A sharp rise in concerns raised about vulnerable people in Leeds is a “good thing”, the chair of the city’s adult safeguarding board has claimed.
Richard Jones said the increase showed people were comfortable flagging issues and that they had confidence in the local system.
More than 12,000 referrals were made to Leeds City Council’s adult safeguarding team between April 2021 and March 2022, all of which raised a concern for a person’s wellbeing.
That’s a 40 per cent jump on the numbers from three years before.
Most of the referrals related to possible neglect, physical abuse or financial exploitation. Such referrals are typically made out of concern for elderly or disabled people.
Mr Jones independently chairs the local adult safeguarding board, which scrutinises the work of public bodies in Leeds to keep vulnerable men and women safe.
He said the system was operating in the “context of significant challenges for individuals, families and communities,” and rising demand in social care as a result.
Speaking at a council scrutiny meeting on Tuesday, Mr Jones said: “We are seeing an increase in levels of concerns that have been raised about adult safeguarding.
“There’s a context to that, but I think that’s a good thing.
“I don’t think there’s a position we’d get to where we’d say we’ve maxed out on our ability to enable people to speak up, often in very difficult circumstances.”
Mr Jones said the figures marked an 11 per cent increase on the year before in Leeds, against a nationwide average of eight per cent.
But he added: “I don’t think that’s something to get concerned about. I think that’s a real sign of people getting their heads around and understand what adult safeguarding means and how they can get support.”
However, despite the rise, the proportion of referrals that result in a full enquiry by social workers has fallen over the same period.
Only a quarter of referrals resulted in a Section 42 investigation under the Care Act last year, compared with 40 per cent in 2018/19.
The rest can result in advice being given to people who raise a concern, or signposting to other agencies. Others are deemed simply not to require any further action.
But in light of those figures, Liberal Democrat councillor Conrad Hart-Brooke asked for guarantees that the system was following up on cases which needed to be investigated.
He told the meeting: “That’s a huge shift in numbers.
“I guess what I want is assurance that that’s about necessity, rather than capacity.”
Mr Jones said the board would report back with more detailed data.
But he added: “One hypothesis I’ve been working on is we’re not out of kilter with the national picture, broadly speaking.
“Practice does vary from authority to authority.
“Some authorities put every referral they receive through a Section 42 process, which I think is ridiculous frankly and not person-centred at all.”
