Safeguarding Adults Boards have a duty be assured that local safeguarding arrangements are in place as defined by the Care Act 2014 and statutory guidance. Part of this duty is to carry out a Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) when an adult at risk dies as a result of abuse or neglect, whether known or suspected, or is still alive but has experienced serious abuse or neglect and; there are concerns that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult.

The purpose of a SAR is to promote effective learning and improvement action to prevent future deaths or serious harm occurring again. The aim is that lessons can be learned from a case and those lessons applied to future cases to prevent similar harm happening again.

The key themes arising from recent Walsall reviews were

The need to embed a person centred approach to practice,
Full compliance with the care act legislation and mental capacity act, including undertaking capacity assessments and recording the outcome
The need to continuously try to engage with service users who present as ‘non compliant’ or ‘difficult’
Quality monitoring of learning disability homes
Inter-local authority protocol when individuals are placed in the local area by another local authority
The need to undertake sound risk assessments for long term conditions

To ensure safeguarding practice is continuously improving and enhancing the quality of life of adults in its area, the Walsall Safeguarding Adults Board also undertake audits with agencies across the partnership who work with vulnerable adults. The group responsible for undertaking this work is the Multi-Agency Audits Group. This sits as a sub group of the safeguarding board’s quality assurance and performance group and has a planned cycle of audit activity which is centred around the board’s priorities along with encompassing key learning from SARs and Learning Reviews.

During April—June 2018 the theme for the deep dive cases was the multi-agency partnership response to Self-Neglect. The audit highlighted learning for partner’s understanding self –neglect the audit also identified good multi-agency work and clear risk assessments.

A key recommendation from the audits was consideration to adopt the Pan West Midlands policy and procedures on self-neglect including developing a pathway to follow with self-neglect cases.

Below are our published Serious Case Reviews:

SAR 1 Overview Report

SAR 2 Overview Report

SAR 3 Overview Report

SAR4 Overview Report

The Safeguarding Board has produced a number of posters depicting the learning from recent reviews.

Learning from Adult Reviews

Learning from Child Reviews

Child Practice Reviews

Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (CSPRs) (formerly Serious Case Reviews (SCRs)) are undertaken when a child dies (including death by suspected suicide), and abuse or neglect is known or suspected . Additionally, Safeguarding Children Partnerships (formerly LSCBs) may decide to conduct an CSPR if a child has been seriously harmed and in accordance with the guidance in Working Together 2018:

Walsall SCR Publications:

Serious Case Review - W5

Serious Case Review - W7

Serious Case Review - W8

Serious Case Review - W11

Warwickshire Serious Case Review 'Alice and Beth'

Learning from W5 & W7

Learning from W8

The Safeguarding Board has produced a number of posters depicting the learning from recent reviews.

Learning from reviews

Find below a useful link to practice briefings, learning resources and research for social care, health, education, police, criminal justice and LSCB’s in relation to Serious Case Reviews and the last Triennial Review. Pl

https://seriouscasereviews.rip.org.uk/

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s national review, into Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) in families where children are considered at risk of significant harm, has been published and can be found here.

The report, which Walsall services have contributed to, aims to identify what might have been done differently and how to improve approaches to embed safer sleeping advice in families with children considered to be at risk of significant harm through child abuse or neglect.