Swindon Safeguarding Partnership

Context

Research indicates that lockdown has increased the number of people at risk of exploitation. This is largely due to economic concerns and increased isolation.

This day is to raise awareness about:

• How adults at risk could be exploited through *county lines activity.
• Learn how to spot the signs that someone is at risk of exploitation, and how to respond effectively.

The terms 'County Lines' and 'Local Lines'.

The National Crime Agency refers to:

County Lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries (although not exclusively), usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs. The ‘County Line’ is the mobile phone line used to take the orders of drugs. Importing areas (areas where the drugs are taken to) are reporting increased levels of violence and weapons-related crimes as a result of this trend.

Local lines replicate the ‘County Lines’ model, but operate at a local level, within a community. This means it will be local adults or young people grooming and coercing other local children and young people, and vulnerable adults, into criminal activity. The operating model itself would be very similar in terms of chain of command, drug supply and associated criminal activity and behaviour.

Resources

Useful SSP resources:

• SSP Practice Brief – Safeguarding is for everyone – know your role
• SSP Exploitation and Use of Language – Words Matter Practice Brief
• SSP Practice Brief – information for professionals working with parent/carers
• SSP Practice Brief – Safeguarding Adolescent Resource
• SSP Child Exploitation webpage has some useful information and resources which may also be relevant to adults
• Similarly, the SSP Risk Outside The Home (ROTH) webpage
• Child Exploitation Practitioner Resource
• SSP Modern Slavery Human Trafficking and National Referral Mechanism (NRM) Practice Brief

Free eLearning (although relating to children some information will also be relevant to adults):

• Child exploitation
• Child Criminal Exploitation and County Lines

Further information:

• Ann Craft Trust website - The Pandemic, Organised Crime & Safeguarding Young People at Risk
• Ann Craft Trust website - Look Closer to help spot exploitation
• Oxford City Council website - Find out about cuckooing

Context

The term “self-neglect” covers a wide range of behaviour neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings.

This has also been a theme in some of our local Safeguarding Adult Reviews.

Do you know how to spot the signs someone is at risk of self-neglect?

Resources

Useful SSP resources:

• Safeguarding adult reviews, including reports and learning leaflets to inform professional practice
• 7-minute brief on self-neglect
• Webinar recording - Learning from safeguarding adults reviews and audits
• SSP Practice Brief – Safeguarding is for everyone – know your role
• SSP multi-agency policy and guidance - Responding to self-neglect, including useful resources

SSP training courses:

• Core module - Safeguarding self-neglect and hoarding
• Specialist module – Safeguarding, self-neglect and hoarding
• Legal training 2: Best interest decisions, self-neglect and liberty protection safeguards

Context

Promoting safer cultures is all about how organisations and individuals can take steps to minimise harm occurring in the first instance. It’s also about embedding appropriate policies and procedures. In this way, people will know what to do if they have a concern to report. In addition, the organisation will have a plan in place for acting on concerns.

Resources

• Ann Craft Trust - Free seminar: Using the Power in Your Role to Create Safer and Stronger Cultures
• SSP adult policies and procedures webpage, which includes for example multi-agency safeguarding procedures and adult escalation policy
• SSP Practice Brief – Safeguarding is for everyone – know your role

SSP training courses:

• Safeguarding adults at risk awareness
• Identifying safeguarding concerns and making referrals
• Safer recruitment

Other useful web resources:

• SCIE website - Webinar: Safer recruitment in faith-based organisations
• NCVO website
• Ann Craft Trust website - Safe recruitment process
• Safeguarding Matters website - Safer recruitment
• Virtual college website - The principles of safer recruitment
• Ann Craft Trust website - Safeguarding Adults Week 2022 - Responding to Contemporary Safeguarding Challenges

Context

Elder abuse is a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person.

We will be using this day to raise awareness of elder abuse in community and residential settings.

Resources

• SSP adult safeguarding policy and procedures
• SSP practice brief - Discriminatory abuse
• Ann Craft Trust website - Safeguarding Adults Week 2022 - Responding to Contemporary Safeguarding Challenges
• Age UK website - Protection from abuse
• GOV.UK website - Report abuse of an older person
• Reducing the Risk website - Elder abuse
• BMJ website - Elder abuse in the UK: Out of the shadows and on to the agenda
• The National Careline website - Action on elder abuse

Context

FGM is a procedure where the female genitalia are deliberately cut, injured or changed and there is no medical reason for this. It is frequently a very traumatic and violent act and can cause harm in many ways.

Resources

• SSP FGM webinar
• Female genital mutilation (FGM): Multi-agency guidance
• SSP practice brief – Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Context

Technology can help to keep people safe. But abusers can also use technology to cause harm.

We will be exploring how you can spot the signs someone is at risk through technology. We’ll also explore how people can minimise the extent to which technology can be used against them in abuse cases. Refuge has published resources to support people at risk of tech-abuse.

Resources

Training:

• SSP/CSP webinar: Domestic abuse in tech-society

Other useful resources:

• SSP/CSP practice brief: Clare's Law - DVDs
• SSP/CSP 7-minute brief: Coercive control
• SSP/CSP practice brief: DASH risk identification and MARAC

Context

Raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding in the community.

We often explore the importance of safeguarding in relation to organisations and workplaces. Yet safeguarding is just as important in our communities and everyday life.

Many people are continuing to work from home and spending an increasing amount of time in their local area. We want to raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding in the community.

We will be focusing on bystander action. We’ll explore the actions you can take if you witness incidents of discrimination or bullying in everyday life. We will also be sharing resources on how to tackle loneliness and isolation in communities.

Resources

• Ann Craft Trust website - Safeguarding Adults Week 2022 - Responding to Contemporary Safeguarding Challenges
• SSP Practice Brief – Safeguarding is for everyone – know your role
• Free SSP eLearning: Safeguarding adults at risk - basic awareness training

The theme this year is exploitation of children and adults. The topics covered will be: 

• the lived experience of those who have been exploited/carers of those who have been exploited
• child exploitation/risk outside the home – Swindon approach
• use of language and its impact on the professional response
• learning from a local exploitation related safeguarding adult review 

This event is relevant to all professionals working in Swindon and provides an opportunity to receive information and reflect on how this knowledge will impact your practice.

Find out more or book a place: Can you hear me? (SSP virtual conference)