South Gloucestershire councillors today approved a detailed action plan setting out measures to strengthen the council’s adult safeguarding service following publication of the Winterbourne View Hospital Serious Case Review.
The plan builds on the urgent review and improvement action taken when events at Winterbourne View Hospital came to light. It also describes the range of actions that the council will take, both individually and in partnership with other members of the Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB), in response to the report’s recommendations.
Measures include improved training for council safeguarding managers to help them identify institutional abuse more effectively, as well as proposals for new joint working protocols between the council and the police.
The plan also sets out measures to enhance the safeguarding role of social workers, and to improve the SAB’s information systems to ensure that safeguarding alerts can be tracked and managed more effectively.
Welcoming the plan, Chair of South Gloucestershire’s Adults and Housing Committee, Cllr Matthew Riddle, said:
“This action plan underlines the council’s commitment to learning lessons from the shocking events at Winterbourne View Hospital.”
“The Serious Case Review laid bare the complex circumstances leading to the institutional abuse at Winterbourne View, and the factors influencing the response of commissioners and safeguarding organisations to those abuses.”
“Our challenge now is to act swiftly and effectively to make sure this abuse cannot happen again in South Gloucestershire.”
Cllr Ian Scott, who chairs the Public Health and Health Scrutiny Committee, said:
“The council will continue to work closely with partners in other agencies to take forward the work outlined in the action plan to address the findings of the Serious Case Review.”
Peter Murphy, Chair of the Safeguarding Adults Board, added:
“Today’s plan sets out what action the council has already taken to make sure events such as this do not happen in South Gloucestershire again. It also looks at what further action needs to be taken to strengthen safeguarding procedures. Other agencies will also set out how they will respond to the review and we will work with them to deliver a robust and efficient adult safeguarding service for South Gloucestershire.”
Actions requiring the co-operation of other members of the Adult Safeguarding Board will be formally confirmed and incorporated into the Board’s workplan at its September 2012 meeting.
Related link: Winterbourne View Action Plan [PDF] (SGC)
Source: South Gloucestershire Council
