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Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Adults Board

Risk Assessment Multi-Agency Panel (RAMP)

Terms of Reference

DOCUMENT CONTROL SHEET

Ratified by Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Adults Board – March 2017

Date Revision Due: March 2020

Revision History / Version / Changes made / Author

Contents

  1. RAMP Vision
  2. Introduction
  3. Membership of the RAMP
  4. Eligibility
  5. Information Sharing
  6. The RAMP Process
  7. Evaluation
  1. RAMP VISION

Improving the way we work together to help adults who are at risk due to a lifestyle or circumstances which threatens their health and wellbeing. RAMP offers person centred and coordinated support for an individual’s needs while respecting the rights of others.

  1. Introduction

2.1 The Care Act 2014 and its accompanying Care and Support Statutory Guidance, updated in 2016, defines the safeguarding duty as applying to an adult who meets the following criteria:

2.2 Has needs for care and support, whether or not the local authority is meeting those needs and is:

2.3 Experiencing abuse or neglect and as a result of those care and support needs, is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect.

2.4 The RAMP aims to support adults who meet the Care Act safeguarding criteria and who are resident in Buckinghamshire. The RAMP provides professionals with an opportunity for multi-agency advice on a one-off basis. In exceptional circumstances, the Chair can request a particular adult’s case must be brought back for a further discussion with the panel.

2.5 Effective discussion and information sharing is an essential requirement of supporting and safeguarding adults. It enables better decision making and practice for the person at the centre of risks and concerns.

2.6 Sound, professional judgement must be underpinned by good multi-agency working. RAMP enables sharing of knowledge, expertise and appropriate challenge in identifying and responding to lifestyle related risks.

2.7 RAMP is a multi-agency panel to support practitioners and service users where aspects of an individual’s lifestyle are potentially or actually harmful to their wellbeing and aims to be beneficial in the following ways:-

  • To consider a variety of options for supporting individuals
  • Improved support for practitioners
  • Identification of risk at an earlier opportunity
  • A proportionate, coordinated, effective and timely response
  • Improved outcomes for the adult with care and support needs
  • Create wider understanding of the nature of care and support needs in Buckinghamshire
  1. Membership of the RAMP
  • Adult Social care
  • Buckinghamshire Health Care Trust
  • Thames Valley police
  • Oxford Health
  • Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue
  • General Practice
  • Environmental Health
  • Drug and Alcohol Service
  • Other agencies by invitation
  1. Eligibility

4.1 Referrals regarding adults with care and support needs are made to the Adult MASH. Referrals will be reviewed by a Safeguarding Practitioner in the MASH to make a decision whether to refer to the RAMP. There are 3 possible outcomes arising from this review:

4.2 Immediate protective measures required – action by safeguarding/Police and will not proceed to RAMP at this time

4.3 No immediate protection indicated, no evidence of actions to engage with or improve the adult’s circumstances – return to referrer with advice

4.4 Evidence of actions taken to engage and support the individual of concern with limited or no effect – RAMP to be offered

  1. Information Sharing

5.1 Information sharing for RAMP purposes will take place within the parameters of existing multi-agency agreements in the MASH.

5.2 The professional referring in to the Adult MASH is responsible for informing the adult with care and support needs, or their representative of the referral, unless there are exceptional and clearly documented reasons not to do so.

5.3 Consent will be sought by the Adult MASH prior to the case progressing into RAMP and recording this on to the MASH system (AIS) and disseminated to partner agencies as appropriate. Professionals will assist the MASH to obtain consent, unless doing so would:

5.4 Place a person (the individual, family member, worker or a third party) at increased risk of significant harm from an individual or group.

5.5 Prejudice the prevention, detection or prosecution of a serious crime - this is likely to cover most criminal offences relating to children and adults

5.6 Lead to an unjustified delay in making enquiries about allegations of significant harm to an individual.

5.7 Where consent is not sought or obtained, clear reasons will be documented in the person’s record and the minutes of any resulting meetings.

  1. The RAMP Process

6.1 The decision to progress a case to the RAMP is made by a Safeguarding Practitioner in the Adult MASH.

6.2 The lead practitioner for the referral will complete and return part one of the RAMP form within 5 working days. The RAMP form should be counter signed for agreement by the practitioner’s line manager.

6.3 All agencies involved with the individual retain responsibility for safeguarding and case management at all times. This responsibility does not transfer to the RAMP at any time.

6.4 Once the referral is progressed to RAMP, information from other sources will be reviewed. To ensure the appropriate information is collated, new referrals to RAMP must be sent to the RAMP members no less than 5 working days before the RAMP meeting.

6.5 If information received by any agency indicates an escalation of risk, the case will be immediately redirected from the RAMP back in to the Adult MASH.

6.7 Information received in to the RAMP combined with multi-agency discussion will result in multi-agency recommendations recorded in a plan for the lead professional working with the adult to coordinate an appropriate course of action.

6.8 Examples of possible outcome decisions may include:

  • Immediate remedial action
  • Recommending possible actions in response to the needs and risks
  • Referrals to relevant agencies
  • Agree on plan of engaging the individual concerned
  • Referral back in to safeguarding if new or worsening issues are identified
  1. Evaluation

7.1 The Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Adults Board will seek assurance on a quarterly basis that the RAMP is effective and adhering to its Terms of Reference.

7.2 RAMP will report against the following measures:

  • Number of referrals to RAMP
  • Referring agency
  • Outcome of cases entering the RAMP
  • Repeat contact rate into RAMP
  • Experience of professionals participating in RAMP
  • Experience of individuals or their representatives
  • Qualitative review of data and dip sampling of practice

Feedback forms will be sent to referrer for completion and returning to the panel

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