Introduction:

On December 1st 2012 the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) merged to become the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) as set out under the timetable of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

The Disclosure and Barring Service:

The Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 set out the foundation for this scheme. The Disclosure and Barring Service has an Independent Barring Board (IBB) with responsibility for taking barring decisions on new referrals and the management of two barred lists which replaced List 99, PoCA and PoVA Lists.

The system aims to provide employers with a quicker and more effective vetting and barring service. All disclosures for work with children and vulnerable persons are to be at an enhanced level for Regulated Activity.

The new organisation, DBS, will provide a service combining criminal records checking and the barring functions:

• The barring part of the DBS will provide Caseworkers, who receive and process referrals about individuals, who have harmed, or who pose a risk of harm to, children, young people or vulnerable adults;
• The checking part of the DBS will allow employers to check and access the criminal record history of people working, or applying to work (whether paid or unpaid) in certain positions, especially those that involve working with children and vulnerable adults;
• The DBS website provides a range of advice, guidance and relevant forms.

Referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service:

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (SVGA) places a legal duty on Regulated Activity Providers (employers, volunteer managers and personnel suppliers) to refer any person who has:

Referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service:

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (SVGA) places a legal duty on Regulated Activity Providers (employers, volunteer managers and personnel suppliers) to refer any person who has:

Harmed or poses a risk of harm to a child or vulnerable adult;Satisfied the harm test; or Received a caution or conviction for a relevant offence.

Under the provisions of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, 2006, the following groups have a power to make a referral to the DBS:

Local authorities (safeguarding role);Education and library boards;Health and social care (HSC) trusts (NI);Keepers of registers eg General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council;Supervisory authorities eg Care Quality Commission, Ofsted.

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On 14th November 2019,Wolverhampton Safeguarding Together in conjunction with Safer Wolverhampton Partnership held a Conference on Learning from Domestic Homicide Reviews and Serious Case Reviews for Adults and Children, this was an opportunity to share and discuss the learning from local Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs), Children's Serious Case Reviews (SCRs), and Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs). In the case of adults, this particularly relates to those those adults living with domestic violence and adults with care and support needs. 

Presentations from the Conference can be downloaded using the links below:

[/pb_text][/pb_column][/pb_row][pb_row ][pb_column span="span12"][pb_button el_title="Button 1" button_text="WST Overview Presentation" link_type="url" button_type_url="http://www.wolverhamptonsafeguarding.org.uk/images/Conference/WST_Overview_Slides_Conference_141119_002.pdf" open_in="new_browser" icon="fa-download" button_alignment="inherit" button_size="default" button_color="btn-warning" appearing_animation="0" ][/pb_button][pb_button button_text="Safeguarding and Effective Communication Presentation" link_type="url" button_type_url="http://www.wolverhamptonsafeguarding.org.uk/images/Conference/Safeguarding_and_Effective_Communication_Presentation.pdf" open_in="new_browser" icon="fa-download" button_alignment="inherit" button_size="default" button_color="btn-warning" appearing_animation="0" ][/pb_button][pb_button button_text="Wolverhampton Learning Reviews Presentation" link_type="url" button_type_url="http://www.wolverhamptonsafeguarding.org.uk/images/Conference/Wolverhamptons_Learning_Reviews_November_2019.pdf" open_in="new_browser" icon="fa-download" button_alignment="inherit" button_size="default" button_color="btn-warning" appearing_animation="0" ][/pb_button][pb_button button_text="Learning from Serious Cases and DHRs Presentation" link_type="url" button_type_url="http://www.wolverhamptonsafeguarding.org.uk/images/Conference/Learning_from_reviews_of_Serious_Cases_and_DHRs_-_Simon_Hill.pdf" open_in="new_browser" icon="fa-download" button_alignment="inherit" button_size="default" button_color="btn-warning" appearing_animation="0" ][/pb_button][/pb_column][/pb_row][pb_row][pb_column span="span12"][pb_text]

New Learning Lessons toolkit - request your copy now!

BASIC SAFEGUARDING E-LEARNING

Wolverhampton Safeguarding partners (all public sector, private sector and voluntary sector organisations based in the city and / or delivering services or support to Wolverhampton residents) that don't have access to their own e-learning platforms can access the City of Wolverhampton Council's e-learning Guest Area FREE OF CHARGE.

Please read the guidance below and then click here to request safeguarding e-learning licences

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

About the Safeguarding Boards' free e-learning courses

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Put simply, modern slavery or human trafficking is the movement of a person from one place to another (this could be country to country, town to town, or even as simple as one room in a building to another) into conditions of exploitation, using deception, coercion, abuse of power or the abuse of the person’s vulnerability. Even if a victim consents and is willing to be moved, trafficking could still be taking place.

It involves either the threat of harm or actual harm to the person themselves or their family.

It affects:

• both women / girls and men / boys
• UK nationals
• people trafficked from overseas

It includes forced labour, domestic servitude and human trafficking, debt bondage (or baonded labour), descent-based slavery, child slavery and forced or early marriage. See https://www.antislavery.org/slavery-today/modern-slavery/ for more information.

In Wolverhampton there is a lot of partnership working around Hidden Harm, you can find further information about this on the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership website.

Information given to us is sometimes shared with other people, such as the Police or health professionals.  This only happens if they need to have this information to help keep someone safe.

If you tell us you are worried about someone being abused, you may not always be told all of the details of what action is taken.  This is because the council has a duty to keep information about people safe.

It is extremely important that any concerns regarding inappropriate behaviour by someone in a Position of Trust in relation to an adult with care and support needs must be acted upon in order to protect the adult(s) from harm.

Examples of people who might be in a Position of Trust are:

• employees or volunteers who deliver direct care or support
• managers of the above staff 
• trustees board members or senior managers of services or organisations that work with adults with care and support needs

Organisations working with adults with care and support needs should have in place clear policies in line with the West Midlands Regional Policies and Procedures: WM Adult Position of Trust Framework: a framework and process for responding to allegations and concerns against people working with adults with care and support needs which acan 

“An allegation may relate to a person who works with adults with care and support needs who has:

• Behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed, an adult with care and support needs;
• Possibly committed a criminal offence against, or related to, an adult with care and support needs, or
• Behaved towards an adult with care and support needs in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to them.

The organisation's Safeguarding Lead must be informed as soon as possible and the appropriate actions taken. All safeguarding concerns must be referred to the MASH at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards provide additional protection for adults living in care homes or hospitals who do not have the capacity to make decisions in respect of their care, treatment, and/or accomodation.

The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were introduced into the Mental Capacity Act 2005 by the Mental Health Act 2007 and have been in force since April 2009.

The City of Wolverhampton Council are the designated Supervisory Body for DoLS referrals for all persons with ordinary residence in the Wolverhampton area.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) provide additional protection for adults living in care homes or in hospitals who do not have the capacity to make decisions for themselves about their care or treatment, but do not fall under the remit of the Mental Health Act or the Court of Protection.

There is a legal requirement under DoLS for the Managing Authority (the care home or hospital) to apply to the Supervisory Body (City of Wolverhampton Council) for a person to be assessed where they believe that they need to be deprived of their liberty to prevent them from harm.

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National Statutory Guidance

Statutory Guidance on Female Genital Mutilation

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National Good Practice Resources

Recognising adult abuse and neglect

All organisations that work with people in Wolverhampton are committed to preventing the abuse of adults. If you suspect someone is being abused, call us on 01902 551199. If immediate action is needed phone 999. 

"Adult safeguarding" is working with adults with care and support needs to keep them safe from abuse or neglect. It is an important part of what many public services do, and a key responsibility of local authorities.

Safeguarding is aimed at people with care and support needs who may be in vulnerable circumstances and at risk of abuse or neglect. In these cases, local services must work together to spot those at risk and take steps to protect them.

What is Safeguarding? What is abuse?

Safeguarding means protecting an adult's right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the adult's wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action.

Abuse is when someone does or says something which harms someone and makes them upset and scared. It is always unacceptable: everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect. No-one has the right to abuse anyone else.

If you don't feel safe, find someone you trust to talk to about how you are feeling, or use one of the contact numbers below.

1. Talk to someone you trust - a friend, a relative, a carer, or the person in charge of your care (whether the care is being provided to you at home or in a hospital or a residential care home).

2. Phone  01902 551199 -  and tell the operator you don't feel safe. this is the Council's  safeguarding helpline.

3. Police - phone 999 in an emergency or phone 101 if you don't feel safe but are not in immediate danger

4. Phone Action on Elder Abuse national helpline 0800 0699 784

There are a number of different types of abuse including:

• When someone physically hurts you or treats you badly

• When someone does things, or says things that upset you or makes you feel frightened

• When someone makes you do things that you do not want to do

• When someone fails to provide adequate care that you need in order to live safely

Recognising adult abuse and neglect

All organisations that work with people in Wolverhampton are committed to preventing the abuse of adults. If you suspect someone is being abused, call us on 01902 551199. If immediate action is needed phone 999. 

"Adult safeguarding" is working with adults with care and support needs to keep them safe from abuse or neglect. It is an important part of what many public services do, and a key responsibility of local authorities.

Safeguarding is aimed at people with care and support needs who may be in vulnerable circumstances and at risk of abuse or neglect. In these cases, local services must work together to spot those at risk and take steps to protect them.

What is Safeguarding? What is abuse?

Safeguarding means protecting an adult's right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the adult's wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action.

Abuse is when someone does or says something which harms someone and makes them upset and scared. It is always unacceptable: everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect. No-one has the right to abuse anyone else.

Abuse can be: