Dear Colleague,

I wanted to take the opportunity to write to assure you that the safeguarding of children and adults in Coventry remains a priority as we work through the current situation with coronavirus.

These are uniquely challenging times and the strength of the local partnership in the city will stand us all in good stead to meet those challenges. Working practices will continue to evolve over the coming weeks to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities. You will have received guidance from your own organisation but may I also assure you that the safeguarding partnership structure continues to operate for both adults and children.

The Partnership Team have been considering safeguarding risks and those actions that might be taken to reduce them. We will monitor and update this over the coming weeks. We will have to reassess our planned activity and adopt a pragmatic approach to what is feasible as we adapt to new working arrangements but our commitment to provide help and support where needed is as strong as ever.

Working together has never been more important.

Derek Benson
Independent Chair
Coventry Safeguarding Children Partnership & Coventry Safeguarding Adults Board

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed considerable pressures on Adult Social Care making it necessary for the Government to introduce Care Act Easements as part of the Coronavirus Act 2020. 

Adult Social Care have said:

"In Coventry we have made the decision to ease our care act duties. In activating the easements we are temporarily relaxing some of duties under the Care Act 2014. Please be assured that despite this relaxation Adult Social Care in Coventry will continue to work with people with care and support needs, their families and carers and the people and organisations who provide care and support to provide the best care and support possible over this period."

The Coventry Safeguarding Adults Board have produced a new one minute guide to the Care Act Easements.

Read more about how Coventry City Council are enacting the Care Act easements.

During this period of uncertainty, the Coventry Safeguarding Adults Board is witnessing many acts of kindness and compassion in our communities across the city. People are uniting in their streets and community groups to ensure the well-being of their neighbours, and to ensure that nobody is left isolated and without provisions.

To support volunteers, the Board has produced a new one minute guide around safeguarding adults, aimed at citizens who are new to safeguarding. It's a basic introduction to safeguarding including different types of abuse and indicators.

Read the new one minute guide.

All of our other one minute guides are on our website 

VoiceAbility is the commissioned provider of advocacy for Coventry and Warwickshire. They provide advocacy support with Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA), Care Act, Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA), Mental Health Advocacy, NHS complaints advocacy and general health advocacy referrals, as well as advocacy in general hospitals. 

During this crisis Voiceability has equipped all their advocates to be able to work remotely. They have access to video conferencing via Microsoft Teams and can set up calls regardless of whether the other person has the Teams app or not. This facility is available on laptop or smart phone and naturally we can speak to clients by phone if they have access to a phone themselves.

In addition to their usual advocacy services, through the COVID-19 pandemic, if an individual is worried about their current position or circumstances, due to mental capacity or mental health issues, they are happy to take referrals to talk through the situation and help them to understand their position. Perhaps talking to someone independent maybe helpful.

There is nothing in the Coronavirus Act which could suspend people’s rights to advocacy under the Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005 or the Care Act 2014. This means that health and social care professional’s legal duties to refer eligible people for advocacy still apply.

Referrals can be made via the referral line 0300 444 5947 (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm), or by email to CWAdvocacy@voiceability.org via a secure method, for example the following are acceptable if you have access to one of these:

• Sophos email (available to C&W Partnership NHS Trust staff)
• Egress email (available to Warwickshire County Council staff)
• @coventry.gov.uk email (available to Coventry City Council staff)
• Email from a CJSM account to cwadvocacy@voiceability.cjsm.net

Our leaflets are available on VoiceAbility website.

The Government have produced guidance for people, including children, who are at very high risk of severe illness from Coronavirus (COVID-19) because of an underlying health condition. This includes the use of ‘shielding’ as a measure to protect. People identified are strongly advised to stay at home at all times and avoid any face-to-face contact for a period of at least 12 weeks from the day they receive a letter from the NHS. If people have a medical condition which makes them extremely vulnerable to Coronavirus (COVID-19), they can register themselves and request support, including a weekly food parcel delivered to the doorstep.

It’s a three-fold support to people who do not have a support network that they can rely on including food (delivery of basic food parcels directly to their doorsteps), medicines and social contact. We are prioritising those in the high-risk group who are unable to rely on family or friends for adequate practical support throughout the period of shielding. CV Life is leading this response working closely with the City Council with operational hubs in place. CV Life are using volunteers from their own organisation and partner organisations to contact those identified to see if they require support.

CV Life will also support people identified by Health and Social Care who have an identified urgent need for one off food parcel provision, collection of prescriptions and medication (until alternative arrangements can be made), following hospital discharge and have no other friends, family, or neighbours that can help.

Mencap have produced an easy read Coronavirus update. This may be useful for adults with learning difficulties, for whom English is not a first language and adults in Coventry who experience difficulty with reading.

The guide can be found on our website.

More easy read resources can be found on the Keep Safe website.

Safeguarding means protecting the health and wellbeing of adults with care and support needs enabling individuals to live safely, free from abuse and neglect. It is also about people and organisations working together to prevent and reduce both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect.

During this pandemic, the Coventry Safeguarding Adults Board has been highlighting the importance of safeguarding adults, particularly to members of the public who might be acting as volunteers within their community. The Board is pleased to share with you a new range of ten posters focusing on different types of abuse and neglect, together with details on what to do if there is a concern around an adult with care and support needs.

You are encouraged to share these resources widely.

Find the posters and read more about safeguarding adults on our website.