The latest edition of the Lambeth Safeguarding Adults Board newsletter has been published.

This edition includes a new learning resource based on findings from SAR Martin, links to our new strategic plan and tips on recognising mate crime.

To read the full update, please see below.

On 22 July 2020, the Department of Health and Social Care published guidance relating to visiting policies in respect of care homes in England.

This guidance sets out a framework for local area policies, that take count of the circumstances of the individual care home (e.g. employee availability, resident demographics and outbreak status), and local circumstances (e.g. presence of outbreaks in the community).

Ultimately, the decision on whether or not to allow visitors, and in what circumstances, is an operational decision and therefore for the provider and managers of each individual setting to make. Nonetheless, before visits can go ahead there should be liaison with the local director of public health.

For a more detailed summary of this guidance, please visit the Mental Capacity Law and Policy website.

In any circumstance where a care home is required to reinforce restriction due to local outbreaks, Providers must do whatever they can to facilitate other types of contact with loved ones such as telephone, Skype, Whatsapp video calling, Zoom or Facetime. ​

The Hub provides all types of statutory Independent Advocacy for Lambeth residents aged 16 and over.

 The Advocacy Hub is a partnership between dasl, Community Support Network South London (CSNSL) and POhWER under the
Connect Lambeth range of services.

The services provided are: 

• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)
• Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)
• Advocacy under the Care Act
• Relevent Person’s Paid Representative service (RPPR)
• Independent Health Complaints Advocacy service

 Please visit www.connectlambeth.org/advocacy, email us at advocacy@connectlambeth.org or call us on 020 3143 9000 to find out more.

The theme of the week is the importance of friendships during lockdown. 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have all been living in lockdown. This means that many people with a learning disability are feeling isolated, as they have been unable to see their friends and families.

We know that people with a learning disability already experience high levels of loneliness and social isolation and that this will only have been made worse by the lockdown.

We want to show the importance of friendships to help with tackling isolation, as well as exploring the different ways of maintaining friendships during this unusual time.

To find out more about how to get involved, visit Mencap's website.