Safeguarding adult policy

5.1. Employing and maintaining safer staff

We are committed to safer recruitment and will take reasonable steps to ensure that staff working with adults are safe to do so. Posts will be appropriately assessed to determine their level of contact with adults at risk.

Where required we will vet potential employees using the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to support safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with at risk groups. There are three types of checks which can be conducted:

• Standard check - this will check for spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings.
• Enhanced DBS check - the same as the standard check plus any additional information held by local police which is reasonably considered relevant to the post being applied for.
• Enhanced with list checks – same as the enhanced check, but includes a check of the DBS Barred lists.

All disclosures for unsupervised work with adults at risk, that meet the definition of regulated work, will be at an enhanced level.

Additionally, all individuals recruited to Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council undergo preemployment referencing covering a three year period.

Further information on the Recruitment Process and pre-employment checks can be found in the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council Recruitment Policy.

5.2. Training for staff and Members

Council employees will be trained appropriately for their level of contact with adults to be able to recognise abuse and neglect, along with how to raise concerns using the agreed internal reporting procedures. There are two levels of safeguarding adults at risk awareness training to accommodate staff with infrequent contact (level 1) and those staff with regular and intensive contact (level 2). In addition to this all new staff will receive a brief awareness session as part of the Corporate Induction designed to welcome new staff.

Additionally, Members will receive an appropriate level of briefing to ensure that they fully understand their responsibilities.

5.3. Contracted services

In line with the core standards set out by the HSAB, we will ensure that in any services we commission, safeguarding adults’ standards are in place. We will monitor the ability of the contracted provider to meet these standards through the contact/compliance monitoring process. This includes ensuring that:

• Commissioned services know about, and adhere to, relevant safeguarding adults at risk guidance.
• Senior managers of commissioned services are aware of their leadership role in ensuring quality of the service provided; supervision and support of staff; and responding to concerns about an adult at risk.
• Service users and carers are provided with relevant safeguarding information.
• The views of the adults at risk are taken into account on any action to be taken, with their consent given.
• Full name and job title of the staff member raising the concern and making the record is declared.