Thank you for listening to this short podcast on behalf of the West Sussex Safeguarding Adults Board about safeguarding policy, procedure, and protocols. In this podcast I will explain why they are important, the Sussex wide, and West Sussex policies, procedures, and protocols we must follow, and give you information about further resources you can access to ensure your practice is current.
So, firstly, the reason why policy, procedure and protocol are important is because they are an essential part of all organisations by providing a road map for day-to-day operations. They ensure compliance with laws and regulations, give guidance for decision-making, and streamline internal processes. This is all very important to make sure what should be done is done, and done consistently by all to help organisations to be effective.
There is an array of policies, procedures, and protocols to underpin safeguarding practice in West Sussex. These are in place to support and ensure that your practice is consistent, current and enables the best possible outcomes for our residents with care and support needs. Therefore, it is essential that you are aware of the content of these and use them in your day-to-day practice. When cases are audited or require a Safeguarding Adults Review, practice will be considered in context of the adherence to these policies, procedures, and protocols.
All West Sussex agencies are expected to follow the Sussex Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedure. This sets out the process and practice requirements in relation to safeguarding work. The link to this can be found on our website and in the learning briefing accompanying this podcast. You will also find information on the relevant sections within the Sussex Policy and Procedure. It is important that you are aware of these sections and refer to these to inform your practice.
There are other Pan-Sussex policy and procedures which are available via our website. These include:
- The Safeguarding Thresholds guidance which is for professionals to understand when issues are non-reportable, requires consultation and reportable for safeguarding. There are useful examples also provided.
- The Sussex Information Sharing Guide and Protocol sets out how information between partner agencies should be shared for the purposes of safeguarding adults. This document is useful to reference if you encounter any difficulties with information sharing during safeguarding processes. There is also a learning briefing available.
- The Safeguarding Adult Review Protocol assists professionals to understand the remit, procedure, and process for referring for a Safeguarding Adults Review.
- The Sussex Adult Death Protocol outlines the process that should be followed in responding to an unexpected adult death where there is a suspicion, or it is known, that abuse or neglect contributed to the death. There is also a learning briefing and podcast available.
- The Escalation and Resolution Protocol provides professionals with the means to raise concerns they may have about decisions made by other professionals or agencies.
There are also several West Sussex Safeguarding Adult Board protocols. Links to all of these are in the Policy and Protocols page of our website; some also have learning briefings and podcasts to support your learning and understanding. These include:
- The Safeguarding Young People 17.5+ Protocol which sets out the safeguarding support required for young people aged 17.5+. Please also read our learning briefing and listen to our 9-minute podcast.
- The MARM Protocol which sets out the arrangements for the Multi Agency Risk Management Subgroup and assists professionals to decide when to refer a case for consideration. There is also a Guidance Note for Referrers.
- The Operational Framework for Managing Provider Concerns should be used where there are significant safeguarding concerns or multiple Section 42 safeguarding enquiries and a wider public interest issue or possible risks to other adults.
- The Quality Assurance Framework acts as the mechanism by which the Board will hold local agencies to account for their safeguarding work.
To support your learning and development and to help your practice to be current, our Board continues to create a range of learning briefings and podcasts. We have these for all published Safeguarding Adults Reviews to make sure you know quickly and easily, what improvements need to be made to minimise the risk of similar safeguarding incidents reoccurring. On our website you’ll also find useful links to all our published Reviews, information for professionals, and further learning briefing and podcasts, including:
- What is Safeguarding?
- Making Safeguarding Personal
- Safeguarding Early Warning Signs
- Multi-Agency Working
- Person-Centred Approaches
- Professional Curiosity
- Risk Assessment
- Safeguarding Young People
- Self-Neglect
- Transition and Safeguarding Audit
- Self-Neglect Audit
This brings us to the end of our podcast. Thank you for your time to listen to it. We do appreciate you recognising the importance and value of working in accordance with policy, procedure, and protocols to help deliver consistent safeguarding practice to those who we are supporting.