14 Section 42(1) concern criteria not met If not met it may be necessary to consider other options such as signposting, assessment of need and referral to other services to prevent deterioration and promote independence, health and wellbeing. This could result in actions which will engage the adult in taking steps to protect themselves from harm. If an informal carer is at risk of harm or abuse from the adult they care for, the local authority may undertake an Enquiry or consider another intervention to support the carer to stay safe. See page 23 for more details. Who is to take actions? It is important that at the earliest possible stage the relevant team consults with the adult to find out what they want to happen or ensures this is undertaken by another professional. Once the local authority decides a Section 42(2) enquiry is required, there are a range of options about who can undertake it. The local authority must decide, after consultation, who will do this. In all circumstances the local authority retains responsibility for coordinating and monitoring the enquiry in relation to achieving the adult’s desired outcomes and supporting the management of the risk. The organisation or individual that is required to undertake the enquiry should be agreed with the adult concerned where possible. The professional appointed will be known as the Nominated Enquirer/s (NE) in each case. There is no definitive list of who can be required to undertake an enquiry, but could include: • The local authority • Employer • Contract monitoring • Police • Health Care Professionals • Support workers • Other care and support providers in an adult’s life • Housing • Any other agency as deemed appropriate The local Trading Standards Services: Trading Standards in Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset Police have jointly produced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) approved by the SAB which sets out how they will work together on safeguarding concerns. Agencies should refer to Appendix 20 which sets out when the local authority should refer to both Trading Standards and the Police. See Appendix 20. For local NHS services the local authority will contact the Safeguarding Adults lead for the provider to request that they plan for the most appropriate professional to carry out the enquiry and produce the NE report. The decision maker will indicate where possible the status of the adult’s mental capacity and their views about the issue being enquired about, the themes and specific concerns which need to be addressed and provide information about the dates or period to be considered by the professional appointed. In all Section 42(2) Enquiries the Local Authority will allocate a Safeguarding Adults Practitioner (SAP). This professional is likely to be a local authority employee and will fulfil the council’s responsibilities for monitoring and coordination of the safeguarding enquiry as necessary. This professional may also be the NE for specific actions. There may also be other NE’s.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTIyMzU=