Somerset review

That the Safer Somerset Partnership seek assurance from agencies involved in this review that a) develop practitioners’ professional curiosity skills (drug and alcohol services, mental health, specialist domestic abuse services and housing) and b) Improving knowledge in case supervision for line managers covered in training and encouraged through supervision and other means available.

Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board to relaunch the guidance “What to do if it is not safeguarding” and to seek assurance that professionals within partner agencies have knowledge of and understand how to implement the guidance. ( Completed and now rebranded as Mult Agency Risk Management, MARM February 2024)

SSAB to review the MARM in February 2025

That all agencies who contributed to this DHR, review their “Did Not attend” Policy ( or equivalent) to ensure that they work in partnership with other agencies especially in cases where someone is known to have multiple complex needs and also may be experiencing a barrier to engagement due to their location e.g. rural v town – particularly to include reference to dynamics of domestic abuse and impact that has on engagement for a survivor.

Using this DHR as a case study, agencies involved in this review include guidance/training for professionals on the following subject matter; unconscious bias relating to substance misuse/victim blaming and to ensure that this includes guidance to support managers to be able to challenge and support professional through supervision.

Somerset Council (Housing) to ensure that all agencies who have a duty to refer if a service user who may be homeless or threatened with homelessness understand their duty and are provided with guidance on the required process to make a referral.

Somerset Council (Housing) to ensure that when a new Information Technology system is introduced that within the procurement process there is a requirement that data relating to individuals is retained for seven years and that access can be made by the housing service to seek historic information on a client if required.

Somerset Council Community Safety Team to develop guidance (7-minute briefing) for agencies on appropriate language when describing a victim of domestic abuse or sexual exploitation and agencies to ensure that professionals across the Safer Somerset Partnership agencies are provided with the guidance.

Somerset Council Community Safety Team to ensure that the impact of economic abuse is included within its training modules and to ensure that cuckooing and organised crime are included as being relevant to domestic abuse.

Head of Victim Care, Safeguarding & Vulnerability to continue activity with relevant colleagues across the force to support understanding of the complexity of vulnerability and multiple disadvantages, particularly in relation to victims who may present as suspects of crime.

LSU to bolster their directory of support services and referral pathways for all victims- Completed January 2023

To ensure ASC staff consider the impacts of substance misuse when undertaking Care Act Assessments and how this may impact on an individual’s care and support needs, and decision making.

SCC Adult Safeguarding Staff are supported to understand research and practice guidance of working with people who have addictions, to support their decision making.

When a person has made a disclosure of domestic abuse, even if well known, practitioners could use the opportunity to explore further and complete a DASH form/signpost to SIDAS.

If a person has contact with a GP service about their mental wellbeing, substance and/or alcohol misuse and/or pain that does not appear to have a clear medical cause, that GP practices should include a clinical enquiry about Domestic Abuse in the consultation.

The New Probation Office Service performance measures states that all Initial Sentence Plans need to be completed within 15 working days of a Person on Probation’s initial appointment. This is being implemented by the new probation service and is monitored and Probation Service locally are reaching their targets now.

Enforcement policy needs to be adhered to, for all failed appointments a formal warning should be issued providing the Person on Probation an opportunity to provide evidence for their failure to attend. This is being monitored by the new probation service and incremental improvements are being achieved.

Home visits to be completed on a regular basis given the chaotic nature of the victim’s lifestyle a home visit should have been completed. Home visits provide a valuable window into the person on probations circumstances and lifestyle. By seeing someone in their own environment, it enables staff to verify their self-report of their circumstances including who they are living with, identifying any issues with the property or the local area and understanding the impact of the person on probation’s role in their family, household and community. This can aid a comprehensive assessment of risk, needs and safeguarding concerns in relation to children, vulnerable adults, and partners in cases of domestic abuse. The New Probation Service has the following home visit schedule which must be adhered to following the commencement of supervision. Within 10 working days for any person on probation subject to National Security Division oversight. Within 15 days of the start of supervision for individuals who are a high risk of serious harm. Within 15 working days to all Registered Sex Offenders – regardless of level of risk, within 15 working days for all individuals convicted of/or identified as having been involved in Child Sexual Exploitation, within 6 weeks of the start of supervision for individuals who are a medium risk of serious harm, within 12 weeks of the start of supervision for individuals who are a low risk of serious harm. Whenever the victim moved a home visit should have been completed. This is now being implemented in the new probation service – the above are the new expectations for the future;

All Police intelligence reports to be followed up and outcome recorded on the system.

Referral should have been made to CYPS, the OM only accepted the word of the victim for what was going on with regards to her two children, liaison should have been made with CYPS and clearly recorded. NEW SAFEGUARDING POLICY IN PLACE NATIONALLY which is being followed

Probation Service are currently considering nationally a resource for Domestic Abuse checks and providing more resources for this service in conjunction with the Police. This will be by the provision of additional administrative staff, related to police provision for this specific task. Recommendation to be updated and finalised when the full details of this National Response are available.

Regular Police checks to be made on the addresses of Service Users to establish is any issues. It is worth noting that the Probation Service now receives regular arrest and Domestic Violence information concerning Service users, in 2017/2018 this procedure was not in place.

Further training to staff around identifying, escalating, managing safeguarding concerns/risks, and sharing safeguarding concerns with relevant external agencies

Training to staff around professional curiosity/investigative mindset

Staff refresher around domestic abuse processes inc. managing disclosures, DASH, safeguarding referrals

Public Health Nursing adopt the Health Visitor centralised triaging and duty system to improve adherence to the Pre-birth SOP.

Children Social Care to notify other agencies/service when someone/family of concern moves into the area.

SIDAS and SDAS to review how they work collaboratively and if improvements can be made to better support victims of domestic abuse.

SSP to continue to review and audit the updated MARAC procedures in Somerset, to ensure that MARAC referrals are discussed at a MARAC and decisions are recorded.

Somerset Council Community Safety Team to ensure that within its training module that children are included as being relevant to domestic abuse. Update- this recommendation has been implemented.

Safer Somerset Partnership to request that the Home Office in partnership with other government departments identify how agencies can embed trauma informed practices within their professional practice. This to include social workers, health practitioners, police and probation.