Why it’s important to maintain ‘hidden’ systems

This blog is dedicated to Jerry Crehan. After 44 years of public service, Jerry retired in May. A qualified social worker he worked for many years in a range of roles include Children’s Services and then moving to the Care Quality Commission as an inspector. He returned to social work in 2010 working in Norfolk Care Connect before taking up a role in the safeguarding team, predominantly working in the MASH for last 15 years.  He was a highly dedicated and respected safeguarding colleague with a very calm measured approach to everything.  Thank you Jerry for all your help, very sound advice and assistance you gave me and the wider safeguarding network. Enjoy whatever comes next.

Estimated reading time 5 minutes.

The kitchen sink mixer tap has worked its way loose. 

‘We need to sort this,’ my wife rightly tells me. 

So, under the sink I go, first trying to understand the problem. I manage to manoeuvre myself into position, thinking a sardine in a tin would have more room. There is a nut which needs tightening (I later learn this is generally called a ‘back nut’). 

This fix should be simple however, due to the design of the sink and the location of said nut, getting the mole grips both into the right place and then get enough purchase is a different matter.

While wedged under the sink, looking at the network of pipes, I recalled listening to an interesting TED Talk by Deb Chachra.

An engineering professor, Chachra explored in her talk the ‘invisible’ infrastructure on which we all depend and which makes modern life possible: the plumbing, electricity, heating and more. 

Chachra describes how these systems are not seen, but vital: 

‘There are thousands of people whose life and time and work and care goes into making sure these systems function.’

‘These things give us the freedom to live the kind of life that we have reason to value.’

When we walk into a house, we might notice the décor, the furniture, the lighting – but we rarely think about the systems humming quietly behind the walls. The plumbing, heating and electrical wiring don’t often come to mind – unless something goes wrong; a leak, a breakdown or a blackout. Then we realise just how vital they are and without them a home would quickly become uninhabitable.

Adult safeguarding is no different; when it’s working well it’s often invisible, but it plays an important part in the wellbeing of our most vulnerable citizens.

Safeguarding, like plumbing, channels essential support where it’s needed and it is always best to remove risks before they cause harm.

This is safeguarding’s prevention role at its best. The system is built to ensure vulnerable adults are protected – not only during visible interventions, but through all sorts of actions like continuous monitoring, professional curiosity, team discussions, joint working protocols, checking the NSAB’s monthly newsletter Safeguarding Matters and the website for the latest updates.

We may not see the social workers reviewing safeguarding concerns or the multi-agency meetings happening in the background. Raising a safeguarding concern and (when required) carrying out enquiries aren’t always front-of-mind, but they quietly uphold the foundations of safer care and safer communities.

Heating systems provide consistent, regulated warmth, keeping the environment safe and comfortable. Similarly, safeguarding professionals and those working with adults continually monitor, assess and respond – not just in moments of crisis but through ongoing, preventive work that helps people stay safe and well.

Our safeguarding system is about vigilance, reflection and collaboration from professionals who often operate behind the scenes.
The warmth of safety isn't accidental, it’s the product of robust procedures and timely intervention.

And like the wiring behind our walls, safeguarding frameworks (policies, guidance, briefing notes, training) connect multiple people and agencies that need to work in collaborative partnerships – enabling quick identification of risk and guiding clear, effective responses when there is a need for escalation, and shared responsibility for action. 

When safeguarding works well, it can appear invisible, but that’s a sign of success, not insignificance.

We understand that safety is not the absence of danger but the presence of proactive systems. Just as every home needs solid infrastructure, every society needs robust safeguarding. It may not always be seen, but its value is in what it prevents and protects.

It's when these systems are ignored or under-resourced that risk escalates and crises emerge.

That’s why our network needs looking after; it needs maintenance, training and ongoing dialogue to remain effective.

Here are three easy and quick actions you can take to help with maintenance of our safeguarding network

1. Tell your colleagues or team there are new 7 minute briefings on intersectionality & domestic abuse, also Lasting power of attorney & other financial controls
   
   
2. Refresh your knowledge by having a look at our dedicated webpage on information sharing. Safeguarding Adult Reviews all too frequently highlight information sharing as a recommendation.  It's something that we all need to get better at. 
   
   
3. Check out our NSAB Multi agency Self-neglect and hoarding strategy and Practitioner Guide – we have made some major revisions, particularly in the practitioner guide, including a more person-centred assessment tool that can be used with the person more easily. 

Final thoughts

Across the partnership, we work to help people live their best possible lives. But just like in a house, it's the unseen systems beneath the surface that make those outcomes possible. Plumbing, heating, and lighting don’t usually get noticed unless they fail – yet they’re fundamental to any functioning home. 

The same is true of adult safeguarding systems. So next time you spot something that just doesn’t look right, or ask someone ‘Are you ok?’ or ‘Do you feel safe at home?’, or assess their needs, coordinate their care, or attend or chair a safeguarding meeting, you are part of that vital infrastructure.

Every action you take, small or big, helps maintain the safeguarding network for Norfolk. So next time you turn on a tap or feel the warmth of a radiator, remember you are part of an essential, often unseen – and absolutely critical – infrastructure, working to keep people safe, and I want to thank you for that.

Thank you.

Walter Lloyd-Smith
Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board Manager

PS ... what I needed was a Monoblock Tap Spanner to tighten the nut in question. With one of these it was easy, job done.