Public Protection (Safeguarding)

Public Protection is about preventing harm to vulnerable groups within society. It is an issue of fundamental importance to NHS Orkney. It remains a top priority and also one of our most challenging areas of work. 　

There are clear links to be made across a range of service areas that relate to public protection

As the provider of universal health services, any member of staff may be the first to become aware of risk of harm. All children, young people and adults at risk have a fundamental right to be protected and safe. It is the responsibility of all staff to be alert to circumstances which might place them at risk of abuse or neglect and know what action they need to take if they have a concern.

NHS Orkney has an essential role in preventing and reducing the risk of abuse or neglect. There is a commitment to ensuring that all staff are confident and competent to undertake their role in identifying and responding appropriately to concerns.

NHS Orkney work in collaboration with partner agencies to ensure the best outcomes for all children, young people and adults and NHS Orkney staff have a duty to refer protection concerns to statutory agencies such as the Social Care/Police on identification of concerns to ensure vulnerable people are safeguarded effectively. 　

The key agencies that have individual and collective responsibilities for Public Protection are Police Scotland, NHS Boards and Local Authorities and they must account for this work and its effectiveness. The Chief Constable and the Chief Executives of health boards and of local authorities are referred to as Chief Officers. They are the members of Chief Officer’s Group, responsible for ensuring that their agency, individually and collectively, works to protect children, young people and adults as effectively as possible.

Chief Officers are individually and collectively responsible for the leadership, direction and scrutiny of their respective public protection services and their Child/Adult Protection Committees (C/APCs).

Orkney has a joint Child and Adult Protection Committee known as the Public Protection Committee (PPC). The PPC brings together all the agencies involved in public protection, including police, NHS and the local authority for developing, implementing, and improving public protection strategy across and between agencies, bodies, and the local community. Further information can be found here.

The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 provides a legislative framework for the integration of health and social care services in Scotland. The Act removes community health partnerships from statute and places a duty on local authorities and NHS boards to integrate the governance, planning and resourcing of adult social care services, adult primary care and community health services, and some hospital services. A total of 31 health and social care partnerships (HSCPs) have been established, with a jointly agreed integration scheme for each setting out key arrangements for the integration of services. The Act also allows for the integration of other areas of activity, such as children’s health and social care service.

In Orkney the HSCP is known as Orkney Health and Care (OHAC). Further information can be found here.

Effective partnership working is vital in public protection work, ensuring all relevant information is shared between agencies in order to safeguard people at risk.

How to raise a Child Protection or Adult Support and protection concern

If you think you or someone you know is being abused or neglected, you should tell someone you trust.

This could be a friend, a teacher, a family member, a social worker, a doctor or healthcare professional, a police officer or someone else that you trust. Ask them to help you report it.

Supporting people when concerns are raised about abuse or neglect can be very difficult and distressing for everyone involved. Deciding what’s the right thing to do can be stressful, particularly if the person you are concerned about is reluctant to accept support. If you are not sure what to do you can always seek advice.

To report a crime

  • in an emergency, contact the police, call 999
  • if the person is not in immediate danger, contact the police, call 101

To contact Orkney Islands Council Social Work Teams

Contact the Children’s and Adult services team Monday to Friday from 9am – 5pm on:

  • 01856873535

Contact the Children’s and Adult services team Out of Hours on:

  • 01856888000

Inform the person on the phone that you wish to discuss a child or adult protection concern.

The NSPCC also operate a national 24 hour helpline on 0808 8005000 and you can find out more here: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/our-services/nspcc-helpline/