Summary information was drawn from PSAP meetings and the subsequent Executive Group meetings, where the main business of the PSAP is managed.
April to June 2023
The April PSAP meeting was themed under the strategic priority of Prevention through learning, with a well-received presentation on Professional Curiosityby a Practice Educator from Livewell Southwest and related discussion. In addition to rolling agenda items such as data monitoring and business updates, matters discussed included:
- the first draft of the Learning and Development strategy including future training provision options
- learning events for SARs; locally PSAP has moved into holding learning events for each review, led by the lead reviewer, which have drawn out actions owned by agencies. Practitioners have been well engaged and appreciated the focus on multi agency learning. Learning points highlighted included:
- the importance of advocacy to help families understand the process and have a voice
- raising the profile of Out of Area placement guidance
- the usefulness of the SAR Quality Markers in checking process and decision making
- engagement with people with lived experience of the safeguarding process and barriers to engagement
- review of the multi-agency Creative Solutions Forum considering changes which have evolved since the pandemic
July to Sept 2023
The July PSAP meeting was themed under the strategic priority of Engagement with systems and organisations that surround and impact on safeguarding and included a presentation by Devon and Cornwall Police on the anticipated Right Care Right Person agenda. Related discussions focused on the planned staged approach to its implementation and implications for services. Another presentation by the PCC lead for Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (DASV) and Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) and links to safeguarding and between the respective partnership boards. Other matters discussed included:
- advocacy and its relation to adult safeguarding, with a presentation by the local advocacy service and useful resulting multi-agency discussion and commitments
- the Annual Report from LOD (Living Options Devon) who are commissioned to deliver the Engagement project
- the report on the audit of safeguarding referral quality
- planning for the Partner Assurance Assessment
- positive results and recommendations from benchmarking against the national audit of SAB self-neglect policies
Oct to Dec 2023
The October PSAP meeting was themed under the strategic priority of Learning and included a well-received presentation by the PCC Senior Practitioner for Complex Lives on the variety, successes and challenges of her work to support individuals and organisations across the City.
Another presentation from a PCC Public Health Specialist and the Changing Futures Programme Lead on Developing a Model for Serious Violence Prevention made useful links to the community safety partnership, Safer Plymouth’s work and links with Safeguarding Adult Reviews, Domestic Homicide Reviews and future joint work.
Other matters discussed included:
- presentation by the lead reviewer of a current SAR including a copy of the final draft report, risk assessment, legal advice and agencies updates.
- planning for a range of communications and events during Safeguarding Adults Week in November
- the recently circulated Partners Assurance Assessment
Jan to March 2024
The January PSAP meeting was themed under the strategic priority of Assurance and included a well-received presentation on the Changing Futures programme, an innovative approach from a team working in partnership with local organisations, to improve outcomes for people experiencing multiple disadvantage.
Other matters discussed included:
- a report on the results of the output from the Partners Assurance Assessment, and analysis of the results, the slides for which are included below. The objective of this assessment was to contribute to assurance, assist the Partnership to monitor and evidence progress and achievements in relation to the PSAP priorities, assess current performance and identify areas requiring further development. Partners were asked to provide their views on PSAP governance and efficiency, and to provide information on their engagement with the Business Plan and details of their organisation’s safeguarding arrangements
- an update on recent work regarding vulnerable claimants by the Department for Work & Pensions
- Modern Slavery in the Care Sector and local intelligence and response
- outreach and awareness raising work carried out in various local community venues for National Safeguarding Adults week in November, including the launch of three safeguarding videos and related communications
- support for preparation work for the anticipated CQC Assurance Framework visit
- congratulations to the winner of the Partnership Champion award at the National SAB Excellence Awards in November; the third year that a PSAP nominee has won
PSAP assurance statement
The PSAP has a strategic plan based on 4 adult safeguarding themes - Prevention, Engagement, Learning and Assurance. During the year each one of the four partnership meeting looks in depth at one of the themes, culminating in January of each year with the Assurance theme. Following that meeting the PSAP publishes an Assurance Audit Statement to outline the steps it has taken to assure itself that the adult safeguarding system is working effectively.
A variety of interventions are used, collectively known as the “assurance toolbox”, to get as wide a view as possible of how the safeguarding system is working. Actions and recommendations from individual interventions are fed back to relevant partners and the monitored by the partnership. Throughout the year the full partnership, its Executive Group, Engagement sub group, SAR sub group and Assurance sub group work together to ensure work on assurance is current and achievable.
Annual system audit
Each year PSAP identifies a specific part of the safeguarding system that will be audited. Analysis of information from the PSAP data dashboard, wider data sources and feedback from partners determines the subject and scope of the audit. The 2022/23 audit was a review of referrals into the local authority safeguarding team to investigate why and what happened to referrals that did not meet the criteria for a statutory safeguarding response. This was prompted by a wish to understand how PSAP could promote more preventative ways of working. An independent reviewer undertook the audit and a PSAP hosted task and finish group asked partners to develop an action plan based on the conclusions of the audit. 7 system service improvements were identified, related work is underway and ongoing.
Partners assurance assessment
PSAP partners were involved in developing and the regional model for self-assessment, partly based on their safeguarding performance and partly based on their engagement and involvement in the PSAP business plan. The design for next version of an assurance assessment is in progress, and will be based on completed analysis of those used by 8 other SABs, following consultation.
PSAP Business Plan
The business plan has been developed with the input of all partners, and is designed to be an organic document, capable of responding to issues raised by partners or identified by data monitoring. It groups issues of note under each of the strategic themes, and provides a real-time check on progress, monitored on a monthly basis by the Assurance sub group. It has 14 aims with action required, expected impact, known achievements, current updates and lead partner or sub group clearly identified. A partner representative leads for each section and is responsible for providing updates, particularly where items may fall outside of the formal remit of PSAP but are important for the effective functioning of the safeguarding system.
PSAP risk register
Revised and updated this year and formally adopted in March, this document links known risks to the Business Plan and is monitored monthly by the Assurance sub group.
Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs)
SARs provide valuable assurance to the Partnership based on in depth research into an individual safeguarding case. PSAP uses both independently researched and authored investigations and multi-agency learning events to understand the critical issues and pinch points in the system. See Learning From SARs section.
Partner feedback
Throughout the year partners have been asked to give feedback about any challenges experienced by their agencies that may impact on their safeguarding performance. This information has been fed into the Business Plan, which gives it a wider and richer view of the safeguarding world beyond the legal Care Act definition.
Individual interviews
As part of the PSAP Engagement Project, Living Options Devon continue to be contracted to undertake a regular and ongoing series of interviews with people who have been through the safeguarding process. This has provided some feedback which is actionable but also powerfully tells the stories of people where safeguarding has been part of their lives. Living Options Devon presented update reports on this and other work streams to the Engagement themed partnership meeting, providing the opportunity to consider assurance from our citizens’ perspectives.
Engagement roadmap
The second part of the Engagement Project undertaken this year has been the development of an engagement road map. It will lay out in clear and simple terms what PSAP will do over the following 3 years to effectively engage with local communities and local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations. The targeted actions are based on information drawn from the PSAP data dashboard.
Business calendar
The Assurance sub group have designed a business review calendar that lists all the PSAP documents, policies and related groups’ terms of reference, which sub group or individual is responsible for reviewing them and timescales. This provides the Partnership with a new governance and assurance tool for 2023 and beyond.
PSAP Partners’ Assurance Assessment 2023 Analysis
Eight organisations have completed the Plymouth Safeguarding Adults Partnership Partner Assurance Assessment:
- Livewell Southwest
- Plymouth Community Homes
- Healthwatch
- Plymouth City Council
- Devon and Cornwall Police
- Devon NHS Integrated Care Board
- University Hospitals Plymouth
- National Probation Service
PSAP Effectiveness questions - Key Findings
- 87.5% of all responses to the PSAP Effectiveness questions were answered positively (Strongly agree or Agree)
- 8.3% of all responses were answered neutrally (Neither Agree or Disagree)
- The two questions with the most positive score are;
- Q1. The PSAP demonstrates effective leadership and coordinates the delivery of adult safeguarding policy and practice across all agencies, with representatives who are sufficiently senior to get things done.
- Q12. Partners work in an atmosphere and culture of cooperation, mutual assurance, accountability and ownership of responsibility.
- The two questions with the most negative score are;
- Q8. There are strong links between the PSAP and other City partnership boards such as the Health and Wellbeing Board, Community Safety Partnership and Children’s Safeguarding Partnership.
- Q.10 There are mechanisms in place to ensure that the views of people who are in situations that place them at risk of abuse and carers inform the work of the PSAP
PSAP Effectiveness questions ranked most positive to least positive by score;
| Question | Score |
|---|---|
| 1. The PSAP demonstrates effective leadership and coordinates the delivery of adult safeguarding policy and practice across all agencies, with representatives who are sufficiently senior to get things done | 37 |
| 12. Partners work in an atmosphere and culture of cooperation, mutual assurance, accountability and ownership of responsbility | 37 |
| 5. The PSAP safeguars adults both proactively, through awarness raising and prevention of abuse and neglect, and responsively, by creating frameworks to effectively respond once concerns are raised. | 35 |
| 7. The PSAP has good quality legal, medical, nursing, social work and other advice available to it as necessary | 35 |
| 4. The PSAP has a clear undestanding of how well it is performing and what difference it makes through regular self-assessment and benchmarking, and has a positive attitude to learning and improvement across partners. | 34 |
| 6. The PSAP uses data, information and intelligence to identify risks and trends and formulates action in response to these. | 34 |
| 11. Reporting mechnaisms (to the PSAP and from the PSAP to the Council and the boards of partner organisations) are clear and effective. | 34 |
| 2. Partners contribute sufficent human and financial resources to enable PSAP to function effectively | 33 |
| 3. The PSAP provides challenge and support on the outcomes for and experiences of people needing services and the impact and effectiveness of service delivery to its member organisations | 33 |
| 9. There are clear protocols in place that intergrate difference agency procedures | 31 |
| 10. There are nechanisms in place to ensure that the views of people who are in situations that place them at risk of abuse and carers inform the work of the PSAP | 30 |
| 8. There are strong links between the PSAP and other City partnership boards such as the Health and Wellbeing Board, Community Safety Partnership and Children's Safeguarding Partnership | 29 |
| Response | Points |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 5 |
| Agree | 4 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 3 |
| Disagree | 2 |
| Strongly agree | 1 |
Statement 1: The PSAP demonstrates effective leadership and coordinates the delivery of adult safeguarding policy and practice across all agencies, with representatives who are sufficiently senior to get things done. All organisations either Strongly Agreed or Agreed with the statement.
Majority (62.5%) Strongly Agreed.
Statement 2: Partners contribute sufficient human and financial resources to enable PSAP to function effectively.
50% agreed with this statement, compared to 37.5% who strongly agreed. One organisation disagreed with the statement.
Statement 3: The PSAP provides challenge and support on the outcomes for and experiences of people needing services and the impact and effectiveness of service delivery to its member organisations.
The majority agreed with this statement, compared to 25% who strongly agreed. One organisation answered that they neither agreed or disagreed with the statement.
Statement 4: The PSAP has a clear understanding of how well it is performing and what difference it makes through regular self-assessment and benchmarking, and has a positive attitude to learning and improvement across partners. All organisations either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement. Majority (75%) agreed.
Statement 5: The PSAP safeguards adults both proactively, through awareness raising and prevention of abuse and neglect, and responsively, by creating frameworks to effectively respond once concerns are raised. All organisations either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement. Majority (62.5%) agreed.
Statement 6: The PSAP uses data, information and intelligence to identify risks and trends and formulates action in response to these.
50% agreed with this statement, compared to 37.5% who strongly agreed. One organisation answered that they neither agreed or disagreed with the statement.
Statement 7: The PSAP has good quality legal, medical, nursing, social work and other advice available to it as necessary.
50% strongly agreed with this statement, compared to 37.5% who agreed. One organisation answered that they neither agreed or disagreed with the statement.
Statement 8: There are strong links between the PSAP and other City partnership boards such as the Health and Wellbeing Board, Community Safety Partnership and Children’s Safeguarding Partnership.
The majority (62.5%) agreed with this statement, compared to 12.5% who strongly agreed. Two organisations answered that they disagreed with the statement.
Statement 9: There are clear protocols in place that integrate different agency procedures.
The majority (62.5%) either strongly agreed or agreed with this statement. However, three organisations answered that they neither agreed or disagreed with the statement.
Statement 10: There are mechanisms in place to ensure that the views of people who are in situations that place them at risk of abuse and carers inform the work of the PSAP.
The majority (75%) either strongly agreed or agreed with this statement. However, one organisation answered that they neither agreed or disagreed with the statement, and one organisation disagreed.
Statement 11: Reporting mechanisms (to the PSAP and from the PSAP to the Council and the boards of partner organisations) are clear and effective.
50% agreed with this statement, compared to 37.5% who strongly agreed. One organisation answered that they neither agreed or disagreed with the statement.
Statement 12: Partners work in an atmosphere and culture of cooperation, mutual assurance, accountability and ownership of responsibility.
All organisations either Strongly Agreed or Agreed with the statement. Majority (62.5%) Strongly Agreed.
Additional Partner information
Five questions had a 100% positive response i.e. all organisations answered YES:
- Does a senior member of staff within your organisation have specific responsibility for safeguarding?
- Do you use raise awareness of abuse, neglect and self-neglect with staff?
- Do you have a whistle blowing policy that all staff are aware of and assists them in escalating concerns and reporting poor practice?
- Do you collect information to assure all staff are aware of current legislation and national guidance relevant to your organisation that may have an impact on adult safeguarding?
- Are actions and information from the PSAP disseminated within your organisation?
The question with the least positive (2 answers of NO) response was:
Does your organisation use the PSAP Performance Data information to inform strategic plans and operations?
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Does a senior member of staff within your organisation have specific responsibility for safeguarding? | 8 | 0 |
| Does your organisation use the PSAP Performance Data information to inform strategic plans and operations? | 6 | 2 |
| Do you collect information to assure you that adults accessing your service/s have sufficient access to appropriate advocacy or support to do so? | 7 | 1 |
| Do you use raise awareness of abuse, neglect and self-neglect with staff? | 8 | 0 |
| Do you review the quality of your organisations safeguarding referrals made to the Local Authority? | 7 | 1 |
| Do you have a whistle blowing policy that all staff are aware of and assists them in escalating concerns and reporting poor practice? | 8 | 0 |
| Do you collect information to assure all staff are aware of current legislation and national guidance relevant to your organisation that may have an impact on adult safeguarding? | 8 | 0 |
| Is the Plymouth Multi-agency Adult Safeguarding Manual (link to the right) reflected in your internal guidance and procedures? | 7 | 1 |
| Re internal guidance and procedures; Are your staff aware of these documents and know how to access them? | 7 | 1 |
| Are actions and information from the PSAP disseminated within your organisation? | 8 | 0 |
Qualitative Analysis – Strategic Priority One
All organisations provided responses in relation to the following aims;
1.1Ensure that individuals are robustly safeguarded as they move from adolescence to adulthood
1.2 Ensure that individuals leading complex lives are safeguarded
1.3 Ensure that those with care and support needs who experience domestic abuse are safeguarded
1.4 Ensure the safeguarding needs of homeless people are recognised and responded to
1.5 PSAP has financial stability and sufficient resources to support the safeguarding system
Key themes identified:
- Organisations emphasise their contribution to partnership working and commitment to continue to do so
- There is a strong awareness of the most vulnerable groups to safeguarding, and plans and strategies are aligned to target those most at risk
- Organisations refer to the completion of training and the importance of disseminating information and raising awareness among staff
- Adopting a Trauma Informed Approach is mentioned by a few of the organisations
Qualitative Analysis – Strategic Priority Two
All organisations provided responses in relation to the following aims;
2.1People and communities in Plymouth are engaged in the best way with the safeguarding system
2.2 Information on adult safeguarding is accessible to the public and professionals
Key themes identified:
- Organisations disseminate information to members of staff, usually via staff intranet or other methods of communications e.g. face to face, posters, leaflets
- Organisations refer to the completion of training and raising awareness among staff
- Organisations refer to the importance of ensuring victims and victims' families/ representatives are in receipt of all advice and information regarding services
Qualitative Analysis – Strategic Priority Three
All organisations provided responses in relation to the following aims;
3.1 Ensure that frontline staff across agencies have the confidence and competence to meet the safeguarding needs of the people of Plymouth
3.2 Ensure that learning from both positive and negative service user experiences that occur locally, regionally and nationally inform practice, systems and service design
Key themes identified:
- Organisations refer to the completion of training and raising awareness among staff
- Organisations refer to ensuring knowledge through supervision
- Organisations use regional and national networks to learn
- Use of learning from Safeguarding Adults Reviews, Domestic Homicide Reviews and Mental Health Homicide Reviews
Qualitative Analysis – Strategic Priority Four
All organisations provided responses in relation to the following aims;
4.1 Ensure that safeguarding practice is robust across the system and learning is embedded into practice
4.2 Publish the PSAP annual report
4.3 PSAP annual partner assurance assessment process
4.4 Safeguarding data informs the safeguarding system and practice
Key themes identified:
All refer to continued support of annual report and assurance processes
- Organisations refer to the existence of data/ performance/ quality teams who are utilised to ensure 4.4 is met.
- Organisations who stated this are; Plymouth Community Homes, Plymouth City Council, Probation Service, Integrated Care Board, University Hospitals Plymouth and Livewell Southwest.