The objective of a Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) is to help and protect adults in its area. The way in which an SAB must seek to achieve its objective is by coordinating and ensuring the effectiveness of what each of its members does. In this respect, the SAB may do anything which appears to it to be necessary or desirable for the purpose of achieving its objective.
The ways in which the Board may seek assurance about the quality and effectiveness of safeguarding practice, processes and arrangements, and which involve sharing information are numerous and varied. The following examples are illustrative of the approaches that may be taken by the Board, and are not exhaustive:
- Analysing statistical trends in safeguarding performance data held by Board member organisations
- Seeking assurance about organisational safeguarding arrangements
- Analysing aspects of safeguarding practice through thematic, focussed case-file audits
- Undertaking surveys and questionnaires of adults who have used services and of members of staff
- Undertaking systems and compliance audits focussed on the relationship between standards, expectations and practice
- Undertaking focus groups and structured conversations with practitioners about individuals about practice or individuals at case level
If you have been asked to share information by a Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) for agreed and mandated quality assurance purposes, you have the power to share relevant information as set out in the Care Act 2014, sections 43 and 45.
Section 45 states: If an SAB requests a person to supply information to it, or to some other person specified in the request, the person to whom the request is made must comply with the request if—
- the request is made for the purpose of enabling or assisting the SAB to exercise its functions.
- if that the request is made to a person whose functions or activities the SAB considers to be such that the person is likely to have information relevant to the exercise of a function by the SAB.
The SAB will identify aspects of safeguarding about which it has a legitimate interest and requires more information to gain an assurance about the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements.
The SAB will only request information for quality assurance purposes where it is satisfied the information being requested is justified and necessary for the purposes of assuring itself of the effectiveness of what each of its members does to help and protect adults in its area (Section 43(2)(3)). Information requested may include statistical data, organisational knowledge and or information held about individuals at case level.
Although there is a legal obligation to share information to enable the Board to seek assurance about the effectiveness of its safeguarding arrangements, each agency must also consider for itself, if the sharing of the particular information it actually holds, is justified and necessary for the purposes of the assurance being sought.
Consider:
- Is the purpose for sharing information clear and mandated by the Board?
- Is the sharing of this information a reasonable way to achieve that purpose?
- Is the information sharing fair and proportionate to its purpose? i.e. is sharing data reasonable and is it what is needed?
- Have I only shared the information that is necessary to share? You should always ensure you share no more information than is necessary to achieve your purpose.
Information will be provided in accordance with Question 2 above.
Information shared about individuals, for example for the purposes of a practice audit, will be restricted to people who need access to it and who will sign a confidentiality agreement. In the event that a practice audit identifies that someone is at risk, then any further information sharing regarding that individual, will be in accordance with Sections 5 or 6 of this policy.
Reports produced by the SAB will not include identifiable information in respect of the person whose record has been accessed / reviewed or individual members of staff. LSAB reports will focus on thematic learning, development and improvement.
The information shared should be accurate so as to present a fair picture of circumstances and enable informed decision-making. In order to be accurate, it must also be up-to-date. Data entries should also be complete, or indicate where information is missing.
Finally, can you physically share the information securely? Information should be shared according to organisational policies and local arrangements. However, guidance on how to share information securely is included in the Appendix.