The Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board
What is the Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board?
The Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board (SSAB) is a partnership committee providing strategic leadership for adult safeguarding across the county.
This body provides a range of information for people who may experience or be at risk of experiencing abuse, their families, carers, and anyone who works with people with health or social care needs. As well as general information on keeping safe and how to report concerns, there is a dedicated area for professionals providing access to a range of policy and practice guidance, and safeguarding resources.
What does the SSAB do?
The Somerset Safeguarding Adults Board (SSAB) is a statutory body established by the Care Act 2014.
It is made up of senior people from organisations (including the CCG) who have a role in preventing the neglect and abuse from adults. Its main objective is to protect all adults in its area who have needs for care and support and who are experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect against which they are unable to protect themselves because of their needs.
SSAB guidance, documentation and resources
Joint Safeguarding Adults Multi-Agency Policy
This document is the regional Safeguarding Adults Multi-Agency Policy and sets out the multi-disciplinary, multi-agency framework for adult safeguarding.
Safeguarding Threshold tool- Risk Assessment Tool
This document provides guidance on when to make a safeguarding referral.
The Adult Safeguarding Risk Decision-Making Tool (formerly Adult Safeguarding Risk Assessment Tool) is designed to assist practitioners in considering:
The vulnerability of the adult at risk and the seriousness of the abuse that is occurring; and
The impact of the abuse and the risk of it recurring.
It is not designed to determine further actions, but rather to provide guidance and key considerations for practitioners who are assessing and managing risk. Workers should always seek advice from Safeguarding Leads within their organisation when unsure what action should be taken in relation to concerns about adults at risk.
SSAB Guidance for safeguarding adults in Somerset
This guidance sets out clearly how individuals and organisations will work together in Somerset. It is for those who work with adults who may be at risk of harm, including paid or unpaid colleagues, carers, family members and members of the public. It provides information to enable adults to be kept safe from abuse or neglect and what immediate action must be taken, when required, to achieve this. All individuals and organisations who work with, or support, adults experiencing, or who are at risk of, abuse and neglect can be called upon to lead or contribute to a safeguarding concern and need to be prepared to take on this duty.
The SSAB has published detailed guidance to support workers who are supporting people. Self-neglect covers a wide range of behaviour which includes neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings.
