This update from the Isle of Wight council on their annual Safeguarding Conference. Ed
The annual Safeguarding Adults Conference has taken place at Cowes Yacht Haven and attracted a multi-agency audience of nearly 200 including professionals, service users and carers.
The conference is jointly run by the Isle of Wight Safeguarding Adults Board & the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and this year focused on safeguarding in the context of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (MCA DOLS).
The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) are statutory safeguards that were introduced to prevent deprivations of liberty without proper safeguards, including independent consideration and authorisation.
Journey of the landmark case
In March 2014 the Supreme Court made a decision in a landmark case which essentially meant that the threshold for what constitutes deprivation of liberty in care was lowered, that triggered a surge in cases across the UK.
The conference took the audience on a journey from the ‘Bournewood’ case that led to the introduction of DoLS to the present day, with a focus on safeguarding.
Stubbings: “A great example of partnership”
Isle of Wight Executive member for adult social care and integration, Stephen Stubbings said:
“The conference is a great example of partnership working between the Safeguarding Adults Board and the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office to highlight the shared aims of preventing abuse and neglect where possible, in order to protect the most vulnerable in our society –one of the key aims of the council.
“I am pleased to see that it was so well attended and hope that the professionals, service users and carers were all able to benefit from the opportunity to network and gain further insights from the notable speakers on the day.”
Simon Hayes, Police and Crime Commissioner, said:
“Protecting the rights of people with mental illness during their interactions with the police and criminal justice system is essential and this conference will support the adoption of best practice across many different agencies and organisations. Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight we have been working hard to keep the most vulnerable members of our society safe, which was highlighted in the recent HMIC report.”
Important to check our practice
Local Safeguarding Adults Board Independent Chair Margaret Geary applauded the keynote speakers at the conference and said:
“Speakers underlined the importance of understanding how to and when to undertake mental capacity assessments and how that capacity can change in different circumstances.
“Everyone present was challenged about how we work with adults who need safeguarding support but who also need to be assessed because they may not have the capacity to make the decisions about that support. The speakers challenged us to reduce our bureaucracy, make more efforts to listen to and understand those we are offering support to and improve the involvement of families and Carers.
“It’s now important that we seek to check our practice against the messages given and change practice if it needs to be changed.”
A range of speakers
Keynote speakers on the day included Dr Sara Ryan – the mother of Connor Sparrowhawk aka ‘LB’ who died in the care of Southern Health Trust. Dr Ryan’s emotional and inspiring talk about the campaign ‘Justice for LB’ was the highlight of the day for many delegates.
Graham Enderby – Mr ‘E’ of Mr & Mrs E, the carers for HL discussed the ‘Bournewood’ case that led to the introduction of the DoLS and Rachel Griffiths from the Care Quality Commission focussed on the MCA and DoLS compliance and monitoring.
Other speakers on the day included Paul Bartolomeo and Paul Jennings, from Hampshire Police Constabulary, who talked about the innovative SIM project and Operation Serenity, an example of partnership working between the police and mental health to support high intensity users of public services in the community.
Jane Hughes, consultant and trainer at Making Connections, facilitated a workshop on the Isle of Wight’s ‘Mr W’ Safeguarding Adults Review and Stephen Ward, the Isle of Wight NHS MCA / DoLS lead talked through the on the current picture and challenges on the Island.
