Safeguarding Adults Board6th Annual ConferenceSafeguarding Outcomes

Mick Wharton – WDSAB Business Manager

Research in Practice for Adults

• In 2009 Ripfa discussed the distinct lack of research on the perspectives, views and experiences of SU subject to adult safeguarding procedures.

• They were suggesting 5 years ago the need to develop outcome measures for adult safeguarding

The Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework 2013/14• Domain 4: Safeguarding adults whose

circumstances make them vulnerable and need protecting from avoidable harm

• The area of safeguarding is one of the core priorities of adult social care and the poor coverage of outcome measures in this domain reflects the paucity of national data available in this important area.

Recent Safeguarding Publications• LGA, ADASS and SCIE, “Making Safeguarding

Personal,” March 2013

• LGA “Safeguarding Adults-learning from peer challenge”, April 2013

• LGA, ADASS, “Adults Safeguarding and Domestic Abuse”, A guide to support practitioners and managers, April 2013

• DH, Statement of Government Policy on Adult Safeguarding, May 2013

Recent Safeguarding Publications• The clear message of the new publications is that

safeguarding activity needs to develop to become more outcome focused and person centred thus supporting and enabling people to make difficult decisions.

• The system has to work for people and not for statutory organisations

Recent Safeguarding Publications• A further clear message is the need for

organisations to work much more collaboratively together and to be clear about their response in any given situation

• Being clear on the relationship between and with contracting/commissioning on performance assurance and safeguarding

Recent Safeguarding Publications• The principles of empowerment, prevention,

protection, proportionality, partnership and accountability set out the tenets of safeguarding development and delivery.

• Safeguarding adults is about ‘doing with, not doing to’

• Resonates with the principles of the Human rights Act, Mental Capacity Act and Personalisation.

Making Safeguarding Personal

• A recent project to deliver some evidence of measuring outcomes of people’s safeguarding experience.

• Funded pilot authorities undertook survey work

• Hackney 9 completed surveys

• Surrey 25 completed surveys

• Southend 35 completed surveys

• Most completed surveys at the case conference stage, some sought outcomes at the beginning of the process and measured if these outcomes had been achieved.

Your Safeguarding Your Say

• November 2009 – May 2010

• Wakefield research project by Rebecca Penn exploring outcomes in adult safeguarding

• Included six questions verified by an ethics committee.

• Involved face to face survey with people subject to adult safeguarding procedures post the case conference stage.

Your Safeguarding Your Say

• The survey questions were:

• Satisfaction with the procedures

• Did they feel safe during the procedures

• Were they included

• Were their views recognised

• Did they feel safer as a result of the procedures

• Did the procedures make any difference to their life.

Wakefield Outcomes Results 2012/13• Nearly half of everyone subject to the adult

safeguarding procedures are unable to complete a survey due to:

• lack of capacity

• Person dies

• Person chooses not to take part

• Therefore relatives are asked to complete surve’s on behalf of their loved one’s and this can affect the survey returns.

Wakefield Survey Results 2012/13• 15 completed surveys

• 8 unable to be completed due to capacity etc

• 87% of respondents satisfied or very satisfied with the safeguarding procedures.

• Similar very positive results for the other survey areas.

Wakefield Survey Results 2013/14• 36 completed surveys

• 31 returns why survey completion not possible

• 92% satisfied or very satisfied with the procedures

• 82% felt safe

• 78% felt included

• 89% felt their views were recognised

• 57% felt safer as a result of procedures (% affected by surveys completed by relatives.

• 81% felt it had made a difference to their lives

Survey Comments

• The survey allows free text comments to fully express how people feel about the procedures:

• Fully informed and invited to meetings, Could not have felt more included.

• I feel I am being listened too; I want to be the one in charge

• I/we couldn’t have felt any more included – we were kept fully informed. In such a stressful situation like this I/we felt that we couldn’t have been better supported

Conclusion

• The fact that Wakefield can already demonstrate outcome information places us well ahead of most local authorities.

• The person centred approach, including people in decision making and where ever possible the safeguarding meetings will maintain / increase satisfaction.

• The survey measures the whole process and different agencies, not just the local authority.

• It is possible a six question outcome survey will form part of the Safeguarding adult return to the DoH in 2015/16.