Safeguarding in Wales
24.17.1Adult safeguarding in Wales is governed by:
•Part 7 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014;
•the Care and Support (Care Planning) (Wales) Regulations 2015;
•the Safeguarding Boards (Functions and Procedures)(Wales) Regulations 2015; and
•the Wales Interim Policy and Procedures for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults from Abuse (January 2013); and
1http://ssiacymru.org.uk/pova. •a suite of statutory and departmental guidance relating to the care and protection of vulnerable adults generally.
2http://ssiacymru.org.uk/home.php?page_id=3015 and www.ccwales.org.uk/codes-of-practice-and-statutory-guidance/. 24.17.1Section 126(1) defines an ‘adult at risk’ as being an adult who:
•is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect;
•has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting them); and
•as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself against the abuse or neglect, or the risk of it.
24.17.3By virtue of section 126(2), if a local authority has ‘reasonable cause to suspect that a person within its area … is an adult at risk’ it must make or cause to be made ‘whatever enquiries it thinks necessary to enable it to decide whether any action should be taken (whether under this Act or otherwise) and, if so, what and by whom’ and ‘decide whether any such action should be taken’.
24.17.4By virtue of section 128, ‘relevant partners’ are required to inform the local authority of their concerns and there are other information sharing provisions.
24.17.5Section 127 provides for a strong action to be taken: an ‘authorised officer’ can apply to a justice of the peace for ‘adult protection and support order’ which entitles the authorised officer to:
•enter premises set out in the order, using reasonable force if necessary;
•speak in private with the person suspected of being an ‘adult at risk’, to ascertain whether he is making decisions freely and/or whether he is an ‘adult at risk’ and, if so, to make the decision required by section 126(2) as to what, if any, action should be taken.
24.17.6Sections 132 to 142 make provision for there to be a National Safeguarding Board
3http://gov.wales/newsroom/health-and-social-services/2016/160211flynn/?lang=en. and regional Safeguarding Adult Boards and Safeguarding Children Boards (which may be joint).
4http://ssiacymru.org.uk/home.php?page_id=3015.