Appendix 1 - Key achievements in 2009 – 2010
What we have delivered in order to improve safeguarding practice
· An information sharing good practice guide for professionals
· A ‘How to Respond to Financial Abuse’ good practice guide for professionals
· A new multi-agency safeguarding procedure (ACS 666)
· A multi-agency competency framework of key skills all staff in all agencies must possess
· Consistently improving performance of investigating teams as evidenced by audits of safeguarding practice in ACS and HPFT
· Targeted activity to improve the quality of call handling in the Customer Service Centre (CSC) including regular call quality monitoring and reporting of each misdirected call to the CSC Manager
· New system implemented for social workers to refer vulnerable adults, particularly those in high-risk groups for fire deaths, to the Fire and Rescue Service for free Home Fire Safety Checks
What we have delivered in order to raise the profile of safeguarding
· An improved series of safeguarding adults web pages on Hertsdirect.org as well as better visibility of safeguarding adults information on Hertsdirect.org
· A series of posters and information fact sheets that have been distributed to partner agencies and social care providers
· Press releases to local and trade press which have run stories on adult abuse and the work we are doing to respond to it (such as Hemel Hempstead Gazette and Comet in North Hertfordshire)
· Radio interviews by Richard Smith, our Executive Member, on Jack FM and Heart FM
· Adverts on how to report abuse aired on BBC 3 Counties Radio
· A full-page article in Herts Horizons (October 2010 edition) on how to report adult abuse, reaching every household in the county
· Large posters in Hemel Hempstead General Hospital and QEII Hospital detailing what adult abuse is and how to report it; these will be prominently displayed in various locations throughout each hospital until mid-2012
· A full-page advert in a free booklet on hospital services for Lister, QEII and Hertford County Hospitals with an estimated reach of 330,000 local residents
· A full page advert in the Hertfordshire 2011 Care Choices Directory which is distributed county-wide to HCC staff, hospitals, GP surgeries, libraries etc, with an e-Book version available to download from the Care Choices website
· A full page article in Age UK’s quarterly magazine, distributed county-wide
· A new Easy Read leaflet on recognising and responding to abuse for those with Learning Disabilities
· An information and publicity strategy as well as protocol for partner agencies on how to handle high profile incidents that may attract the attention of the media
110203 Adult Care and Health Cabinet Panel
Item 7 Appendix 1 – Update of Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Arrangements
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