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Roles and Responsibilities of all Organisations

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and effective safeguarding practice can only be achieved when organisations work together and ensure that adults with care and support needs are protected, and that the outcome of the safeguarding process is life enhancing.  This policy is intended for all agencies and individuals involved in safeguarding adults including managers, professionals, volunteers and staff working in public, voluntary and private sector organisations.  The procedures represent the commitment of organisations to:

  • work together to prevent and protect adults at risk from abuse
  • empower and support people to make their own choices
  • investigate actual or suspected abuse and neglect
  • support adults and provide a service to adults at risk who are experiencing abuse, neglect and exploitation
  • achieve the best possible outcome for the person at the centre of the enquiry

In Darlington it is the role of the Statutory Safeguarding Partners (the Local Authority, the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENCICB) and Durham Constabulary) to have equal and joint responsibility for safeguarding arrangements for child and adult safeguarding.  Darlington’s agreed safeguarding arrangements are in accordance with S43 of the Care Act 2014 [external link].   

In accordance with the Care Act 2014, Darlington Safeguarding Partnership has a statutory requirement to:

  • publish a strategic plan for each financial year that sets how it will meet its main objectives and what partner agencies will do to achieve this
  • publish an annual report detailing what the Partnership has done during the year to achieve its main objective and implement its strategic plan
  • consider holding Safeguarding Adults Review’s in accordance with Section 44 of the Care Act

The provisions of the Care Act 2014 and Care and Support Statutory Guidance [external link] are intended to promote and secure wellbeing and ensure that adults with care and support needs are protected from abuse and neglect.  Preventing abuse and neglect is one of the principles of safeguarding. Early identification and positive interventions with individuals and families can make a significant difference to the wellbeing of an adult at risk and prevent the deterioration of a situation or the breakdown of a support network.  It is often when people become isolated from their families and friends that they become vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Agencies must implement robust risk management processes in order to prevent concerns escalating to a crisis point where intervention under safeguarding procedures is required.

All organisations which provide care and support to adults at risk have the responsibility to safeguard adults at risk within this policy and should have Adult Safeguarding procedures which reflect the statutory guidance within the Care Act 2014 and the Darlington Safeguarding Partnership (DSP) Adult Safeguarding Multi-Agency Policy and Procedures.

The Care Act 2014 imposes a duty on all public bodies to cooperate in order to ensure that care and support is well coordinated. 

The Statutory Safeguarding Partners must work in partnership with relevant partner agencies as outlined in section 6(7) of the Care Act 2014 and those partners must also cooperate with the Local Authority in the exercise of their functions relevant to care and support including those to protect adults. Relevant partners of a Local Authority include any other Local Authority with whom they agree it would be appropriate to co-operate (for example, neighbouring authorities with whom they provide joint shared services) and the following agencies or bodies which operate within the Local Authority area in Darlington:

  • British Transport Police
  • Care Quality Commission
  • County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
  • Durham Constabulary
  • Healthwatch
  • North East Ambulance Service
  • North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board – Tees Valley
  • NHS England
  • Probation Service – County Durham and Darlington
  • Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust

The Statutory Safeguarding Partners must also co-operate with such other agencies or bodies as it considers appropriate in the exercise of its adult safeguarding functions such as:

  • pharmacists
  • dentists
  • housing departments
  • GP practices
  • Voluntary and third sector organisations
  • Independent Providers – nursing and care homes, domiciliary care

The Care Act 2014 Care and Support Statutory Guidance stresses the importance of each Local Authority making the necessary arrangements to ensure that its officers with responsibility for adult care and support, housing, public health and children’s services work collaboratively.  Under the principles of well-being, prevention and Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP), it is crucial to ensure that all of the care and support needs of an individual are considered alongside the personal views and wishes of the individual to ensure that the approach taken is person centred.

Community, voluntary and private sector organisations provide a diverse range of services to adults at risk and provide services which assist in both preventing and responding to abuse and neglect.  Community, voluntary and private sector organisations must work closely with statutory agencies, in the interests of adults at risk in accordance with the multi- agency procedures.

Expectation of Partner organisations working together in safeguarding adults:

  • Partner organisations will contribute to effective inter-agency working and effective multi-disciplinary assessments and joint working partnerships in order to provide the most effective means of safeguarding adults.
  • Action taken under these procedures does not affect the obligations on partner organisations to comply with their statutory responsibilities such as notification to regulatory authorities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 [external link] or to comply with employment legislation.
  • Organisations continue to have a duty of care to adults who purchase their own care through personal budgets and are required to ensure that reasonable care is taken to avoid acts or omissions that are likely to cause harm to the adult at risk.
  • Partner organisations will have information about individuals who may be at risk from abuse and may be asked to share this where appropriate, with due regard to confidentiality.

Whistleblowing Policy

The Government expects public sector bodies to have Whistleblowing Arrangements. Health and Social Care commissioners may extend this expectation to service providers. Staff should be encouraged to raise concerns, at first internally, so that they can be dealt with promptly. Organisations that do not respond to such concerns put themselves at risk to exposure of any wrongdoing through employees blowing the whistle externally.

For further guidance see www.gov.uk/whistleblowing [external link].

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA)

The purpose of the MAPPA framework is to reduce the risks posed by sexual and violent offenders in order to protect the public, including previous victims, from serious harm.  The responsible authorities in respect of MAPPA are the police, prison and probation services who have a duty to ensure that MAPPA is established in each of their geographic areas to ensure the risk assessment and management of all identified MAPPA offenders (primarily violent offenders on licence or mental health orders and all registered sex offenders).  The police, prison and probation services have a clear statutory duty to share information for MAPPA purposes. Further guidance is contained in statutory guidance Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements [external link]. Other organisations have a duty to cooperate with the responsible authority, including the sharing of information.

Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)

MARACs are multi-agency meetings where statutory and voluntary agency representatives share information about high-risk victims of domestic abuse in order to produce a coordinated action plan to increase victim safety.

The police, Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs), health professionals, child protection social workers, adult protection social workers and housing practitioners and other specialists from voluntary and statutory agencies participate in the conferences.    

The role of the MARAC is to provide a forum for effective information sharing and partnership working amongst a diverse range of adult and child focused services in order to enhance the safety of high-risk victims and their children.

After sharing relevant information about a victim, perpetrator and children the representatives discuss options for increasing the safety of all involved and turn these into a co-ordinated action plan. The primary focus of the MARAC is to safeguard the victim and their family.  The MARAC will also make links with other agencies to safeguard children and adults with care and support needs and manage the behaviour of the perpetrator. For further information see MARAC Procedure [PDF Document] and Practitioner guidance for referring to MARAC and the MARAC referral form and DASH Risk Assessment Tool (modified 2021) [Word Document]. 

Prevent/Channel: Extremism

The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 [external link] places a duty on specified authorities which must have ’due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’. The focus of Prevent is on the significant threat posed by all forms of terrorism and those in the UK who are inspired by it. It is also concerned with reducing threats, risks and vulnerabilities posed by domestic extremists such as those from the far right/Neo Nazi/White Supremacist ideology, Irish Nationalist and Loyalist paramilitary groups and extremist animal rights activists.  There is a clear framework for professionals who are concerned about an adult or a child who may be vulnerable to the messages of extremism in all its forms which outlines details of the inter-agency process and expectations in respect of managing concerns about adults and children within these criteria. 

For further guidance see DSP Practice Guidance: Prevent Practice Guidance and Channel process (July 2019) [PDF document].

Restorative Practice Approach

Restorative approaches have been shown to reduce demand on services and save money. This approach seeks to repair past harm but also includes agreement about future behaviour and therefore has a long-term impact.  The Restorative approach can also help in cases where there is insufficient evidence for a criminal prosecution, or the result of a prosecution is unsatisfactory. Involvement in the Restorative Approach is voluntary for all parties. For further guidance see Ministry of Justice Restorative Practice Policy Framework (Feb 2023) [PDF document] for more information. 

Organisational Abuse/Complex Cases and the Executive Strategy Meeting Process

Executive Strategy Meetings are required to address all concerns and issues relating to unusual, organised or large-scale abuse. Allegations of Organisational Abuse may result in a complex case investigation with implications for resources.  Managers must consult the DSP Executive Strategy Process [New Window] for guidance in all cases where Organisational Abuse may be an issue.

Out of Area Procedures

There is an increased safeguarding risk and complexity associated with adults whose care and support arrangements cross Local Authority boundaries.  These may arise where funding/commissioning responsibility for an adult lies with an authority in one area and where concerns about potential abuse and/or exploitation arise in another area.

In cases where a safeguarding enquiry involves cross boundary considerations see ADASS Guidance for Out of Area Safeguarding Adults Arrangements [PDF document].  

Single agency case closure: inform other agencies involved with the adult

When single agencies close a case involving an adult with care and support needs this information should be communicated to all other agencies involved in the case. This includes cases across adult and children’s services where the service user is a parent.

Disagreements and Professional Challenge

It is important to establish a culture which promotes professional challenge across all agencies; national and local Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs) continue to draw attention to the importance of inter-agency communication and reviews have identified an apparent reluctance to challenge inter-agency decision making. If during the course of a Safeguarding Enquiry a consensus view cannot be achieved, or it is inconsistent with the evidence, the Chair of the Strategy Discussion/Meeting may, where appropriate, propose a decision on behalf of those attending the meeting.  Any person disagreeing with the proposed decision would have their disagreement recorded in the minutes.

Any disagreements that cannot be resolved should be dealt with in accordance with the DSP Professional Challenge Procedure [PDF document]