Terms of Reference

Role of the Board

The Bury Safeguarding Adults Board (BSAB) is a multi-agency partnership, with responsibility to develop the work of all partners across Bury in safeguarding adults who may be at risk of abuse or exploitation, as defined in S42 of the Care Act 2014.

The Board has overall responsibility for coordinating safeguarding adult matters and ensuring that partner agencies carry out safeguarding adult’s activity to prevent abuse and protect those at risk.

The key objective of Safeguarding Adult Boards as stated in S43 of the Care Act 2014, to help and protect adults living in its area that are defined in S42.

This section applies where a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult in its area (whether or not ordinarily resident there):

(a) has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs), and

(b) is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and

(c) as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

Core Duties

The Board has three core duties which the Care Act 2014 sets out. These are:

1. developing and publishing and annual strategic plan setting out how we will meet our objectives
2. publishing and annual report which sets out what we have achieved; and
3. commissioning safeguarding adults review (SAR) where serious abuse or death has occurred, and learning can take place.

Additional duties include:

• Assuring itself that safeguarding practice is person-centred and outcome-focused.
• Working collaboratively to prevent abuse and neglect where possible.
• Ensuring agencies and individuals give timely and proportionate responses when abuse or neglect have occurred.
• Assuring itself that safeguarding practice is continuously improving and enhancing the quality of life of adults in its area.

These duties will be met by:

• Development of a strategic plan in consultation with the local Healthwatch organisation.
• Agreement of strategic aims and strategies to reduce risk and prevent harm occurring to adults at risk, as well as responding effectively and in a timely fashion.
• Publication of an annual report of adult safeguarding activities.
• Coordination and monitoring the effectiveness of partner organisations working together to implement their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding adults at risk.
• Ensuring that each organisation has systems in place for carrying out enquiries of safeguarding adults concerns and allegations of breaches of safeguarding practices concerning persons working in services and to monitor compliance with procedures.
• Ensuring provision of appropriate safeguarding training for the local workforce.
• Development of effective multi-agency policies and procedures for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults at risk in Bury.
• Raising awareness of abuse including neglect and understanding of safeguarding adults’ arrangements in the Local Authority.
• Ensuring that local services commissioned are safe and appropriate to meet the needs of adults at risk.
• Developing and maintaining an effective and evolving network of stakeholders including adults at risk, their carers’ and or advocates and providers of services.
• Commitment to undertake, learn from and act on findings from Safeguarding Adults’ Reviews (SARs) as defined within the Care Act.
• Developing as a Board to learn and share lessons from local and national developments.
• Working within the guidance of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Case (ADASS).

Board Membership

The Local Authority is responsible for the establishment of a SAB. The Care Act 2014 specifies that there are three core members:

• The Local Authority.
• The Integrated Care Board.
• The Police.

For a SAB to fulfil its responsibilities and duties effectively other agencies will need to be involved in its work from across the public, independent and community and voluntary sector. The selection of agencies and individual members will be guided by the need for the Board to keep itself informed about its local community, and about any wider safeguarding issues and risks, balancing the desirability of inclusion with the practicality of having a board of a manageable size.

Partner representatives will have sufficient seniority and leadership within their own agency to speak on its behalf, to commit resources and agree actions and to represent their agency should the Board need to hold it to account. Each member will be required to sign a membership agreement with the consent of his/her organisation.

The Board may also need to seek “one -off” specialist advice or information in relation to any of their functions, in order to assist the implementation of their objectives. This may include seeking legal advice or consulting specialist advisors.

Chair

The Board will be chaired by the Independent Chair and will provide partners with the reassurance that the Board has independence from the local authority and other partners.

Links to Other Boards, Networks and Forums

There will be links to and from groups and partnerships that may not be represented on the Board but are key stakeholders in the safeguarding adults’ agenda and can provide representation of the views of adults at risk as part of the ethos of Making Safeguarding Personal

The Board will work closely with other relevant local forums and partnerships, including the Bury Health and Wellbeing Board and the Community Safety Partnership. BSAB is part of Bury’s Safeguarding Partnership, alongside Bury Safeguarding Children’s Partnership.

The Board will also engage in regional and national activities through the SAB Independent Chair and Business Manager networks within Greater Manchester and nationally.

Meetings

The Board will meet on a monthly basis with any additional meetings arranged as appropriate. 

Urgent business, additional or late items will be at the discretion of the Independent Chair. Partners will use the agreed Board logo and slogan on reports etc. presented to the Board.

Prior to discussion of an item, all Board member to read respective agenda items, identify key lines of discussion/enquiry to be taken up at the meeting, identify potential areas of good practice and shared learning and establish the relevant position within their own agency as necessary.

The activity of the sub groups will be reported back at these meetings.

To be quorate for the purposes of decision making, a Board meeting will require five members with at least one representative from the Local Authority, health and police.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Board members will be individually responsible for respecting the confidentiality of sensitive information shared that may identify persons or organisations. It will be the responsibility of the Independent Chair to clarify subject matter that this will pertain to.

Members will act in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Governance, Reporting and Accountability

The Local Authority is the lead agency in the partnership. The Board is accountable to the Bury Health and Wellbeing Board. Partner members will report on their work in safeguarding adults to Board and via their respective individual governance arrangements.

The Independent Chair, on behalf of the Board, will be responsible for reporting to Bury’s Chief Executive. 

Board members are accountable to their own organisations, and to the Board within the remit of the stated roles.