From the Cradle to the Grave

1
From the Cradle to the Grave

• Paul Martin
• Chief Social Services Officer
• Department of Health, Social Services and Public
  Safety

2
POCVA lists

• POCVA 1 2 referrals per week
• Approx 50,000 checks per annum (non-statutory
  sector)
• PECS 1 2 referrals per year

• Currently (244 referrals)
• 86 people listed
• 73 provisionally listed
• 32 pending
• 20 not progressed and
• 33 not listed.
• Care Tribunals
• 5 appeals (3 Child 2 VA)
• 2 overturned (1 Child 1 VA)
• 8 pending (4 Child 4 VA).

3
Choosing to Protect

• Children
• http//www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/poc.pdf
• Vulnerable Adults
• http//www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/pova.pdf

4
Using POCVA

• Register (Voluntary Private Sector)
• Attend Volunteer Development Agency training
  sessions
• - October December 2007
• - Phone [phone] or
• - visit website www.volunteering-ni.org

5
Scale of abuse

• Children UK
• 7 suffered serious physical abuse
• 32,700 CP Register (1,639 NI)
• 2 children under age 15 die from abuse or neglect
  each week

• Elders - UK
• 342,000 people in own homes
• Prevalence (UK 4)
• Wales 6.0
• Scotland 4.3
• England 3.9
• NI 3.0

6
Protection a professional response?

• Child Abuse 419
• 60 had seen
• 47 reported
• 21 worried about getting it wrong
• 75 often uncertain about procedures
• 79 more training needed.

• Elder Abuse 848
• 58 worried about getting it wrong
• 43 had not received training
• 76 more training needed

7
Reasons less likely to recognise or report

• Child Abuse
• hesitation about asking sensitive questions
• fear of breakdown in working relationship
• fear of litigation

• Elder Abuse
• difficult to discuss
• fear of upsetting
• fear of confrontation
• lack of training.

8
Protection a shared responsibility

• Staff from all agencies should
• be alert to potential indicators of abuse
• be alert to the risks which individual abusers,
  or potential abusers, present
• share and help analyse information so that
  informed assessments can be made

9
Protection a shared responsibility

• Staff from all agencies should
• contribute to whatever actions are required to
  safeguard the vulnerable
• regularly review outcomes and
• work in co-operation with family/carer unless
  this is inconsistent with safeguarding the
  vulnerable.

10
Lessons we need to learn

• focus on the individual
• recording sharing information
• interfaces multi-disciplinary interagency
• compliance best practice guidance
• support and governance.

11
Features of effective Safeguarding

• effective recruitment procedures
• compliance with Regulations, Standards Codes of
  Practice
• regulation of workforce and services governance
  underpinned by statutory duty of quality
• Regional Protection Policy Procedures
• Joint PSNI/HSC Investigation Protocols and
• Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland.

12
Safeguarding when things go wrong

• Need for reporting, openness, analysis shared
  learning
• Case Management Reviews
• Serious Adverse Incident Reporting (RQIA
  DHSSPS)
• Child Death Protocol Memorandum of
  Understanding and
• Inquiries.

13
Challenges

• raised awareness of the problem
• effective communication between professionals and
  Agencies
• holistic and integrated approach to Safeguarding
• broaden concept of vulnerable adult
• holistic assessment UNOCINI NISAT Carers
• training relevant to roles responsibilities

14
Challenges

• audit culture of self-assessment shared
  learning
• proactive policing
• strengthening Regional Adult Protection Forum
• legislative basis?
• compulsory reporting of abuse? and
• more guidance and regulation?

15
From the Cradle to the Grave

• Paul Martin
• Chief Social Services Officer
• Department of Health, Social Services and Public
  Safety