The Safeguarding Boards cover Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend. There is a board for children and one for adults.
The Safeguarding Children Board began operating on 1st April 2013.
Safeguarding Children Boards are the key statutory mechanism for agreeing how the relevant organisations in each area will cooperate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, and for ensuring the effectiveness of what they do.
The Board published its first annual report to the Welsh Government in July 2014 and was the first SCB in Wales to do so. It has a number of strategic priorities which are set out in its business plan. These include neglect, babies who become looked after, Child Sexual Exploitation, domestic abuse and legal highs (new psychoactive substances). Both the Annual Report and Business plan can be viewed on the WBSB website www.wbsb.co.uk.
The Safeguarding Adults Board works to keep adults safe and ensure that adults at risk of harm are safeguarded against all types of abuse. Abuse can take many forms, including sexual, physical, verbal, financial, forced marriage and honour based violence.
The Board has completed its first Adult Practice Review and this is due to be published shortly.
One of the Board’s strategic priorities is domestic abuse in older people and the Board recently received presentations on this from the Older People’s Commissioner Wales. Other strategic priorities for the Board are implementing part 7 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 which covers Safeguarding and work around the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The Board is also working with the wider Western Bay Programme to help implement the recommendations from the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales’s review of care homes.
The Board is one of the first Adult Boards in Wales to have a dedicated Business Co-ordinator in place.
The Business Unit can be contacted by email – wbsb@npt.gov.uk
