Partner agency self-audit assurance

This year (2021) the ESAB agreed to use the London Safeguarding Adult Audit Partnership Tool (SAPAT) which was developed to provide assurance as to how well the system was working to safeguard adults across the borough.

While completion of the audit was delayed due to pressures in the system as a result of COVID-19, a full report was completed by participating agencies and collated into a full report.

The focus of the audit process was to provide evidence of partners' contribution to the ESAB, provide evidence of partnership working to deliver the aims and objectives of the Safeguarding Board and to enable judgements as to our collective effectiveness.

The process focuses very much on what agencies do in partnership with each other and less on actions within agencies own organisations. The focus considered:

  1. The actions of making safeguarding personal
  2. The application of mental capacity legislation
  3. Liberty protection safeguarding preparedness
  4. Learning.

Areas of good practice were identified across all partner agencies and issues that provided challenge are embedded within the partnership plan and in partner organisation action plans.