Safeguarding Adults and Children

Corporate Safeguarding Policy

Introduction

Safeguarding and protecting children and adults at risk is a high priority for Pembrokeshire County Council. This Corporate Safeguarding Policy provides a framework for every member of staff and Service within the Council setting out responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and protecting children and adults at risk as well as the methods by which the Council will be assured that it is fulfilling its duties.

This policy applies to all Council employees and workforce, councillors, volunteers and also service providers that are commissioned by the Council. For the purposes of this policy ‘workforce’ is defined as those engaged by the Council, including permanent and temporary employees, students, volunteers, workers employed by employment agencies, contractors and consultants.

Safeguarding is everyone's business whether they work for, or on behalf of the Council.

The intention is that this Corporate Safeguarding Policy will supplement and not replace any responsibilities already set out in legislation, policy or guidance.

The corporate policy complements other local authority safeguarding documents such as:

• Safe Recruitment
• Whistleblowing Policy
• Vetting of Volunteers
• Procurement Strategy

Objectives of this Policy

• To set out how the Local Authority will meet its obligations towards the safeguarding of children and adults at risk;
• To give assurances to the public, councillors, staff, volunteers and people carrying out work on behalf of the Council that there are sound arrangements in place to safeguard children and adults at risk.

Principles

• Every child and adult at risk (whatever their background, culture, age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religious belief) has a right to participate in a safe society without any violence, fear, abuse, bullying or discrimination.
• Every child and adult at risk has the right to be protected from harm, neglect exploitation and abuse.
• All councillors, employees and volunteers who work for or with the Council have a responsibility for protecting children and adults at risk from abuse and neglect and working in a way that promotes and supports their best interests.
• The Council will invest in preventative and early intervention services and endeavour to prevent situations arising where abuse, neglect or harm may occur.

Scope

The Social Services and Wellbeing Act (Wales) 2014 states:-

• A child at risk is a child who is experiencing or is at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm and;
• has needs for care and support whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs.
• An adult at risk is an adult who is experiencing or is at risk of abuse, neglect,
• has needs for care and support whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs and;
• As a result of those needs is unable to protect him or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

Children and young people are defined as anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. This does not exclude a young person who is 16 years of age in Further Education, or a member of the Armed Forces, in hospital, in a young offender’s institution, or in prison. A full explanation of the terms of abuse are outlined in Appendix 1.

Related legislation, policy and guidance

The Council remains committed to the 1945 Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, as well as the United Nation’s Principles for Older People.

The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act (2014) (SSWBA) aims to strengthen and build on existing safeguarding practice in Wales to ensure that people are able to live their lives to the full. There is a new overarching duty to promote the well-being of people who need care and support together with an emphasis on shared responsibility and partnership working.

‘’Whilst the Council is the organisation in making enquiries to identify whether an individual is at risk of harm, or abuse, and co-ordinating a response it should be clear that Safeguarding is everyone’s business and to this end this responsibility cannot be achieved in isolation and without clear and accountable leadership.” Social Services and Wellbeing Act (Wales) 2014 (SSWA).

In the Social Services and Wellbeing Act, well-being is defined through eight aspects, one of which is protection from abuse and neglect. In relation to a child, well-being also includes their physical, intellectual, emotional, social and behavioural development; and their welfare (ensuring they are kept safe from harm).

The WLGA and WG Corporate Safeguarding Guidance describes the arrangements in place that a Council makes to ensure that all of its employees play their part in safeguarding and promote the wellbeing of children and adults who may be at risk of harm. This is a guidance document to help everyone who works for council services understand how they can play a crucial role in safeguarding children and to meet their responsibilities in preventing the abuse of children and adults, promoting their wellbeing.

In January 2020 the Senedd passed the Welsh Government’s Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020 (“the Act”). The overarching aim is to help protect children’s rights and give all children in Wales the best start in life. The change in law does not create a new offence, rather it removes a 160-year-old legal defence – the defence of reasonable punishment – so that it cannot be used by anybody charged with common assault against a child.

The legal starting point in achieving this objective is professionals’ duty to report allegations of abuse and neglect. The law also identifies the Local Authority as the lead organisation in making enquiries to identify whether an individual is at risk and in coordinating the response to protect. In practice, this is never achieved in isolation or without clear leadership and accountability for the work that is equally set out in law, along with the duty to cooperate and collaborate with others.

The Council recognises that good practice in safeguarding brings together all activity aimed at promoting safe practice with vulnerable groups and preventing abuse and neglect.

Employees and councillors should act in accordance with the relevant professional Code of Conduct.

Appendix 2 gives further related legislation, policy and guidance.

Strategic context

This policy is underpinned by the Council’s vision 'Working together, Improving Lives'

Our Corporate Strategy is structured around our twelve Well-being objectives

A1.  We will improve the provision of education and learning, equipping our learners with lifelong skills and knowledge they will need for the future.

A2.  We will ensure the appropriate provision of care and support, focusing on prevention and ensuring vulnerable people are safe.

A3.  We will enable the delivery of affordable, available, adaptable and energy efficient homes.

A4.  We will deliver our economic ambition through supporting growth, jobs and prosperity and enable the transition to a more sustainable and greener economy.

A5.  We will promote and support initiatives to deliver decarbonisation, manage climate adaptation and tackle the nature emergency.

A6.  We will support our communities, maintaining positive relationships with them to help to build active, resourceful, connected, sustainable and creative communities.

A7.  We will support the Welsh language within communities and through schools.

A8.  We will focus resources on delivering core services such as highways, waste and recycling, public protection and leisure and culture that contribute to all communities’ quality of life, ensuring residents live in neighbourhoods that are clean, green, safe and active.

A9.  We will develop a strategy to reduce poverty and inequality.

B1.  We will build a culture of good governance in the Council to enhance trust and confidence in our decision-making processes.

B2.  We will be a financially sustainable and resilient Council managing our resources and assets effectively and efficiently, for instance by reviewing and optimizing our corporate estate.

B3.  We will enhance the development of our workforce, improving skills and opportunities as well as tackling issues of recruitment and retention.

There is an expectation that all of the workforce, Councillors and partners share an objective to help keep children, young people and adults at risk safe by contributing to:

• Creating and maintaining a safe environment
• Identifying where there are concerns and taking action to address them in partnership with other agencies
• Preventing unsuitable people from working with children, young people and adults at risk
• Ensuring the whole workforce understands safeguarding and their accountabilities and responsibilities
• Promoting safe practice and challenge poor and unsafe practice

The policy sets out a preventive approach that ensures safeguards are proactively put in place to prevent abuse and neglect occurring.

The Council requires a competent workforce of individuals who are able to identify instances in which there are grounds for concern about the welfare of a child or adult and initiate or take appropriate action to keep them safe.

The policy requires effective partnership working between all those involved with providing services for children, young people and adults at risk.

Governance

The Council will discharge its strategic statutory safeguarding responsibilities through its role as one of the Lead Partner and membership of the CYSUR Regional Safeguarding Children’s Board and CWMPAS Regional Adult Safeguarding Board.

CYSUR

Is the Mid and West Wales Regional Safeguarding Children Board. It is an acronym for Child and Youth Safeguarding: Unifying the Region and is also the Welsh word for reassurance. CYSUR is an amalgamation of the former Local Safeguarding Children Boards in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys. (Appendix 3)

CWMPAS 

Is the Mid and West Wales Regional Safeguarding Adults Board. It is an acronym for Collaborative Working and Maintaining Partnership in Adult Safeguarding and is also the Welsh word for scope or remit. CWMPAS also stretches across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys.

The Boards are both multi-agency statutory partnerships that have responsibility:-

•  To protect children who are experiencing, or are at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm and to prevent children from becoming at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm.
• To protect adults who, have needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs), and are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse or neglect. To prevent those adults from becoming at risk of abuse or neglect.

The Boards both have a statutory duty to develop Annual Plans on a regional basis and have an overall responsibility for challenging relevant agencies in relation to the measures that are in place to protect children and adults at risk.

CADW 

Is the Junior Regional Safeguarding Board. It is an acronym for Children taking Action Differently in Wales. CADW is made up of young people from Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys to:

• Ensure that young people have an understanding of safeguarding
• Raise awareness and share the views of young people
• Work on behalf of young people across the four counties
• Challenge the senior regional board on decisions

The Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) Regional Board

Established as a statutory requirement within the VAWDASV Act 2015 to strategically lead the implementation of the Act in the region.

Pembrokeshire Council is a key statutory partner on the Board, contributes fully to its work streams, and ensures good alignment between the Board and the Council’s work programmes.

Pembrokeshire Local Operational Group (LOG)

Reporting to the Mid and West Wales Safeguarding Board, the Local Operational Group (LOG) is the strategic multi-agency body for safeguarding adults and children in Pembrokeshire.

Membership of the LOG consists of senior managers in Social Services, Education, Further Education, Health, Police, Probation and the Voluntary Sector.

Part of the LOG’s remit is to scrutinise multi-agency safeguarding policy and practice in Pembrokeshire.

Senior Leadership Team role

The Council’s Democratic process for challenge is its Scrutiny function. The Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Committee will receive an annual report in respect of compliance with the overall corporate safeguarding policy.

The Schools and Learning Overview & Scrutiny Committee will also have sight of the Children’s and Schools annual SAFE audit.

The Chief Executive will ensure that there are effective safeguarding arrangements in place, including policies and procedures, that those policies and procedures are implemented, that there are effective governance arrangements in place and that all statutory requirements are being met.

The Statutory Director for Social Services has legal accountability for ensuring the Council has appropriate safeguarding measures in place to protect children, young people and adults at risk. The Director is responsible for reporting the effectiveness of these arrangements on a corporate level to the Chief Executive, Senior Leadership Team and Cabinet and Council and is the point of contact for all other Chief Officers to report serious safeguarding concerns that may occur in their service area.

The Director for Education has corporate responsibility for safeguarding across the authority and for schools and is responsible for ensuring appropriate action is taken including reporting to the Chief Executive and Lead Cabinet Member as necessary.

The Leader of the Council is overall responsible for providing political leadership to ensure the Council fulfils its duties and responsibilities for safeguarding.

Directors are responsible for reporting any serious safeguarding concerns that may arise in their service area to the Director of Social Services. Directors will brief their respective Cabinet Members on any safeguarding issues and on the general effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements. They are responsible for ensuring the workforce within their Directorates is appropriately trained to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns.

The Heads of Children’s and Adults Services ensure the Director of Social Services is informed of any safeguarding issues in their one to one meetings and ensure that any serious concerns are raised immediately. They represent the Council on the Mid and West Wales Safeguarding Board (CYSUR) and are responsible for ensuring appropriate representation on any respective Sub Groups. The Heads of Service will brief the Director of Social Services, the Senior Leadership Team, Select Committees, Cabinet and Council on any issues arising from Child or Adult Practice Reviews and the resultant action plans.

Corporate Safeguarding Board

At a corporate level, the responsibility for monitoring the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements across the Council is delegated to the Corporate Safeguarding Board. (Appendix 4)

The Corporate Safeguarding Board will produce a report annually for Senior Leadership Team, Cabinet and Scrutiny. This report will provide an overview of the Council’s safeguarding performance. This will provide an opportunity for councillors to scrutinise and challenge the work of the Whole Authority Safeguarding Group.

A clear line of sight on reporting of safeguarding performance is also available through Service Improvement Plans (SIPs) which are subject to scrutiny by the Leader of the Council, Cabinet Member, Chief Executive, SLT and Corporate Planning. Safeguarding information pertinent to the service area must be included in all SIPs.

Observations of Cabinet, Scrutiny, Internal Audit and external regulators will steer and influence the priorities of the Whole Authority Safeguarding Group.

Membership of the Corporate Safeguarding Board will include the Directorate Safeguarding Leads (DSL’s), the Integrated Safeguarding Manager, a lead non-Executive member, a Cabinet member and a Scrutiny Chair.

Every Service in the Council will report on their safeguarding guidelines to the Corporate Safeguarding Board  through their DSL using the Safeguarding Audit Framework for Evaluation (SAFE).

A written record of Corporate Safeguarding Board meetings will be maintained.

Safeguarding Audit Framework for Evaluation (SAFE)

In according with Pembrokeshire’s Corporate Safeguarding Policy, all organisations that provide services for or work with adults at risk, children, young people and families are expected to carry out an audit of their safeguarding practices, based on a process of self-evaluation.

Directors will be responsible for ensuring that they have safeguarding operational procedures in place and undertake an annual audit of their directorate using the Safeguarding Audit Framework for Evaluation (SAFE) (Appendix 5).

The SAFE audit tool will be used to monitor and gather information and monitor compliance of the Safeguarding Policy by all DMTs. The audit will be undertaken on annual basis and information gathered will be used to improve safeguarding across the authority. The SAFE is an important mechanism in the safeguarding of children, young people and adults at risk in the care of the Council, at school or in other services provided or commissioned by the Council.

The audit tool is based on legislation and is set out in sections which require service areas to critically consider their own practice, procedures, systems and culture. The SAFE includes a safeguarding action plan which enables the service area to establish a programme of activity to address any improvements indicated through the SAFE. The SAFE will be reviewed at the Corporate Safeguarding Board.

Roles and Responsibilities

All employees, councillors and volunteers have the duty to report concerns about abuse and neglect.

Children’s Services have the responsibility for receiving and responding to new concerns about children and Adult Services have the responsibility for receiving and responding to new concerns about adults at risk. All safeguarding concerns should be reported to the Child Care Assessment Team (CCAT) or the Adult Safeguarding team.

Every local authority Departmental Manager is responsible for:

• recruiting employees/volunteers in accordance with relevant HR policy, including (where required) Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.
• ensure safeguarding is part of every employee/volunteer's induction.
• identifying employees/volunteers who are likely to come into contact with children or adults at risk as part of their role.
• ensuring training is delivered commensurate with role.
• ensuring that all employees/volunteers are aware of how to report safeguarding concerns and to whom
• ensuring that all employees/volunteers are aware of the Council’s Whistleblowing Policy
• ensuring that employees/volunteers are aware that they must conduct themselves in a manner which safeguards and promotes the wellbeing of children, and adults at risk.
• providing employees/volunteers with guidance about safeguarding concerns as required.

Service Commissioners will be responsible for ensuring that contractual arrangements specify responsibilities in relation to safeguarding in accordance with this Policy and existing commissioning policy. It is essential that these policies are implemented and, monitored and any concerns reported and acted upon appropriately.

Contractors, sub-contractors or other organisations funded by or on behalf of the Council are responsible for arranging checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (where required) and for ensuring that their staff comply with regulatory and contractual arrangements relating to safeguarding children and adults. Contractors are also responsible for informing relevant managers of the Council about any concerns they may have and to refer to safeguarding.

There will be an expectation on all elected Members to attend training in respect of safeguarding children and adults at risk and additional safeguarding training needs, e.g. in relation to their portfolios will be addressed as part of ongoing Personal Development Reviews.

Lead Member for Social Services

The Cabinet Member for Social Services acts as ‘Lead’ for Corporate Safeguarding and is responsible for supporting the Executive Portfolio Holders for Children’s Services and for Adult Social Care, Education and Community Wellbeing in all matters relating to the Council’s affairs in respect of safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults. The role of the lead member is identified as follows:

• To Chair the Council’s Corporate Safeguarding Board
• To have oversight of corporate safeguarding
• To work closely with officers with designated corporate safeguarding responsibilities
• Liaise with members of the Executive, particularly where safeguarding matters could impact upon other aspects of Council business.
• Support the Executive Portfolio Holders for Children’s Services and for Adult Social Care, Education and Community Wellbeing in the development and implementation of key safeguarding policy.
• Participate as necessary in the work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees and promoting the value of Scrutiny in all matters relating to the Council’s affairs in respect of safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
• Represent and act as an ambassador for the Council in its safeguarding work
• Ensure effective partnership working in respect of matters within these terms of reference
• Exercise a monitoring role regarding performance and ensuring progress toward meeting the Council’s key objectives in these areas.

The role of the ‘ Elected Member Safeguarding Champion’

A selected member will act as a safeguarding ‘champion’ who in addition to their other council responsibilities make sure that safeguarding issues and arrangements are taken into account when council policy is being developed and decisions are made. Typically, the lead member will:

• Make sure that safeguarding is taken into account when developing policy or making decisions
• Ask questions about safeguarding performance and resourcing
• Raise the profile of safeguarding and make the authority aware of good practice.
• Engage with other officers and members in relation to safeguarding .
• Maintain an awareness of the Council’s policy and procedures in relation to safeguarding including the referral processes to be followed internally within the organisation.
• Commit to attending the Elected Members Safeguarding Seminars.
• Promote the Council’s requirements in relation to the duty to report adults and children at risk, ‘Ask and Act’ requirements, Prevent, Modern Day Slavery awareness and other safeguarding topics including child sexual exploitation.
• Seek support from the Council’s designated safeguarding leads should they need advice, guidance or assistance themselves.

The role of the safeguarding member is not to:

• Be responsible for the submission of referrals on behalf of Elected Members
• Respond to concerns of safeguarding raised by members

All Councillors must familiarise themselves with this Policy and seek advice from the Director of Social Services if they are unclear about their responsibility for safeguarding. The Corporate Safeguarding Policy will be communicated as part of the mandatory induction programme for all new Councillors.

The role of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee is to review and scrutinise decisions and make reports or recommendations in connection with the discharge of any of the Council’s functions whether by the Cabinet or another part of the Council. The role is to provide constructive challenge to the Council about its safeguarding activity in an impartial and independent manner.

Each Service Director, through their Management Teams, will be responsible for ensuring that all the statutory requirements in terms of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk are addressed.

They are also responsible for putting in place appropriate systems within their service areas that ensure compliance with this policy:

• Ensuring appropriate training is delivered.
• Communicating information about who staff need to contact and making sure this information is reviewed regularly so that is up to date and accurate.
• Compiling a report in respect of their Safeguarding arrangements that will be used to inform the Director of Social Services’ Annual Report.

All members of Pembrokeshire County Council workforce have a duty to report any concerns they may have for the welfare and/or protection of children and adults at risk. They should be familiar with local procedures and protocols for safeguarding, follow the Councils Code of Conduct, other professional codes, and undertake relevant safeguarding training.

This includes a duty to behave in a manner that does not threaten, harm or put people at risk of harm from others and to conduct themselves in their private lives in a manner that does not compromise their position in the workplace or call into question their suitability to work with children or adults at risk.

Directorate Safeguarding Leads (DSLs)

Every Directorate within the Council is required to nominate a Directorate Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for dealing with safeguarding children and adult’s issues. The DSL is responsible for:

•  Acting as an overarching and key source of advice and support for other staff in their Service on all safeguarding issues
• Representing their Directorate on the Corporate Safeguarding Board Group
• Ensuring robust arrangements are in place for staff to access day to day practice advice and support for safeguarding from their line managers
• Support staff to refer or take the lead in referring safeguarding concerns to Social Care and Health as appropriate
• Being familiar with the Councils Corporate Safeguarding Policy and the Wales Safeguarding Procedures as they relate to Children’s and Adult’s safeguarding
• Ensuring the operational procedures for safeguarding within the directorate are compliant with legislation and statutory guidance and are issued to all staff
• Assess compliance with corporate safeguarding policy on twice yearly basis and report the outcomes as part of the annual safeguarding report
• Ensuring compliance with policies and guidance within their directorate services areas and reporting this to the Corporate Safeguarding Board
• Attending relevant training
• Ensuring members of the workforce within their Services attend training at levels appropriate to their roles and functions and maintain management information in relation to attendance on training
• Ensuring safeguarding responsibilities are highlighted through staff induction processes, team meetings, supervision and staff briefings.

Reporting a concern

Any employee with concerns regarding the safety of a child, or adult at risk, OR the behaviour of colleagues towards a child, or adult at risk, (See Appendix One) should contact the teams below immediately.

Report concerns about Children

Tel: Child Care Assessment Team (CCAT) 01437 776444

Out of hours: 03003 332222

e-mail: CCAT@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Report concerns about Adults

Tel: 01437 776056– Adult Safeguarding Team.

Out of Hours: 03003332222

e-mail: Adult.protection.team@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

If a child, young person or adult at risk is considered to be in immediate danger, the Emergency services (Police, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue) must be contacted immediately.

Mid and West Wales Safeguarding Board CYSUR (Childrens Board) cysur@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Mid and West Wales Safeguarding Board CWMPAS (Adults Board) cwmpas@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

CADW: The Junior Regional Safeguarding Board Nadine.Farmer@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

VAWDASV Sinead.henehan@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

 

Appendix 1

Psychological abuse

threats of harm or abandonment, coercive control, humiliation, verbal or racial abuse, isolation or withdrawal from services or supportive networks; coercive control is an act or pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation, intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish or frighten the victim;

Neglect

failure to meet a person’s basic physical, emotional, social or psychological needs such as access medical care or services, negligence in the face of risk-taking, failure to give prescribed medication, failure to assist in personal hygiene or the provision of food, shelter, clothing; emotional neglect;

Financial abuse

includes, having money or other property stolen; being defrauded; being put under pressure in relation to money or other property; having money or other property misused, e.g.

• unexpected change to their will;
• sudden sale or transfer of the home;
• unusual activity in a bank account or bills remaining unpaid;
• sudden inclusion of additional names on a bank account;
• signature does not resemble the person’s normal signature;
• reluctance or anxiety by the person when discussing their financial affairs;
• giving a substantial gift to a carer or other third party;
• a sudden interest by a relative or other third party in the welfare of the person;
• complaints that personal property is missing;
• a decline in personal appearance that may indicate that diet and personal requirements are being ignored;
• deliberate isolation from friends and family giving another person total control of their decision-making

Appendix 2

Relevant Legislation

• Social Services and Well Being Act 2014
• Wales Safeguarding Procedures
• WLGA Corporate Safeguarding Good Practice Guidance
• Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment (Wales) Act 2020
• Education Act 2002
• ‘Keeping Learners Safe 2020’ -The role of local authorities, governing bodies and proprietors of independent schools under the Education Act 2002
• Children Act 1989 and 2004,
• Working Together to Safeguard People – Volumes 5&6
• Safeguarding Vulnerable groups Act 2006
• 'In Safe Hands' 2000S
• Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998,
• Mental Capacity Act 2005
• The Liberty Protection Safeguards introduced in the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act 2019
• Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015
• Housing Act 2004
• Licensing Act 2003
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Prevent Home Office Guidance – Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015
• Whistle-Blowing policy
• Recruitment Policies including Criminal Records Check Policy & Guidance on Contractors working in schools and Establishments with Vulnerable Persons
• The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill 2017

Appendix 3

CYSUR/CWMPAS governance structure

Mid and West Wales Regional Safeguarding Executive Boards

CPR and APR Sub Groups

• Oversees and identifies concise and extended APR/CPRs
• Monitors the Implementation of the regional action plan and identified learning 

Training Sub Group

• Identifies and supports bespoke regional training
• Supports and develops nominated APR/CPR Reviewers
• Links into LA training Managers
• Disseminates learning outcomes into training 

Policies & Procedures - Sub Group

• Leads on prioritisation, development & review of policies and procedures
• Translates critical learning into practice guidance 

Local Operational Groups (LOGs)

• Children & Adult collate information in respect of:
• Practice/knowledge groups/deficits
• Gaps/deficits in policies and procedures
• Outcome of MAPF’s
• Quality Assurance and escalating concerns re: care homes
• Outcome of Youth Justice Critical Learning events
• Outcome of Domestic Homicide Reviews
• Commissioning information/DATA
• Staff training needs 

Appendix 4

Terms of Reference for Corporate Safeguarding Board

Introduction

Corporate Safeguarding is defined by Welsh Government as follows:

‘Corporate Safeguarding describes the arrangements in place that a Council makes and to ensure that all of its employees play their part in safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children and adults who may be at risk of harm.’ (Corporate Safeguarding: Good Practice Guidance, WLGA/WG)

The Corporate Safeguarding Board within Pembrokeshire County Council has been established in order to ensure that safeguarding is placed firmly on the agenda of the whole authority, and not just those services who have very obvious and clear duties in relation to safeguarding vulnerable children and adults. This is set against the backdrop of safeguarding being ‘everyone’s business’ and the board will seek to elevate and maintain the status of safeguarding across all directorates, to embed the key principles of good safeguarding practice at a corporate level. This will see variously, data regarding safeguarding activity shared and scrutinised; safeguarding learning and development activity identified and monitored, and auditing activity carried out to ensure adherence to our corporate safeguarding policy. Pembrokeshire is committed to achieving the highest standards of safeguarding practice across the entire organisation and the corporate safeguarding board, with its membership of senior officers and elected members is key in delivering on this aim.’

 The Corporate Safeguarding Board will:

1. Ensure the compliance of all Council Directorates with key safeguarding requirements in relation to children and adults.
2. Ensure that all directorates and their staff within the Council are aware of their contribution to keeping children, young people and adults at risk safe and free from harm or abuse.
3. Agree, implement and review clear actions for the group within a ratified annual action plan.
4. Support the Corporate Safeguarding Lead in the discharge of their safeguarding duties.
5. Review and develop relevant corporate safeguarding standards and policy.
6. Support HR in the delivery of a robust Safer Recruitment process (including volunteer workforce) to include key vetting and barring requirements and workforce development.
7. Provide an Annual Corporate Safeguarding Report, setting out the performance of all Directorates, in relation to vetting and barring, staff safeguarding training, and the operation of front-line services in terms of their effectiveness in identifying and referring safeguarding concerns
8. Set out a clear set of performance indicators which will be reviewed by the board on a quarterly basis. .
9. Review, develop and monitor appropriate corporate safeguarding performance measures on an annual basis and assure themselves that these are the correct measures annually.
10. To identify clear areas of safeguarding risk, and agree how the risks will be managed within the authority and by whom.
11. Ensure that Safeguarding training is promoted and mandated across all Directorates within the authority.
12. Advise the Head of the Paid Service and recommend relevant action in relation to corporate safeguarding standards and policy.
13. Promote effective cross Directorate safeguarding practice particularly in terms of information sharing and data collection, front-line operational awareness, staff training and wider partnership engagement.
14. Ensure that when the Directorate based audits are undertaken there is peer involvement from another Directorate
15. Receive and consider recommendations and learning from all relevant reviews which may include Child / Adult Practice / Domestic Homicide Reviews.
16. Membership of the Corporate Safeguarding Board is all Council Directors and relevant nominated staff including from HR, Education Safeguarding, Social Care and other partnerships deemed relevant by the Corporate Safeguarding Board.
17. Chairing The Board will be chaired by the relevant nominated Cabinet member.
18. Frequency of meetings. The Board will meet quarterly

Appendix 5

Pembrokeshire Safeguarding Audit Framework for Evaluation

In according with Pembrokeshire’s Corporate Safeguarding Policy, all internal directorates that provide services for or work with adults at risk, children, young people and families are expected to carry out an audit of their safeguarding practices, based on a process of self-evaluation.

The following audit framework is set out in sections related to different standards and requires you to think about your own practices and procedures within your directorate. It is designed to give you an understanding of safeguarding in your own service area and how these might be developed. In addition, the audits provide Pembrokeshire County Council with an overview of safeguarding practices across the local authority.

The audit tool is based on Social Services and Wellbeing Act 2014.

Please undertake the following audit and return it to the named officer below for your Directorate:

Please think carefully about your own practices and procedures in your setting; complete the audit to the best of your knowledge and think about how you will evidence your responses. Please complete the RAG System (Red, Amber or Green – see below) and produce an action plan with any actions that are required to improve safeguarding in your service area.

We review the information you give us and will provide follow up advice and support where appropriate. Our review of the information helps to inform the Council in developing safeguarding practices at a wider level.

The audit will need to be updated annually. Please try to be as realistic and honest as you can be and use this document to help you to identify your current position regarding safeguarding and set targets/actions to improve.

Pembrokeshire Safeguarding Audit Framework for Evaluation