Rotherham’s adult safeguarding service told how it can improve

The Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board protects adults with care and support needs from abuse and neglect.

The board commissioned the Local Government Association to review its services in July 2023, and produced an action plan to identify areas where the service could improve.

The peer review consisted of 37 interviews with a range of agencies including The Rotherham Foundation Trust, integrated care board andSouth Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The plan was discussed by councillors during today’s (March 5) meeting of the improving lives select commission.

Moira Wilson, the independent chair of the board, told the meeting that reviewers were ‘really positive about the pride and commitment’ to safeguarding adults in Rotherham.

She told the meeting that the review was ‘very clear’ that the board listens to the voices of those who require care and support, but ‘we’re not as good as hearing those voices directly’.

Ms Wilson added that adult safeguarding is a “very delicate and sensitive area of business, and we do need to make sure that people feel part of that, and that they’ve got choice and control over what’s happening in their lives”.

One of the areas for improvement was the service’s data collection.

Data should be ‘qualitative not just quantitative’, and a subgroup should review data to identify what is working well, and make recommendations to the board about what needs to happen within the service.

“One of the issues around safeguarding adults more generally, is that there is one set of data which… [the] local authority returns to to central government around safeguarding,” added Ms Wilson.

“We haven’t got a full suite of data but we need to look at how we can improve that better.”

It was also recommended that the board raise its profile through a communication campaign, improved digital presence and develop a group for service users to have their say.

Kirsty Littlewood, assistant director of adult care and integration, added that the users’ voice was ‘critical’ to the service,

“We’ve recognised that the voice of people that use our services isn’t necessarily always central to how we shape strategies,” she added.