Making referrals to the POVA list
Please note: The information contained in this guide is now out of date and it should be used for reference purposes only. For current information about the Vetting and Barring scheme please visit the Independent Safeguarding Authority website.
Preparing for POVA list referral
Practice points: Working with others
Employers should make contact with their local adult protection coordinators, find out about local procedures and develop good connections by getting involved in local activities and initiatives.
Where employers have good relationships with the local adult protection coordinators, they have found them to be an important source of support, information and advice throughout the POVA referral process.
Examples
- Access Homecare reported receiving first-rate support from its local authority. Everyone is clear about their respective roles and responsibilities and they have worked successfully, as mutual partners, in investigating and making POVA referrals.
- In Sunderland in July 2004, the adult protection committee established a multi-agency POVA working group. Its initial remit was to support independent providers and to provide information and guidance. The DH Practical Guidance together with other supporting information was sent to all providers in the city. A series of 'information days' was held where providers had the opportunity to ask questions and debate particular issues or themes.
- Today this group continues to identify issues, concerns and areas of good practice, which are shared with providers in the city through information exchange seminars and meetings. A further series of information days is planned, to communicate what has been learned over the past two years since the implementation of the POVA list. Providers have also been involved in producing local protocols developed to support managers dealing with allegations about staff and disclosure of information. Information packs - which include copies of these protocols together with a copy of the DH Practical Guidance, the DH referral form and other relevant adult protection documentation - have been produced and sent out to all providers in the city.
Constructive local relationships can be consolidated through joint training and working together. Some local adult protection teams offer training to local employers. Where people have trained together, they find it easier to approach the team for help in the future.
Examples
- Barnet Adult Protection Team recently hosted briefing sessions at which local providers discussed making POVA referrals with a barrister experienced in employment law.
- The Sheffield Adult Protection Team regularly holds stakeholder workshops.
- E-learning material for POVA training has been commissioned and part-funded as part of a co-funded programme for the care sector in Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The course covers awareness of abuse, vulnerable adults, reporting abuse, legislation and case examples of abuse. It is currently being piloted and users report that the material is well received, particularly when supported by a facilitator. See the Elderworld website for more information.
Local adult protection coordinators will support those making POVA list referrals. It is likely that they will already know the employer or manager and will be able to advise and encourage them. It is important for the coordinators to approach this with a positive attitude, recognising that some employers can feel apprehensive and uncertain about making referrals.
Example
Shropshire County Council has obtained joint funding for a post in the adult protection team to support local providers both generally and with POVA referrals.
Some employers say that they feel stigmatised when making a referral, as if the whole organisation is guilty of causing harm. They fear that this will work against them with other providers, local commissioners of services and the public. In fact, they are fulfilling their statutory and best practice responsibilities by taking appropriate action. Local adult protection teams are encouraged to support and advise employers and managers when they are considering and making POVA referrals.
Examples
The adult protection committees in Sheffield, Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire are chaired by people who are independent of the local authority. In Shropshire, local adult protection panels are chaired by team managers from different localities.
The POVA team positively welcome referrals and emphasise that they are investigating individuals, not organisations.
Example
A representative of Marshlands Care Home rang the POVA advice line to discuss a serious incident that had resulted in the deaths of two residents.
The representative was clearly worried that the home would appear at fault, even though the facts showed that the perpetrator’s actions could not have been predicted or avoided. As the result of a feeling of failure, the care home had been reluctant to make a referral. However, following iscussions with the team, it submitted a comprehensive referral that resulted in the perpetrator being confirmed on the list and prevented from posing a risk to vulnerable adults in the future.
