect.
We will continue to reassure communities in Cumbria that safeguarding adults at risk of abuse or neglect continues to be a priority.
