Agenda item

1.      Prior to it being published, the Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report be noted.

2.      The provision of paper copies of the Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report to Surrey libraries be agreed.

Reasons for Decisions:

By accepting the recommendations, the Cabinet will show that the council has fulfilled its obligations to co-ordinate the activities of the SSAB. It will support the SSAB to be transparent by providing information to the public on the performance of the Board in the delivery of its strategic plan.

The provision of paper copies of the SSAB Annual Report to Surrey libraries will assist to ensure that there is easy access to the report for Surrey residents who do not have internet access.

From 1 April 2015 when the Care Act 2014 will be implemented, it will be a statutory requirement for Safeguarding Adults Boards to produce and publish a Strategic Plan and an Annual Report. The Strategic Plan will need to set out how SSAB will protect and help adults in Surrey and what actions each member of the SSAB will take to deliver the plan. The Annual Report will need to state what both the SSAB and its members have done to carry out and deliver the objectives and other content of its strategic plan. The SSAB wish to comply with these future requirements in advance of the statutory duty.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care asked the Cabinet Associate for Adult Social Care, Mr Cosser, to introduce the Annual Report of the Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board (SSAB). Mr Cosser highlighted that the report presented the priorities and programmes covered by the board in 2013/14 and stated the SSAB would become a statutory board from 1 April 2015 as part of the implementation of the Care Act 2014. He then invited the independent chairman, Simon Turpitt to provide an overview of the report. 

Mr Turpitt began by stating how pleased he was that the SSAB would become statutory and that he felt that this would provide the accountability and responsibility to deliver safeguarding for adults on the same footing as children. He referred to the Adult Social Care peer review findings in relation to safeguarding and stated that the Council and Members should be proud of these achievements.

He talked about challenges and highlighted resources as the biggest challenge. The Cabinet Member for Business Services questioned Mr Turpitt on what the board was doing to address the constraints on resources to ensure that they were ready for the implementation of the Care Act. Mr Turpitt replied that all 6 member agencies were looking at adjusting policies and procedures and he is confident in the board but there was some work to do.

The Cabinet Associate for Assets and Regeneration asked what the board was doing about shared resources to which the Chairman of the SSAB stated that joint funding would assist with improving governance going forward as the board was solely funded by the Adult Social Care directorate.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care thanked the Board for the report and referred to the dedicated team of officers that manage the cases.

The Leader closed the discussion by extending a personal thank you to the SSAB on behalf of the residents of Surrey.

RESOLVED:

1.      Prior to it being published, the Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report be noted.

2.      The provision of paper copies of the Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report to Surrey libraries be agreed.

Reasons for Decisions:

By accepting the recommendations, the Cabinet will show that the council has fulfilled its obligations to co-ordinate the activities of the SSAB. It will support the SSAB to be transparent by providing information to the public on the performance of the Board in the delivery of its strategic plan.

The provision of paper copies of the SSAB Annual Report to Surrey libraries will assist to ensure that there is easy access to the report for Surrey residents who do not have internet access.

From 1 April 2015 when the Care Act 2014 will be implemented, it will be a statutory requirement for Safeguarding Adults Boards to produce and publish a Strategic Plan and an Annual Report. The Strategic Plan will need to set out how SSAB will protect and help adults in Surrey and what actions each member of the SSAB will take to deliver the plan. The Annual Report will need to state what both the SSAB and its members have done to carry out and deliver the objectives and other content of its strategic plan. The SSAB wish to comply with these future requirements in advance of the statutory duty.