Establishing a Vulnerable Adults Policy Group and Jersey Vulnerable Adults Protection Committee by way of transferring budget from 2012 Central Reserves to the Chief Minister’s Department;
And;
transferring budget from the Health and Social Services Department 2013 – 2015 budget allocation to the Chief Minister’s Department in respect of the Children’s Policy Group and Children’s Protection Committee in anticipation of a transfer of political responsibility in due course.
This report follows on from a Council of Ministers decision to establish a Vulnerable Adults Policy Group (Section 1) and a Jersey Vulnerable Adults Protection Committee (Section 2). This has implications for the administrative functions and political lead for the Children’s Policy Group (CPG) and Jersey Child Protection Committee (JCPC), as also outlined in Section 1 and 2.
Financial Implications
| Current Costs: Children’s Policy Group (CPG) and Child Protection Committee (JCPC) Amounts to be transferred from Health and Social Services Department | Net Additional Costs: Vulnerable Adults Policy Group (VAPG) Vulnerable and Vulnerable Adults Protection Committee (VAPC) Amounts to be transferred from 2012 Central Reserves | Total Costs: |
Annual Costs of Protection Committee(s) | £233,780 | £108,370 | £342,150 |
Executive Support Officer for Policy Group | £40,900 | £50,000 | £90,900 |
Total Annual Costs | £274,680 | £158,370 | £433,050 |
3 year costs across MTFP Period 2013 - 2015 | £824,040 | £475,110 | £1,299,150 |
Section 1: Jersey Vulnerable Adults Policy Group
What is the VAPG?
The proposed VAPG is a cross departmental policy group. It would work on behalf of CoM to provide political oversight and co-ordination of issues that effect vulnerable adults, including older adults, who live in our community. It would work across, and amongst, States Department and States funded services.
Its primary aim would be to deliver improvements in the policies and practices that benefit vulnerable and older adults.
In addition, it would provide political oversight of issues relating to the protection and safeguarding of vulnerable adults and older adults, ensuring that the Chair of the proposed Vulnerable Adults Protection Committee has direct, cross-departmental political access (see Section 2). Thus the VAPG, alongside the CPG, will enable policy in relation to vulnerable adults and children to be significantly enhanced and will help ensure our Island has in place a comprehensive protection mechanism for those who need it.
In this way, the Group will play a key role in delivering the States’ new strategic priority to Promote Family and Community Values. In addition, it will significantly compliment the Council of Ministers’ commitment to place increased emphasis on Social Policy.
Terms of Reference outlining the purpose, function and membership of the VAPG are attached as Appendix 1.
What benefits VAPG will be deliver?
In May 2010 CoM formally ratified establishment of the CPG which works on behalf of CoM to ensure synergies in the way States Departments work together on initiatives that impact children and young people living in our community.
Since its establishment, the CPG has provided a focus for delivering and driving forward improvements in policy and practice by ensuring cross-departmental input, decision-making and problem solving. This has included, but not been limited to:
- providing a clearly identifiable political focus for children’s issues
- joint delivery of initiatives that previously stalled due to their cross-departmental nature (e.g.: rules limiting hours worked by school children in order to protect them from harm)
- clarity about prospective priorities of key initiatives (e.g.: requirement of professional fostering services to benefit children in care and children in the youth justice system)
- development of overarching outcomes for children and young people, essential for development of Strategic Framework as recommended by Williamson
- joint political ownership of recommendations of Serious Case Review relating to multiple siblings who came to harm.
It is envisaged that the VAPG will, like the CPG, deliver multiple benefits improving communication and decision making for the benefit of Islanders.
Structure
It is proposed that:
- The VAPG is supported by a part time Executive Officer who will work help ensure it functions effectively and deliver its agenda in relation to older adults and vulnerable adults. (It is notable that the CPG has been able to function effectively unlike the Corporate Parent that preceded, in part, because it has had a dedicated 0.45 FTE Executive Officer funded via Williamson monies).
- The part-time VAPG Executive officer and CPG Executive Officer roles are merged to create a single full time Social Policy post for the States of Jersey. This post would be based in the Chief Minister Department.
- The VAPG sits within CMD and is chaired by the Assistant Chief Minister, Senator Paul Routier.
- It is also proposed that the CPG moves from HSSD to CMD, but does so after a staggered transition period that allows for the VAPG to ‘bed down’ within detracting from the CPG, and during this time the Minister for Health and Social Services should continue to lead the CPG supported by the Director, Corporate Policy, and Executive Officer.
Locating both the VAPG and CPG in CMD will help ensure that these distinct key elements of social policy, which cut across different departmental agendas, are perceived as being central to States wide social policy as opposed to being perceived as the sole or lead responsibility of any particular department.
This both supports the trend of cross departmental delivery of key objectives as outlined in the States Strategic Plan and provides an additional degree of independence / appropriate distance between the policy and safeguarding functions and operational functions, which is critical to effective safeguarding.
Section 2: Vulnerable Adults Protection Committee
Why have a VAPC?
Jersey has an obligation to protect all vulnerable people including older people and, whilst the JCPC provides a multi-agency approach in relation to the prevention of harm to children, there are no equivalent arrangements for vulnerable adults, including older people.
Yet, the requirement to protect vulnerable adults is as important and will increase as:
- our population continues to age and the proportion of people who are vulnerable and have special needs grows
- more vulnerable people are cared for/live in an increasing number and diversity of settings (for example: institutions; their own homes; community day facilities). This trend will increase in line with the future direction of social care in Jersey as being established by the new Health Strategy, and will be supported by changes to long-term care funding.
Multi-agency safeguarding arrangements are as important for vulnerable adults as they are for children. They help communities strike a balance between protecting vulnerable adults from abuse, harm or exploitation and between being overly risk adverse, which can result in unnecessary use of precautionary measures that have a negative impact on the individual’s life and choices.
As demonstrated by the success of the JCPC, a VAPC will be able to bring agencies together to jointly problem solve and to identify and plugs the gaps between their different practices. It allows professionals to think and learn outside their organisational parameters, consider broader issues and develop effective working relationships in which people are open and transparent about their organisational weaknesses.
It has been repeatedly shown, via a myriad of UK reports developed in response to some of the worst cases of abuse that the lack of inter-agency working and the lack of structures that support inter-agency working are a major factor contributing factor.
Why it is required now?
Some vulnerable people in Jersey are at risk of abuse or harm. It would therefore be prudent to establish structures designed to better prevent and manage any future incidents as soon as possible.
It is also important to recognise that an increased emphasis is being placed on adult safeguarding by many other jurisdictions, with support from the UN. Last year the UK government issued a new statement of government policy in relation to adult safeguarding, both clarifying the need for multi-agency safeguarding arrangements and set out its intention to create a statutory basis for adult safeguarding.
The VAPC in combination with the JCPG will help ensure our Island has in place a comprehensive protection mechanism for those who need it. In addition, alongside the JCPC and both the Vulnerable Adults and Children’s Policy Groups (VAPG and CPG) it will play a key role in significantly enhancing policy in relation to vulnerable adults and children. This is central to delivery of the States’ new strategic priority Promote Family and Community Values and will significantly compliment the Council of Ministers commitment to place increased emphasis on social policy.
What would the role of the VAPC be?
In Jersey, there are already adult safeguarding measures in place including those delivered by the Police, the Adults and Older Adults Social work teams plus the RAMAS risk management system in relation to mental health. There is, however, a lack of multi-agency governance, hence a potential likelihood that vulnerable adults are not afforded sufficient protection.
The risks faced by vulnerable adults are extremely broad, are very real and are already occurring in Jersey. They include:
- physical and sexual abuse
- emotional abuse
- neglect
- financial abuse (including: theft; improper use of funds and resources through coercion)
The role of the proposed VAPC would be to co-ordinate safeguarding activities between different agencies. This would include both preventative and re-active functions including:
- investigation inc. Serious Case Reviews
- specific initiatives to address identified harm inc. policy development; research; audit
- education and risk management inc. training and tools/materials development
- community awareness raising professional, service providers and wider community.
The aim would be to enable all adults to maintain their independence and well-being, and ensure they can live a life that is free from abuse and neglect i.e. it is not just about protecting people from harm but about upholding key principles in relation to dignity and respect; autonomy; involvement and choice.
It is envisaged that the terms of reference will include ensuring:
- safeguarding and governance arrangements are fit for purpose
- development of robust policies, procedures and protocols
- robust monitoring of incidences of harm and initiating serious case reviews as appropriate
- communication and engagement with staff, users, carers and the general public
- provision of training and workforce development activities.
The VAPC structure would be formally agreed once the Independent Chair is in place but would likely mirror the JCPC structure, and UK safeguarding committees, and would include:
- a shared independent Chair and delivery function (whilst maintaining separate VAPC and JCPC)
- joint strategic and operational committee
- sub-groups focusing on specific areas of activity e.g.: serious case reviews and training.
What is happening in the UK?
Some UK agencies are moving to the model of joint independent Chairs for adults and children safeguarding. The reasons for doing reflect those in Jersey:
- fostering joint working to maximise learning and make best effective use of the strategic safeguarding role
- value of money.
Whilst this is a relative new development and no research has been undertaken as to the impact of joint independent Chairs, SCIE[1] noted both an increased trend for joint Chairs and, where there an no joint Chairs, the increased necessity for developing structures aimed at overcoming duplication between children and adults safeguarding (for example dedicated Children/Adult Safeguarding Interface Sub-Groups) or for supporting joint learning (for example: joint subject matter sub-groups).
Appendix 1: VAPG Terms of Reference
Vulnerable Adults’ Policy Group
Terms of Reference
Introduction
The purpose of the Vulnerable Adults’ Policy Group (VAPG) is to provide political co-ordination across, and amongst, States Departments and States Funded Services that impact on, benefit, or protect the Island’s vulnerable adults, whether of working age or post-retirement age.
The Ministers of the VAPG will confer and support each other to deliver key outcomes for vulnerable adults including in relation to:
- Health
- Safety
- Material well-being
- Enjoyment and achievement
- In making a positive contribution
Accountabilities
- Advise on the ongoing development and implementation of a safeguarding mechanism for vulnerable adults (Vulnerable Adults’ Protection Committee)
- Receive the Annual Report and Plan of the Vulnerable Adults’ Protection Committee prior to presentation to COM and publication
- Serious Case Reviews (SCR): VAPG to formally receive the SCR’s commissioned and undertaken by the Jersey Vulnerable Adults’ Protection Committee, including:
- considering recommendations
- working in partnership with VAPC to oversee and monitor delivery of recommendations
- reporting SCR findings and recommendations to Council of Ministers (COM) as appropriate.
- VAPG to advise and support relevant Ministers on policy matters in relation vulnerable adults to facilitate a joined up approach to policy for vulnerable adults.
- To work pro-actively with each other, other Departments, States Funded Services, Parochial Authorities, and other external organisations, to ensure the provision of cohesive, effective services for vulnerable adults.
- To provide strategic advice to the Council of Ministers and States Assembly on matters relating to vulnerable adults, including their carers.
- To advise and contribute to propositions to the States Assembly and formal consultation processes in order to ensure that the impact upon vulnerable adults is taken into account
Whilst the Ministers will act collaboratively to discharge their responsibilities in relation to vulnerable adults, each Minister retains their own statutory obligations as set out in Law.
Membership
The members of the VAPG include:
- The Assistant Chief Minister, Senator Paul Routier, Chair
- Minister for Health and Social Services
- Minister for Home Affairs
- Minister for Housing
- Minister for Social Security
With advice and support from:
- Independent Chair, VAPC
- CEO, Health and Social Services
- CO, Home Affairs
- CO Housing
- CO Social Security
- Director, Corporate Policy
Other Ministers and Officers may be invited as relevant.
Secretariat
Central Policy Unit, Chief Minister’s Department
Meeting cycle
Quarterly
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