PART 7SAFEGUARDING
Safeguarding Children Boards and Safeguarding Adults Boards
135Functions and procedures of Safeguarding Boards
1
The objectives of a Safeguarding Children Board are—
a
to protect children within its area who are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm, and
b
to prevent children within its area from becoming at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm.
2
The objectives of a Safeguarding Adults Board are—
a
to protect adults within its area who—
i
have needs for care and support (whether or not a local authority is meeting any of those needs), and
ii
are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
b
to prevent those adults within its area mentioned in paragraph (a)(i) from becoming at risk of abuse or neglect.
3
A Safeguarding Board must seek to achieve its objectives by co-ordinating and ensuring the effectiveness of what is done by each person or body represented on the Board.
4
Regulations must—
a
provide for a Safeguarding Board to have functions relating to its objectives (including, for example, functions of review or investigation);
b
make provision as to the procedures to be followed by a Safeguarding Board;
c
specify when and how children or adults who are, or may be, affected by the exercise of a Safeguarding Board’s functions must be given the opportunity to participate in the Board’s work.
5
A Safeguarding Board may cooperate with another one or more Safeguarding Boards.
6
A Safeguarding Board may act jointly with another one or more Safeguarding Boards in relation to their combined areas and if they do so—
a
references in this Part to a Safeguarding Board are to be read as references to the Boards acting jointly, and
b
references in this Part to a Safeguarding Board area are to be read as references to the combined area.
7
The Safeguarding Children Board and the Safeguarding Adults Board for an area may form a joint board for the area, and if they do so—
a
the joint board is to have the objectives in both subsections (1) and (2), and
b
references in this Part to a Safeguarding Board are to be read as references to the joint board.