For several years, the Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board (NSAB) has been talking with multi-agency partners about developing a framework similar to the one that Suffolk uses, to better support understanding of what does or doesn't need reporting as a safeguarding adults concern.

This has been quite a challenge, not least because systems in Norfolk are slightly different, and don't easily fit the Suffolk model. We also promote an approach that tries to keep the focus on the unique experience of the individual as far as possible. However, there can be differing views on what exactly is a safeguarding concern & what must be reported to the local authority.

Some incidents may be more appropriately managed as a quality or safety issue rather than a response under safeguarding / section 42 Care Act, so when those are raised as a safeguarding concern this creates additional work for those reporting as well as for the local authority. 

Equally, some incidents that are routed through other pathways, such as quality or safety, may not have considered a safeguarding issue, and there is risk that some individuals left at risk as a result, or important themes lost.

This is not unique to Norfolk - the Local Government Association (LGA) and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) published guidance in 2020 on understanding what constitutes a safeguarding concern and how to support effective outcomes, so NSAB has been looking at ways to better match up what we do in Norfolk to this.

The result is a simple Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Framework - initially developed and piloted by an NSAB task and finish group, covering just four types of incident which make up a high number of reports to the local authority, often from health and social care providers.

The purpose is to provide guidance about the different indicators of abuse and to assist all multi-agency staff and managers with decision making on what interventions are required. 

NSAB do already have well established guidance around falls and medication errors, which formed the basis for two of the areas, but the framework is a much more concise version, now only 3 pages long and covering:

• General and unwitnessed falls
• Pressure areas
• Incidents between two adults who have care and support needs
• Medication errors

The overall aim of the framework is to:

• achieve better outcomes for people, with better decisions are being made
• have more consistency of approach, and a shared understanding on what constitutes a safeguarding concern
• build improved, transparent relationships between different organisations, and promote confidence in the safeguarding process

Please do note that the guidance is not a substitute for professional judgement.

Rather it should help people to identify more quickly and easily what concerns may require a response under the safeguarding process, and help decision making when other routes and processes are used.