Safeguarding

All vulnerable children and adults have the right to be protected from harm. Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust expects all staff to refer any cases of suspected harm that they become aware of in line with local Policy and Procedures.

Safeguarding Boards

The Trust is an active member of the local Safeguarding Boards.

In Bournemouth & Poole and Dorset there are Safeguarding Boards for both children and Adults. The Boards are made up of senior representatives from all the Statutory Agencies, including the Local Authorities, Health Trusts, Police, Dorset Probation, Dorset Fire and Rescue service and the Ambulance service. They have been established to improve practice which protects and safeguards children and adults in vulnerable circumstances. The board meets quarterly, and their work includes:

Developing strategies to reduce risk and prevent harm occurring to children and adults in vulnerable situations, as well as reacting effectively when it happens

  • Ensuring National policy & guidance are being adhered to locally
  • Determining local policy & procedures
  • Co-ordinating activity between agencies
  • Facilitating joint training
  • Ensuring good communication with the public and raising awareness of how to recognise and refer concerns about vulnerable children and adults being harmed
  • Monitoring and reviewing progress in safeguarding practices
  • Developing ways of working, which will improve ability to support residents across the community to live a life free from abuse
  • Learning from lessons where people have not been adequately protected

Serious Case Reviews

What is a Serious Case Review (SCR) and what is it for?

A Serious Case Review (SCR) is a process for all partner agencies to identify the lessons that can be learned from particularly complex or serious Safeguarding Adults/Children cases, where an adult or child in vulnerable circumstances has died or been seriously injured and abuse or neglect has been suspected. A Serious Case Review Panel is a subgroup of the Bournemouth and Poole and Dorset Safeguarding Adults/Children Boards. The Panel recommends changes to improve practice and services in the light of these lessons.

The aim of the process is to learn lessons and make improvements rather than blaming individual people or organisations. It relies on a spirit of openness to learning, about what went well, as well as what could be improved. The process is based on national guidelines and has been agreed by all agencies who are members of Bournemouth & Poole Safeguarding Adults/Children Boards. The Serious Case Review Panel is chaired and all Serious Case Reviews are overseen by the Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Adults/Children Boards.

How is it decided when to hold a Serious Case Review?

The Bournemouth & Poole Safeguarding Adults/Children Boards and Dorset Safeguarding Adults/Children Board have a protocol based on national guidance, which sets out the criteria for holding a Serious Case Review. The Serious Case Review Panel considers referrals for Serious Case Reviews and makes recommendations to the Independent Chair of the full Board on whether a Serious Case Review should be held or if other steps can be taken to respond to the issues that a case has raised. Anyone can make a referral to the Serious Case Review Group by contacting the Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Adults/Children Board.

How is a Serious Case Review carried out?

The Serious Case Review Panel drafts terms of reference for the Serious Case Review. Each agency involved in the case, including any independent providers involved, arranges for an Individual Management Review (IMR) to be carried out by a Manager independent of the case. The IMR reviews the agencies involvement and actions in the case. It has to address relevant aspect of the terms of reference and be based on a set format including a chronology, a review of recorded information and interviews with the key people involved.

An IMR writer can be a suitably skilled and experienced manager from the agency or an independent person commissioned by the individual agency. The completed IMRs are given to the panel and to an independent Overview Report Writer who uses them and any further inquiries they decide to make, to produce an overview report and a draft summary report, including recommendations on actions or changes needed.

The overview report and draft summary report is presented to the Serious Case Review Panel. The panel reviews the report and recommended actions. These are then presented to the Safeguarding Adults/Children Board for the senior representatives from each agency on the board to consider and agree the proposed actions needed. It then monitors the implementation of these actions with the help of the Serious Case Review Panel. The summary report is published and made available to the public.

Safeguarding Adults/Children - Serious Case Reviews Reports

It was agreed that findings from the Serious Case Review should be shared as widely as possible in order to enhance learning and inform practice and consequently a public version of the main report has been drawn up, which is now available by clicking on one of the following links:

Children

http://www.dorsetlscb.co.uk/site/advice-for-people-working-with-children/local-inter-agency-procedures/

http://bournemouth-poole-lscb.org.uk/home

Adults

http://www.boroughofpoole.com/

http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/HomePage.aspx

http://www.dorsetforyou.com/