Action and discussion points
- Invitations to VCS groups to multi-disciplinary team meetings – still not happening according to network.
- Action: Community Southwark to follow up with Council contact
- Care agencies concerns.
- Action: Community Southwark to follow up with Council contacts – are they tracking patterns or people, and can the sector get clarity on the system and re-assurance that it works
- Level 3 training on MLS issues.
- Action: Community Southwark to get more feedback – please fill in our form here – and flag with Council contact
- Collaboration with NHS, esp primary care. Diana queried who is at the meetings and who should the VCS be speaking to.
- Action: Ross to pick up on this, network leaders to talk about links through Healthwatch / ICS. Ahlam to feed back after meeting with SLAM and IAP
- Waterloo Counselling are looking for recommendations for training on managing verbal aggression, potential dangerous, violent situations (critical incidents) and distressed and escalated clients.
- Action: Diana to share de-escalation techniques / tips. Open to any other group suggestions / ideas.
- Training request from multiple members around “having hard conversations in soft way”. Any thoughts or ideas welcomed.
- Pohwer flagged that welfare checks from police not happening – ended either 1st Oct/Nov. What support is available now?
- Ross fed back that new policy / approach is likely called “right place, right care, right time” – with a focus on mental health, so not right for police to be so involved. Ross noticed that Lewisham board wrote to say police were moving much too quickly on this, unclear if there has there been any action from Southwark. CS to check.
Special topic – Presentation from Alex Morgan (Team Manager – Safeguarding and DOLS – Adult Social Care, Southwark Council)
- Presentation slides – Safeguarding Processes
- Alex joined us on his last day, so actions have been handed over to successor, and Community Southwark will contact to build relationship
- Alex looking to amend referral form – make it less lengthy and less front loaded – to help encourage people to refer
- Curently the system does not record whether a referral has come through from VCS – which is what they do with NHS and other bodies. Alex to try to change before he leaves, CS to pick up with replacement
- Alex keen to ensure we have more VCS involvement in council safeguarding strategy meetings – not happening at the moment as is going through emails / calls etc. CS to follow up with Alex replacement
- Network keen to ensure more VCS involvement in complex case pathway, and requesting feedback that still needs to be shared around cases that aren’t meeting threshold – so that VCS can learn.
- VCS questions to Alex:
- Are similar cases of same person being tracked? Are care agencies being tracked?
- A. Contract monitoring team checks regularly on care agencies booked by block – referrals will be flagged. Spot purchases of care are harder to monitor due to contracts. Quality and risk panel (holding name) will try to triangulate data and highlight providers in crisis – being developed and replacement will follow up in January – CQC, Hospital boards, VoiceAbility involved so far.
- There could be space / need for VCS involvement, Ross (Age UK) could join at most relevant partner
- Is the council seeing information about individuals in case notes, or is this being lost?
- A. Addressing this by shrinking form down to bare minimum, to increase data coming in and availability to track multiple issue. Requests that VCS flags specific cases if it feels individual being let down
- Are similar cases of same person being tracked? Are care agencies being tracked?
Information and resources
- Refuge presentation on domestic and sexual violence services in Southwark
- Refuge – Southwark Domestic Abuse Service – Info Pack and Referral Form
Next meeting
- The next network meeting will be held on 12 March, 10am-12pm. All are welcome, please register for your free place via our website.
