NATIONAL SAFEGUARDING OFFICE WELCOME - HSE
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ISSUE 7 SEPTEMBER 2020
NATIONAL
SAFEGUARDING
OFFICE
INSIDE THE WELCOME
SAFEGUARDING
NEWSLETTER
So much has changed since our Office circulated our last
Newsletter. COVID-19 has been an unprecedented time in all
ADULT SAFEGUARDING POLICY our lives. The pandemic and the restriction imposed have had
profound impacts across all our services and on the lives of so
A MESSAGE FOR TRAINING many of our service users. I would like to pay tribute to all the
FACILITATORS teams and services that have responded and continue to adapt
in the delivery of service especially to those in our society who
ELEARNING are most vulnerable. Learnings from the pandemic will have far
reaching implications across all sectors and especially in the
world of adult safeguarding. Over a four and half month period
WORLD ELDER ABUSE
this Office operated on a limited basis as three members of
AWARENESS DAY
staff were redeployed to assist the HSE Mid-West Public Health
Department contact tracing response. The National
DESIGNATED OFFICER TRAINING Safeguarding Office has in recent weeks welcomed back our
colleagues. Despite certain restrictions we have been able to
CHILDREN’S ART COMPETITION resume the range of office activities and there has been a
number of developments in the world of Adult Safeguarding in
REFLECTIONS ON REDEPLOYMENT recent months. I encourage you to read this newsletter to
update yourself on recent events and activities.
ANNUAL REPORT TIM HANLY
GENERAL MANAGER
SAFEGUARDING IRELAND
IMPLEMENTATION OF THANK YOU SAFEGUARDING
THE HSE FACILITATORS
ADULT SAFEGUARDING POLICY
After a pause of 3 months earlier in the year due to the
Across the HSE and HSE funded services
impact of COVID-19 pandemic the work the Safeguarding
(Social Care) there have been over 600
Implementation Steering Group recommenced in May.
Facilitators approved to deliver
The Group have been tasked with leading the preparatory
Safeguarding Vulnerable Awareness
work for the implementation of the revised Adult
Programme (SVPAP) since 2016. As the
safeguarding Policy in 2021. During June and July there
delivery of the Safeguarding Awareness
was an active internal HSE engagement with range of
raising moves to an elearning platform
relevant managers in Community Health and Acute
we want to extend our sincere gratitude
Services via a scoping survey and a number of on line
to all previous and current safeguarding
webinars . The information from this engagement has
facilitators who delivered the SVPAP
been most helpful with feedback to inform the work
programme to such large numbers. We
streams on capacity building, education/ training and
have recorded over 80,000 attendances
monitoring evaluation.
at safeguarding awareness raising
Work is now on-going to develop the implementation
training since 2016. As we move
framework . There will be engagement with staff side
to an online model of delivery the NSO
respresentatives in relation to this framework and there
wants to thank these safeguarding
will be further communication issued when the details
facilitators for the enormous contribution
have been finalised.
they have made to adult safeguarding
awareness in their services.
SAFEGUARDING ADULTS AT RISK OF
The E Learning module also contains
an extend my learning section which
ABUSE includes resources and tools for staff
ELEARNING PROGRAMME and managers to extend learning
beyond the programme itself and to
help further learning and safeguarding
awareness in the workplace.
The NSO on behalf of the Steering Implementation Group
Learners will complete a separate
for the revised Adult Safeguarding Policy have been
assessment module on HSeLand in
working with HSEland on the development of an online
order to get a certificate of
training module on Safeguarding Adults. The ELearning
completion. This module is Nursing &
programme is live on HSELand now. The aim of this
Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)
module is to support the learner to recognise, respond
Category 1 approved for 1 Continuing
and report safeguarding concerns regarding adults at
Education Unit (CEU) and the
risk of abuse.
programme activity
The E learner module uses 4 illustrative scenarios.
attracts 1 CPD credit for Doctors.
These scenarios, will target and emulate real life
situations such as different service users who are at risk
of abuse, how a staff member learns of the abuse,
concerns they have around responding and reporting the
abuse, etc. We depict various types of abuse across the
scenarios. The learner faces challenging
dilemmas and must select the competent path in order to
progress through each scenario. The learner must
complete all scenarios and visit 80% of the screens
within the module.
The module includes a 2 minute explainer
video designed for both staff and adults who may be at
risk of abuse. The video which is Irish Sign Language
interpreted (which can also be used as a
separate media asset outside of the e Learning module)
will highlight our learner’s role of recognising,
responding and reporting safeguarding concerns. The
animated video depicts abuse types and shows how an
adult at risk of abuse can be helped through concern of
abuse arising and subsequent development of a
safeguarding plan. It reinforces the message that staff
have a responsibility to recognise, respond and report
concerns of abuse.
WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY
JUNE 15TH
Each Year on June 15th many organisations and In the webinar you can hear the direct
services host events to highlight elder abuse experience of “cocooning” from some people
which internationally is an increasing and over 70 including former Government Minister
serious problem that can affects the health Nora Owen , former Limerick hurler/ Manager
and human rights of older people. A key theme Ritchie Bennis and retired Bishop Willie Walsh as
this year is to ‘safeguard during and after well as the perspectives of an expert panel
COVID-19’ which is most relevant given the including Professor Aging and Community
disproportionate impact of the pandemic on Nursing; Amanda Phelan of TCD, Dr. Des O’Neill ;
older persons both in care setting and in the Professor in Gerontology at Tallaght Hospital
community. Given the on-going restrictions on and Sean Moynihan from Alone. The panel
staging public events it was not possible to discussion also featured contributions from
stage public Maggie McNally, Principal Social Worker with the
events as in previous years. Many organisations HSE Safeguarding Team in the Mid-West
including the National safeguarding Office and Community Health Care and Kay Murphy,
An Garda Síochána therefore hosted events or National President of Active Retirement.
updated information on an on line basis. In
keeping with this year’s theme the National
Safeguarding Office hosted an on line
discussion entitled “Cocooning and the impact
on older persons”. Click here to view the online
discussion.
DESIGNATED OFFICER TRAINING
Given the current COVID-19 social distancing requirements and the
difficulties this poses for providing classroom based training, the
NSO are planning to provide alternative Designated Officer
training via an interactive online model this autumn. The training
programme will be delivered over a number of stages to achieve its
aims and objectives. All nominated designated officers who are
awaiting training will be invited to register for this online training.
Stage 1 will require participants to virtually attend a webinar hosted
on HSEland. Following this the NSO will invite participants to
undertake stage 2. Stage 2 will consist of completing desk work
which will focus on scenarios and
undertaking preliminary screenings and drawing up safeguarding
plans. Following submission of this completed deskwork participants
will then be invited to attend and participate in a live webinar with
facilitators of designated officer training. This webinar will provide
opportunity for analysis, feedback and clarification on the
preliminary screening & safeguarding planning tasks.
CHILDREN’S ART
COMPETITION
In June the HSE National Safeguarding Office ran a
Children’s Art Competition themed “Keeping connected
in times of COVID-19”. This was one of a series of
initiatives to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
which is held each year on June 15th. This art competition
was launched to coincide with the European Day of
Solidarity between Generations on 29th April.
As cocooning became necessary many children around
the country missed spending time with the older adults in
their lives. Lots of children missed out on regular
connections and contacts with older people- their
grandparents, friends and neighbours. Many children
were finding new ways to keep in touch with their loved
ones and we were inspired by some of the innovative
ways that connections were being maintained across
generations. The Art Competition asked children to tell
us through Art how they are keeping in touch with their
loved ones. We received hundreds of entries from all
around the country and were overwhelmed with the
quantity and quality of entries. We have amazing young
artists all over Ireland. Competition judges from the
NSO along with artists Eimear Farrell (Age Action) and
Eleanor Feely (St Joseph’s Hospital, Ennis) had a tough
task picking winners from all the impressive entries. You
can see a selection of the wonderful entries click here.
The winning entries were announced on by the National
Safeguarding Office on World Elder Abuse Awareness
day click here to view.
Winning entries pictured above.
Winners: James Broothwood, Ali Flannery &
Bethany O’Brien.
REFLECTIONS ON REDEPLOYMENT:
In addition to the work above, the staff
of the National Safeguarding Office
CONTACT TRACING WITH DON, were involved in the development of
MARGUERITE AND DONAL the data collection and analysis system
and became “super-users” in problem
solving the evolving system and
training to up skill staff.
Three members of staff of the National Safeguarding
Contact tracing was a very positive
Office were redeployed as part of the pandemic
experience in a time of such
response between mid-March and mid-July,
uncertainty around the pandemic.
2020 and were assigned to contact tracing duties in the
There was a collective response across
Mid-West Public Health Department.
staff in multiple offices to support the
The core element of this work was twofold; firstly
work of the local public health
informing people of positive test results and secondly
department and staff approached the
making contact with their identified close contacts to
work with a real “can-do” attitude.
offer public health advice. Through the effective
Even on the darkest of days, there was
and consistent delivery of the public health messages it
always a lot of positive energy in the
was possible to convey the sense of personal and
contact tracing room.
collective responsibility required to achieve the
targeted reduction in spread of the virus at this critical
phase. It is not possible to overestimate the importance
With thanks to all of those who
of these calls to people, many of whom were feeling very
redeployed to during the
vulnerable, upset and anxious. Furthermore we supported
pandemic and with special mention to
members of some of the marginalised groups in our
the contact tracers in the mid-West
society by providing additional time and support to
and all of the staff of the Public
communicate the core messages effectively and to offer
Health Department of HSE mid-West
additional community supports to assist them further.
To do this work effectively staff were required to be
responsive to the ever changing circumstances both in
work practices and procedures (a requirement for
flexibility in the provision of a 12 hour service
over 7 days, for example).
NSO ANNUAL REPORT
This years report will focus on
emerging trends in adult safeguarding
data reported to the HSE Safeguarding
& Protection Teams along with analysis
The National Safeguarding Office Annual Report 2019 is
of training data. Furthermore it will
due for publication in October 2020. The publication
discuss key project
date has been impacted by redeployment of staff into
developments during 2019 including
necessary COVID-19 work in quarter 2 2020.
training initiatives, the formulation of
Each year this publication generates much needed
the revised safeguarding policy and
attention on the extent and dynamics of adult
the development of associated
safeguarding work and associated media
material including the progression of
interviews provide an opportunity to engage the wider
an IT management system.
community to consider safeguarding as everyone’s
responsibility.
SAFEGUARDING IRELAND PUBLIC
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
Safeguarding Ireland’s most recent Public Awareness campaign
was on Planning Ahead future care and took place took place
from June 2-12. It urged people to plan ahead now to safeguard
against risks of abuse in the future and highlighted that this is
also better for our loved ones and healthcare
professionals. Please click link for further information click here.
Safeguarding Ireland expressed overall support for the
recently published COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel report’s
Some other recent publications on the impact of COVID-19 on
Nursing Homes include the:
Houses of the Oireachtas -Interim Report on Covid-19 in Nursing Homes Special Committee
on Covid-19 Response July 2020 and
the HIQA Report -The impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes in Ireland July 2020
The National Safeguarding Office
St Josephs Health Campus
Mulgrave Street
Limerick
safeguarding.socialcare@hse.ie
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