Use Safeguarding Adult Reviews and performance data from
key agencies to update and deliver effective safeguarding practices in
Hertfordshire
Challenge current safeguarding practices in Hertfordshire
Make sure safeguarding practices are followed by key organisations to a high standard
Agree and oversee a strategic plan and publish an annual report

The Board is a multi-agency partnership working with organisations to make sure adults at risk are cared for somewhere free from abuse and harassment, in their daily lives.

HCPA have representation on the Board and all of its sub-groups.

» For the most up-to-date guidance, visit HSAB’s website here
These pages are regularly updated by the HSAB

Mental Capacity

Staff are often unaware of the processes around Mental Capacity Assessments. This advice is clear and should be used alongside training for all staff. Please also see the Training Zone for courses and remember you can access training on your site by using the HCPA approved training providers.

Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board has more guidance on Mental Capacity here.
Click here for a short information sheet from Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board on the key principles of mental capacity
Click here for the Hertfordshire Mental Capacity guide
Click here for the Mental Capacity Assessment for LESS complex decisions

DoLs referrals across Hertfordshire

Click here for information on the important changes to DoLs referrals in Herts
Click here for the ACS referral portal poster
Click here for the DoLs information sheet

HSAB Publication Update

Self-Neglect Guidance

This guidance outlines Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board’s (HSAB) position on the principles of tackling self-neglect issues across the County and is for reference by all partner organisations. The guidance also incorporates an appendix on Hoarding.

» Read the guidance here

HSAB Website

Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board (HSAB) have added the following to the HSAB Practice Guidance section on Hertfordshire County Council’s website:
Supporting people living with dementia to be involved in adult safeguarding enquiries

» Multidisciplinary Guidance for Complex Cases poster

You will also find attached a poster promoting professionals meetings – please circulate to your staff to encourage information sharing and communication between professionals and agencies.

Safeguarding Process Flow Chart for Adult Social Care Providers

This document outlines the general process for adult social care providers who are involved in a Section 42 investigation, to give an overview of what a provider might expect.

The process in practice may be short and straightforward or lengthy and complex depending on the circumstances.

» View the Safeguarding Process Flow Chart for Adult Social Care Providers

HSAB Annual Report

The Purpose of the Annual Report

Adult Safeguarding was spelt out for the first time in law, in the Care Act 2014. Local authorities were required to set up multi-agency safeguarding boards to undertake the actions arising from the board’s strategic objectives, from the annual Business Plan and from any Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SAR) and to report on these annually, ensuring the report is available to a wide audience including on the HSAB Web Site.

The overarching purpose of the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board is to help and safeguard adults with care and support needs and the work of the board is supported by five sub groups and Task & Finish groups for specific short pieces of work.

» View HSAB’s Annual Report 20/21

To find all reports between 2014 and 2020 visit here

HSAB SAFA App

The Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board is a partnership with many organisations who work with and support adults at risk in Hertfordshire.

The Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adult Board (HSAB) SAFA App is free to download and has been designed to act as a prompt for professionals across Hertfordshire.

The app provides simple guidance on what to consider when completing a Safeguarding Adult concern form, how to make safeguarding personal, where to send the concern form etc.

The app also contains an information section that has links to the relevant local services.

Find the app today in the app store (apple or android) by searching ‘HSAB SAFA’.

» Download the presentation for the SAFA App Launch
» Download the SAFA App poster
» View the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adult Board’s webpage

HCPA Safeguarding Support

Our dedicated team can provide Fully Funded assistance to you and your organisation if you find yourself in a safeguarding situation. We’ll offer confidential support, help you achieve some of the objectives set by inspectors, and, at your request, we will also inform HCC that you are taking the first steps to fulfilling your objectives.

There’s no need to wait until you’re in a ‘serious concerns’ scenario before asking us for help.

If you are worried about safeguarding issues developing please do send us an email or give us a call and we’ll help however we can.

NICE Safeguarding Tools and Resources

NICE have launched new tools and resources to help safeguard adults. These include an interactive flowchart for Care Homes, a baseline assessment tool and more.

To view the tools along with guidance on how they should be used, click here.

Medication Errors

In instances where a medication error has been made, it is important to ensure your organisation follows the correct steps and alerts the appropriate authorities.

For more information about Herts County Council’s Medication Error Policy, please click here.

Privacy and Dignity in residential settings

Keeping residents room as a private space can be challenging. Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board are receiving more concerns relating to resident on resident incidents.

Please click here to view useful information to support providers with this challenging area.

New Safeguarding Pathway and Factsheet

Please find Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board (HSAB)’s new resources developed to support safeguarding practices, below.
» The flyer
» The factsheet
Both the poster and factsheet are also available on HSCP and HSAB training and resources website.

HSAB WEB APPS are now available for your desktop

HSAB now have two apps which are designed to be a prompt for professionals across Hertfordshire.
» Safeguarding App available here
» Mental Capacity App available here

Both Apps provide step by step guidance on what to consider when completing a safeguarding adult concern or when undertaking a mental capacity assessment. You can access the Apps from the links or from the HSAB website

If you have any questions or comments, please speak to the team on 01438 844655 or email on safeguardingboards@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Scams

Protecting people against scams is more important than ever. Many people are in difficult circumstances due to poor health, lack of employment, debt, or isolation. Scammers are taking advantage of this, so it is important people have the knowledge and tools to protect themselves.

What is a scam

A scam is a fraud, often carried out by organised groups to steal money, personal information or data from a person or organisation.

Spotting a scam

Anyone can be a victim of a scam. Some of the main warning signs of scams to look out for are:

It seems too good to be true – like an email saying you’ve won a competition you don’t remember entering.
Someone you don’t know contacts you unexpectedly. They may tell you they are from your bank or police to trick you into trusting them.
You’re being urged to respond quickly so you don’t get time to think about it or talk to family and friends.
You’ve been asked to pay for something urgently or in an unusual way – for example by bank transfer or gift vouchers.
You’ve been asked to give away personal information.

If someone thinks they might have been scammed, they should get advice immediately. They can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline (0808 223 1133) for help and report it to Action Fraud (0300 123 2040).

If seeking advice on the telephone, the line should be tested to make sure the scammer is no longer there. Scammers often stay on the line and will pretend to be the bank or police.

Advice on how to protect yourself from scams

There are some simple steps people can take to protect themselves from scams:

Don’t be rushed into making any decisions. It’s okay to take your time.
Never give money or personal details, like passwords or bank details, to anyone you don’t know, trust or have only met online. If someone pressures you for these, it’s most likely a scam.
Before you buy anything, check the company or website you’re using. Read reviews from different websites, search for the company’s details on Companies House, and take a look at their terms and conditions.
Pay by debit or credit card. This gives you extra protection if things go wrong.
Be suspicious. Scammers can be very smart. They can appear like a trusted business or government official, have a professional website and say all the right things. Take your time to work out if this is a real organisation. Contact the organisation on a number you know and trust. Don’t fall for a fake ID.
Make sure your antivirus software is up to date.
Keep your online accounts secure. Use a strong password for email accounts that you don’t use anywhere else.
If you’re not sure about something, get advice from a trusted source.
Use the Which Trusted Trader website

What to do if someone has been scammed

If someone has been scammed, there are 3 steps they need to take:

Protect themselves from further risks

They should contact their bank immediately to let them know what’s happened. They should also change the compromised log-in details, and check for viruses if they were scammed on a computer.

Check if they can get their money back

If they’ve lost money because of a scam, there might be ways to get it back. They should tell their bank what happened straight away. If they’ve paid for something by card, bank transfer, Direct Debit or PayPal, then they might get help to recover their money.

Report the scam

Reporting scams helps to stop responsible criminals and protects others from being scammed. Anyone who’s been scammed should:

Call the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133.
Report the scam to Action Fraud. They’ll assign a crime reference number, which can be helpful if you need to tell your bank you’ve been scammed.

It’s also important to talk about our experiences with family and friends. Sharing our experience can help others to be more alert to scams.

Where to go for more help

There’s a lot of advice in the consumer section of the Citizens Advice website, including how to:

You can check recent scams on Action Fraud’s website and sign up for email alerts to find out about scams in your area at www.actionfraud.police.uk/news.
You can also find out about common financial scams on the Financial Conduct Authority’s website at www.fca.org.uk/consumers/protect-yourself-scams.

Further advice is available on Consumer advice pages on the HCC website.

Hertfordshire Trading Standards

Nationally Trading Standards protect consumers and businesses. The Hertfordshire Team will contact scam victims and listen to them. Where possible Trading Standards Officers will intervene to obtain refunds, stop payments and protect victims for the future. In some cases, the team will also investigate and prosecute criminal offences. There is a small stock of call blocking devices available that can be lent to vulnerable victims to help prevent future landline telephone scams.

Trading Standards work jointly with Which? Trusted Traders to help find reputable traders who are competent and charge fairly. Every endorsed trader has met the agreed standards.

Find your local Which? Trusted Traders.

Further advice on services from Hertfordshire Trading Standards is available at their website: Scams are crimes | Hertfordshire County Council

Leaflets:

Resources for practitioners

Resources for public

Videos:

Hertfordshire Slavery Partnership Referral Pathways

Corresponding Documents and Downloadable Links Available

Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board (HSAB) Hertfordshire Modern Slavery Partnership referral pathways and corresponding documents for potential and identified adult and child victims of modern slavery/human trafficking.

HSAB Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking practice guidance.

Please refer to the launch document before sending out any of the following documents internally:

Links to the translated documents can be found at the end of the launch document or below:

HMSP Information Flyer for Adult Victims and Young Adults (16-18) – TRANSLATED 9 Languages (Vietnamese, Albanian, Eritrean (Tigrigna), Chinese (Mandarin), Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Iraqi Kurdish, Arabic & Romanian)
HMSP NRM Support Booklet for Adult Victims – TRANSLATED 9 Languages (Vietnamese, Albanian, Eritrean (Tigrigna), Chinese (Mandarin), Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Iraqi Kurdish, Arabic & Romanian)

Please also take note of the following:

Please ensure that you cascade the attached documents to your teams for further dissemination across relevant departments.
Feel free to add/extract any of the content within the launch document (Microsoft Word version) to any internal documents that are used for a change of process, if this is required.
Please be prepared to report on implementation of these documents within your organisation (if applicable) at the next HMSP meeting that you will be attending (Steering Group or Subgroup).
Feedback channels: In the first instance, any feedback should be directed to an agreed manager, safeguarding and/or modern slavery organisation lead. If further advice is needed, managers should reach out to me. Any feedback will be discussed at the next Steering Group meeting, as well as at subgroup meetings.
An official public launch of these documents is expected in September.

SCIELine: Resources on prevention, safeguarding and LPS

Quick guide – creating a positive safeguarding culture

The SCIE have created a new, quick guide to help Managers of Care homes understand policy and procedure requirements with the aim of maintaining a positive safeguarding culture.

» Click here to download the guide

Webinar recording – Liberty Protection Safeguards

This webinar recording provides the opportunity to learn more about the key changes taking place under LPC, the journey and progress to date along with how SCIE will be working with the sector to support this transition.

» Click here to view the webinar recording

Safeguarding & Capacity

Introduction