Warwickshire Safeguarding Adults Board (WSAB)
Safeguarding Boards are a statutory requirement of the Care Act 2014 and bring together local partners who are required to work together to assure themselves that local safeguarding arrangements and partners act to help and protect any adult in the county who:
- has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs),
- is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
- as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.
In accordance with the Act, the core members of WSAB are:
- Warwickshire County Council
- Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated care Board (ICB)
- Chief Officer of Warwickshire Police
The membership of WSAB is further extended to include other organisations and individuals the core members considers appropriate, such as local district/borough councils, West Midlands Ambulance Service, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, Adult Social Care, Public Health, and local hospitals, etc.
The Police and Crime Commissioner is not a core member under the Act, but has an important role in supporting the work of WSAB, working closely with partners to ensure a unified and joined-up approach, assisting in the coordination of activity, and promoting continuous learning and improvement. A representative from the Commissioner’s Office therefore attends WSCP as part of the extended membership.
WSAB undertakes its responsibilities by:
- developing and publishing a strategic plan setting out how it will meet its objectives and how its member and partner agencies will contribute
- assuring itself that local safeguarding arrangements are in place as defined by the Care Act 2014 and statutory guidance
- 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
- leading adult safeguarding arrangements across its locality and overseeing and coordinating the effectiveness of the safeguarding work of its member and partner agencies.
- publishing an annual report detailing how effective its work has been
- commission safeguarding reviews for any cases which meet the criteria for these.
Further information about these arrangements can be found on the WSAB section of the Warwickshire Safeguarding website.
