Response to statement from Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health on strengthening safeguarding arrangements in Wales
Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Rhian Bowen-Davies, said:
“Older people experience many of the same forms of abuse and harm as other groups, yet this is often not fully recognised or understood, creating gaps in services and support.
“I therefore welcome the statement today from the Deputy Minister, which sets out a number of proposed measures designed to strengthen accountability, cohesion and intelligence-sharing across the safeguarding system.
“A new National Safeguarding Action Plan would provide an important opportunity to set a clear, shared ambition for the future, underpinned by a robust framework for action, accountability and delivery.
“It is crucial that the development of the Action Plan is informed and shaped by older people’s voices and lived experiences, which will be essential to ensure that the particular barriers older people may face in disclosing abuse, reporting concerns and accessing support are properly understood and responded to.
“There are also opportunities to draw on the learning, actions and commitments from the National Action Plan for the Prevention of Abuse of Older People, ensuring this work is maintained and fully integrated into future national safeguarding priorities.
“Similarly, strengthening national structures and governance arrangements should help to ensure a more proactive approach, so that emerging risks are identified earlier, learning is acted upon and improvements are driven consistently across Wales.
“Moving forward we also need to see improvements in data, so this is more consistent and can be broken down by age and other characteristics. But measurement must go beyond numbers in the system. It must help us understand whether older people’s experiences are improving, whether they are able to access the right support at the right time and whether safeguarding arrangements are leading to better outcomes in people’s lives. “The Deputy Minister’s proposals have the potential to strengthen safeguarding arrangements in Wales and drive vital improvements.
“The real measure of success, however, will be the extent to which they improve older people’s experiences, access to services and outcomes not simply whether they increase activity or reporting within the system. This is something I will continue to closely scrutinise as Commissioner.”
