Present:
In Attendance: Mrs J Bates
Start/End Time: 10.00 / 11.20
Ms C Cranfield (Chairman), Mr R Alexander, Ms J Dennis, DS P Lamb, Ms K Wilson
Part I
1 Apologies and substitutions.
2
3
4
5
6
Apologies for absence were received from Mr C Cormack, Mr J Fry, Mr J Hawkins, Ms L
Langley, Ms L McLernon, DI M Pinkney and Ms V Storey. DS P Lamb attended in place of DI M
Pinkney.
Jo was asked to check whether Linda Cook, from South East Essex Advocacy for Older
People, had yet been replaced.
Minutes of the Meeting held on Monday, 19th December, 2005
The Minutes of the Meeting held on Monday, 19th December 2005 were approved as a correct record, with the amendment that Mr Alexander had been present.
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising that were not covered elsewhere on the agenda.
Awareness Day Conference
Carol reported that the proposed Awareness Day/Conference had had to be cancelled.
Although 157 invitations had been sent out, only 8 people had responded. This was obviously very disappointing, especially in view of all the work that had gone into planning the
Conference. Julie reported that the grant from Domestic Violence had been returned. It was hoped that the event could be rescheduled for later in the year, with more positive response.
ADSS Report 'Safeguarding Adults'
Carol reported that the Association of Directors of Social Services had produced a report on
Safeguarding Adults (www.adss.org.uk/publications/guidance/safeguarding.pdf), and that the good practice contained within the report needed to be taken into consideration while our
Procedures were being updated. There were also a few amendments to incorporate after checking the Procedures with the legal department. This meant there would be a delay in completing the update, which would mean it was carried over into the action plan for next year.
Carol was hoping to find someone to help with the typing and formatting of the document - possibly Saira Saddique, the Members' Officer.
Communications Sub-Group
Carol reported that Louise Langley is hoping to recruit new members in to the group. Louise is also working on a programme for next year, and on the group's contribution to the Annual
Report.

7 Training Sub-Group
Carol reported that training continues to be rolled out, and is still much sought after. She also reported that Paul Bedwell, the Adult Protection Co-ordinator for Essex, would be supplying copies of the Essex staff workbook for circulation. Essex had started running training for investigators, and Carol hopes to be attending a course in the near future in order to ascertain
8 whether we could buy into it, or whether Steve Bright could use it as a model for our own investigator training.
Action Plan
Carol reported on the progress of the Action Plan. a) The job description for the Co-ordinator post has now been drafted, and is currently being costed. Carol hoped that recruitment could begin once the budget was finalised. b) Progress was continuing with the review of the Procedures. c) Linking Adult Protection and Domestic Violence was being addressed, and it was hoped that ultimately a procedure could be put in place. d) As far as training was concerned, it was agreed that we should be more robust in what we
9 expect staff to know. Everyone, particularly staff in the Contact Centre, should be having training about Adult Protection awareness. e) Charging for non-attendance on training had now been implemented, and the number of noshows had dropped.
Annual Report
Carol reported that she hopes to have a draft of the Annual Report ready for emailing round the
Committee for comments before the next Adult Protection Committee meeting in May. The
Report would include a draft action plan for the next year. Statistical recording procedures would be carried forward, together with training for District Nurses and addressing the link between Adult Protection and Domestic Violence.
10 Reporting Procedures
There was discussion around a draft reporting form. This was currently being piloted in several areas around the country, and had been adapted for our own purposes. It was agreed that we did not need all the information it was collecting, and that there was some duplication. It was agreed that the format of the form needed addressing, as it was very cramped. Carol will speak to Daniel Blake to find out how the pilot is progressing. Consideration needed to be given to how the information collected would be collated and used. Julie Dennis raised the issue that the form did not contain any details about the perpetrator, and Carol will discuss this with Daniel
Blake.
At a future meeting Carol agreed to take the Committee through an example investigation, from the initial referral through to the case being closed. It was agreed that this would be very useful.
11 Any Other Business
There was no other business.
12 Date of next meeting
It was confirmed that the next meeting would be held on Thursday, 25th May 2006 at 2.00pm.