Annual Safeguarding report praised in Suffolk
The County Council's Cabinet has given it the thumbs up
Last updated 14th Jul 2021
The Annual Safeguarding report has been praised at a cabinet meeting this week. The report for the first time has taken "whole life" approach to safeguarding from children through to adulthood.
The report summaries the activity undertaken over the past year to safeguard children and adults in Suffolk and focuses on the impact that the the Covid-19 pandemic and accompanying lockdowns have had on the service. This report also informs plans to ensure the safety and wellbeing of adults and children in Suffolk as we emerge from the pandemic.
Throughout the pandemic, there was a concern that safeguarding needs may not be identified and reported due to reduced 'face-to-face' contact that children, families and vulnerable adults had with professionals, families, and friends, including those living in care homes. There was also a need to pay attention to the impact of social isolation and the changing risks of abuse.
The report highlights that as part of the Suffolk safeguarding partnership, staff worked with determination and creativity to introduce innovative changes very quickly and maintain the delivery of SCC's statutory responsibilities. This included developing new ways of working, communicating differently, changing referral routes, creating guidance, creating pro-active and preventative approaches in early identification of issues as they arise, and identifying new specific issues as they arose.
The report also identifies areas of focus in the coming year. Neglect remains a key challenge for children's services and for adults the number of self-neglect and hoarding risk assessments reduced, confirming concerns that the pandemic would impact on referrals of this nature. This will remain an area of focus with additional work to promote these issues, share best practice amongst the safeguarding partnership and increase face to face contact with people who self-neglect.
The emotional health and wellbeing of children and of adults will also be a clear focus over the next year. Provision will be redesigned and increased across the partnership to meet the new demands that have emerged as a result of the pandemic.
Councillor James Reeder, cabinet member for children's services said:
"I welcome this joint report which highlights why it is important to have a multi-agency approach to safeguarding and how through the multiagency safeguarding hub (MASH) we are a leading council in this area.
"We knew that the pandemic would have an impact on safeguarding as well as peoples physical and mental health and I am pleased to see how well teams adapted to the challenges and continued to deliver services during a challenging time.
"I am hopeful that as we move out of the pandemic we can learn from this report and our new ways of working to strengthen the service even more. Safeguarding is everyone's business. We all share responsibility for protecting children and we need to listen to them and take their concerns seriously."
Cllr. Beccy Hopfensperger, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care said:
"I welcome this report, especially the collaborative approach taken across both adult and children's services. The pandemic has given us an exceptional year forcing us all to work in different ways, including in relation to safeguarding. But, as this report makes clear, throughout the pandemic Suffolk County Council never stopped safeguarding visits and continued to work hard to keep people safe. I want to say thank you again to all those staff on the front lines who showed their ability to work brilliantly under these circumstances.
It is the case that COVID19 has led to an increase in the number of safeguarding issues, and the effects of the pandemic will continue to be felt for some time to come. This report, however, gives us clear visibility of the challenges ahead as we move forward with recovery. I am confident that together, with the support of our safeguarding partners, we will rise to meet these challenges head on, just as we did when the pandemic hit last year."