Statutory duties of a Safeguarding Adult Board
Under the terms of the Care Act 2014, each Local Authority must set up a Safeguarding Adult Board (SAB), with core membership from the Local Authority, police and the National Health Service (specifically the local Clinical Commissioning Group/s). A SAB has a strategic role and has three core duties; it must:
- Publish a Strategic Plan for each financial year, setting out how it will meet its main objectives. In developing the plan, it must involve the community and it must consult the local Healthwatch organisation(s).
- Publish an Annual Report detailing the activities of the SAB which it must send to the following agencies for scrutiny:
- Local Authority Chief Executives and member leads.
- local Health and Wellbeing Board(s)
- local Police and Crime Commissioner
- local Healthwatch organisation(s)
- Decide when a Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) is necessary, arrange for its conduct and if it so decides, implement the findings. SARs are about learning lessons for the future so that practice improvements may be made.
Guidance for Practitioners
The Care Act 2014 and Care and Support statutory guidance latest updates are available on the www.GOV.UK web site.
Research in practice for adults (Ripfa) published a leaders briefing Safeguarding in light of the Care Act which 'introduces leaders to what good adult safeguarding looks like so that they can seek appropriate reassurance that councils and their partners are working effectively.