3.4 Thresholds

Protecting adults who are experiencing or at risk from abuse or neglect is a key priority across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The LLR Safeguarding Adults Thresholds Guidance has been written to support workers in local authorities and NHS settings who receive alerts across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The guidance seeks to explain the processes involved in making a decision about whether an alert, regarding an adult who appears to be at risk of harm or is being harmed, is progressed through the safeguarding adults’ procedures.

All organisations and individuals can reference the thresholds guidance and the support tool, but should not use this as definitive guidance in order to make a judgement about whether to alert the local authority to a safeguarding concern. The local authority should always be alerted if it appears an adult is experiencing, or is at risk of abuse or neglect. The local authority must make enquiries, or cause others to do so if they believe an adult who meets the threshold is or is at risk of being abused or neglected.

The local authority may cause another organisation make enquiries into any concerns if appropriate or safe to do so. In considering this approach the following should be taken into account:

• there may be a serious conflict of interest on the part of the employer;
• there have been previous enquiries which have been ineffective;
• there are serious multiple concerns;
• there is a police investigation.

Where the abuse or neglect relates to an NHS setting then the local authority will be notified of such concerns and in consultation with relevant NHS colleagues, decide whether the threshold is met for enquiries to be undertaken under the safeguarding adults procedures and which, if any of these enquiries, can be delegated to health colleagues.