Transcript Slide 1

ADDRESSING THE
NEGLECTED ROLE OF
HOUSING IN ADULT
SAFEGUARDING
‘The role of housing in
preventing and addressing
adult abuse is neglected in
legislation, policy, practice
and research’
Report of the joint committee on the draft Care and Support
Bill, England, March 2013, para. 163.
30% of publicly available
adult Serious Case Reviews
in 2012/13 concerned
individuals living in social
housing
Lessons for housing providers from adult Serious Case Reviews
Internal: Housing
providers should
improve:
• data bases of all
tenants
• support and
contract monitoring
• awareness of
safeguarding by all
staff
External: Housing
providers are
inhibited in their
effectiveness due to:
•
•
•
barriers to information
sharing
high referral thresholds
failures of risk and
capacity assessment and
diagnosis
‘Support Officers were not
seen as professional by
social care colleagues.
Housing is outside the loop
at present’
Follow up report to SCR concerning Steven
Hoskin, Flynn/Cornwall, 2009, page 52
‘Though the front
line support
workers knew
Gemma better
than anyone else,
there is no
evidence of other
agencies seeing
them as playing a
key role’
SCR concerning Gemma
Hayter, Warwickshire, 2011
‘There
needs to be
improved sharing of
information with the
housing support
agency and a
recognition of its role
as a professional
partner in the
support of its
tenants’
SCR concerning Mr B, Bucks,
2010
‘There was an absence of
processes through which
housing providers could
be involved in discussions
and monitoring of the
situation’
SCR concerning ‘A1’, Worcestershire, para f.1.f
‘I have seen little evidence of
housing providers being
presumed or even recognised
as a normal participant in
assessment or triage
arrangements where serious
issues arise’
The Edlington Case. A review by Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE, QC,
2012, pages 13, 14
‘The housing agency
made repeated attempts
to refer Gemma to ASC
but were told that she did
not have a learning
disability and had capacity
to make her own choices’
SCR concerning Gemma Hayter, Warwickshire, 2011,
para 3.7.3.3
‘With the exception of the
warden of the sheltered housing
scheme, professionals adopted a
rule of optimism that allowed
them to believe that MP would
be moving to a protective family
environment’
SCR concerning Margaret Panting, Sheffield, 2004, para
2.2.5
‘There was considerable concern
amongst members of the SCR
panel that an individual could
potentially have a serious mental
health and forensic history and
pose a threat to the community,
but that housing might know little
or nothing about this’
SCR concerning ‘CC’, Surrey, 2010, page 20
Missed
opportunities by
housing provider:
•rent arrears
•refusal to grant
access for gas
servicing
•garden
maintenance
issues
There was a failure
of systems to:
•profile tenants to identify
vulnerabilities
•ensure follow up of the
disconnection of gas
• insist on a home visit
•alert social services
SCR concerning Cynthia Barrass, North Tyneside, 2011,
pages 18, 19, 21, 23
‘All staff need to have a greater
curiosity and enquiring
approach about what they
observe and to be aware when
they need to pursue further
information either directly with
the individual or through other
agencies’
(SCR concerning PQ, Bath and North East Somerset, para 24)
The Anti-Social Behaviour
caseworker was commended for
her ‘leadership and
professionalism in dealing with a
prolonged neighbour dispute
involving several vulnerable
tenants in close collaboration
with colleagues in partner
agencies’
SCR concerning Adult A, Bury, 2010, pages 5,7
‘All providers need to ensure that
they have appropriate policies and
procedures in place to help prevent,
detect, and deal with abuse. These
policies should apply to all tenants
at risk of harm, not just those living
in sheltered, extra care and
supported housing’
ADASS/LGA, Safeguarding Adults: Advice and Guidance
to Directors of Adult Social Services, 2013, page 12
‘Housing providers have a key role
in adult safeguarding, particularly
as their staff may be in the best
position to spot signs of abuse or
neglect at an early stage,
especially where other services
are not involved’
The College of Social Work/The National Skills Academy for
Social Care/ Skills for Care: Briefing Care Act implications for
safeguarding adults, 2014, page 12
‘....the pivotal role of
housing in
identifying and
supporting people
who self-neglect’
SCIE Report 69, November 2014, page 66
‘The most significant
improvement to the
engagement of housing
providers in adult
safeguarding is their inclusion
as members of SABs’
Housing and Adult Safeguarding – a brief background
paper, Parry, 2014, page 3
‘Housing staff have a key
safeguarding role to play, alongside
their colleagues in social care, health
and the police, in keeping people
safe. They are well placed to identify
people with care and support needs,
share information and work in
partnership to coordinate responses’
SCIE Guide 53 ‘Adult safeguarding for housing staff’, 2014
‘All service providers, including
housing and housing support
providers, should have clear
operational policies and
procedures that reflect the
framework set by the
Safeguarding Adults Boards in
consultation with them’
Care Act 2014 Statutory Guidance, para 14.196
‘Workers across a wide
range of organisations need
to be vigilant about adult
safeguarding concerns in all
walks of life, including ...
housing’
Care Act 2014 Statutory Guidance, para 14.29
‘Local authorities must
cooperate with each of
their relevant partners ...
and with other such
agencies including
housing providers’
Care Act 2014 Statutory Guidance, paras 14.51, 14.52
Our objectives:
1. Increase awareness across the social housing sector, in particular non
specialist providers of general needs housing, of the need to engage in
adult safeguarding
2. Improve practice within the sector through sharing learning between
members and promoting safeguarding adults training
3. Increase awareness of the economic and social value that participation
by the housing sector brings to safeguarding adults across all sectors
4. Demonstrate the commitment of the social housing sector to improving
engagement in safeguarding adults to a range of partners, particularly
adult social care staff
Our objectives:
5. Work with statutory partners to address the barriers to
effective partnership working, including those relating to
information sharing
6. Improve the strategic engagement of all housing providers
with Safeguarding Adults Boards, addressing the barriers
7. Increase joint working on safeguarding adults between
housing providers in any geographical area
8. Capture and disseminate positive practice, and celebrate
success!