Personal Dignity and Respect

The experience of abuse and neglect is likely to have a significant impact on a person's health and well being. By its very nature, abuse – the misuse of power by one person over another – has a large impact on a person’s independence. We know that neglect can prevent a person dependent on others for their basic needs exercise choice and control over the fundamental aspects of their life and experience humiliation and loss of dignity.

Vulnerable adults in receipt of social care services experience a higher prevalence of abuse and neglect than the general population. The Local Authority has the responsibility for establishing a multi-agency partnership to lead on Safeguarding Adults which needs to ensure that under the local Safeguarding procedures every adult is supported to retain their independence, well-being and choice and to access their human right to live a life that is free from abuse and neglect. While the Local Authority leads on this, all appropriate statutory agencies are responsible for achieving it.

Levels of referrals into the Safeguarding Team have been lower than expected for the population of Barnet. In 2007/08 with targeted focus to improve Safeguarding arrangements levels of referrals are moving more in line with what would be expected. During 2007/08 there were 258 people referred under the Barnet safeguarding arrangements. The chart below sets out the source of the referrals and the types of alleged abuse.

Table: Safeguarding referrals per client group for 2007/08 per 10,000 18-64Older People

Learning Disability

Physical and Sensory Impairment

Mental Health

HIV/AIDS Drug service users

Carers

Barnet 28.59 2.97 1.58 1.48 0.00 0.10 0.00

IPF 41.36 3.32 1.24 1.46 0.02 0.05 0.06

England 47.34 4.80 1.94 1.96 0.01 0.11 0.10

Table: Total Number of safeguarding referrals were made by 'No Secrets' MAPP partners in the NHS, Police, Housing, Probation, Criminal Justice services and CSCI in 2007-08

Barnet IPF Data England (Average)

NHS 52 32 50

Police 2 5 21

Housing agencies. 8 5 10

Probation and criminal justice. 0 0 6

CSCI. 2 4 10

Barnet has a high number of registered care homes within the Borough attracting self-funders and people placed by other Local Authorities to reside within them. Of the total safeguarding referrals of people whose circumstances made them vulnerable for 2007-08 reported 27 were buying their own care without financial support from the council, over 10% of referrals. With increased awareness of safeguarding and the introduction of new statutory responsibilities under the Mental Health Act, we expect for the increase in referrals from self-funders under safeguarding to increase further.