Safeguarding Adults Procedures

61 Nominated Enquirer supplementary guidance Introduction Since the Care Act 2014 the Local Authority has the statutory responsibility to make Safeguarding Enquiries or cause others to do so, if it believes an adult is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect and is unable to protect themselves from harm. An enquiry should establish whether any action needs to be taken to prevent or stop abuse or neglect, and if so, by whom. Making Safeguarding Personal This refers to the responsibility that agencies have to promote the adult’s wellbeing and carefully consider their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action. It is about adopting a personalised approach that enables safeguarding to be undertaken with the adult throughout the enquiry and to focus on achieving meaningful improvement to people’s circumstances rather than just investigate and conclude. (LGA/ADASS Making Safeguarding Personal November 2019) Specific responsibilities of the Nominated Enquirer The specific role will be determined at the Enquiry Planning Meeting (EPM) by the Enquiry Manager (EM) or the Safeguarding Adult Practitioner (SAP) through discussions with the relevant agency as the enquiry proceeds. The responsibilities may include:  Talking to the adult or witnesses  Gathering information from records held by their agency, case notes, financial records  Preserving evidence  Reviewing and reporting of evidence, e.g. checking CCTV, case records, log books  Contribute to risk assessment  Reporting on elements of the safeguarding plan  Provide information regarding their own area of expertise, e.g. medication management  Provide historical information, e.g. previous reports  Provide verbal updates to the Safeguarding Adult Practitioner /EM  Complete Nominated Enquirer Report  Attend meetings as required  Ensure Risk Management Plan is in place  Work to agreed actions Nominated Enquirer (NE) responsibilities could operate for all or part of the enquiry and involve specific actions or tasks as part of the enquiry. There may be occasions when you are unable to answer all question on the Nominated Enquirer Form. (See exemplar NE Forms attached) Information you should be given as a Nominated Enquirer  Persons views and what they aware of about the enquiry  Persons mental capacity regarding the enquiry  Specific areas to be looked into with dates  What format is required as part of the information gathering i.e. summary of care provided or a full NE Form Appendix 5 – Nominated Enquirer (NE)