Issue - meetings

(a)       That the statutory requirement to establish a Safeguarding Adults Board be discharged on behalf of the Authority by the North Wales Safeguarding Adults Board; and

(b)       That the structure for the regional Safeguarding Adults Board, to be known as the North Wales Safeguarding Adults Board (NWSAB) as shown in Section 4.2 of the report, be noted.

The Chief Officer (Social Services) introduced a report to consider the proposal that the statutory requirement to establish a Safeguarding Adults Board be discharged on behalf of the Authority by the North Wales Safeguarding Adults Board (NWSAB).  This would put the safeguarding of adults on to a statutory footing similar to that already in place for safeguarding children.

The report set out the development of arrangements for the NWSAB in comparison to that for children’s boards, with the recommended approach for a regional board with sub-regional delivery groups to ensure that local practice met local need.  The implementation plan with proposed timescales was appended to the report.

In response to a query from Councillor Hilary McGuill, the Chief Officer explained that the NWSAB membership would comprise senior officers with responsibility for safeguarding from each Authority, together with colleagues from Health and North Wales Police.  It was indicated that Jenny Williams (Director of Social Services in Conwy CBC) would chair the Board initially until agreement could be reached on a permanent arrangement.  The Chief Officer agreed to email the Committee with confirmation of the membership.

Following comments from Councillor McGuill about Member involvement and accountability, the Chief Officer said it was likely that senior officers on the Board would be responsible for cascading information to Members and that Flintshire’s view would be represented in discussions on governance and responsibility within the Board.  He added that regular reports on the activities and effectiveness of the Safeguarding Children’s Board would give Members the opportunity to challenge, and felt that the same approach would apply for the NWSAB.

Councillor McGuill raised concerns about the use of electronic communications due to the potential increase in travel by some NWSAB members.  The Chief Officer acknowledged this but gave assurance that appropriate decisions on the use of such equipment as opposed to a one-to-one meeting would need to be assessed, depending on each situation.

Resolved:

(a)       That the statutory requirement to establish a Safeguarding Adults Board be discharged on behalf of the Authority by the North Wales Safeguarding Adults Board; and

(b)       That the structure for the regional Safeguarding Adults Board, to be known as the North Wales Safeguarding Adults Board (NWSAB) as shown in Section 4.2 of the report, be noted.