Agenda item

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

Please note that the Appendix to this report is a large document and has been provided electronically to Members.  It is also available on the City Corporation’s Internet Page for this Committee. 

Members received a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services which provided the annual report of the City and Hackney Safeguarding Adults Board.

Dr Adi Cooper was present at the meeting as the Independent Chair of the Board and the Chairman invited her to present the report. She explained that it was a statutory requirement to produce an annual report. As the report showed, the Board had completed a number of achievements over the year. It had focussed on raising awareness of financial abuse and working with people who are socially isolated. A successful ‘Rough Sleeping’ event had been held and the work of the Safeguarding Adults Reviews sub-group had helped identify key themes.

As Chair of the City of London Adult Safeguarding Sub-Committee, Dr Cooper explained that a lot of work was being undertaken to establish how best to engage with local residents and, in answer to a question on this, she explained that it was a challenge to get some residents to come forward. Working with faith groups had been shown to be effective and a second session with representatives of different faith groups was being arranged. The City of London was well represented on the Board and there was a good level of communication on its work.

Dr Cooper was asked what means of communication took place, bearing in mind that, for some vulnerable people, reliance on web sites was not always effective. She accepted this and posters and leaflets were also produced but it was personal contact that was most effective. It was, therefore, the intention to develop a programme designed for people from different communities to be trained as ambassadors, which would allow them to raise awareness within their own communities. Work with the Faith Forum in Hackney had helped establish communication with some parts of the community.

RESOLVED:- That the report be noted.