The Care Agency as the lead organisation in respect of Safeguarding Adults at risk has arranged for Safeguarding Adult Lead Manager Training to be delivered to key stakeholders on 21st and 22nd July 2021 in order to improve the protection of vulnerable adults in the community.

Attendees will include staff within the Care Agency, departments including Dr Giraldi Home, St Bernadette’s Resource Centre, Adult Social Workers, and Bruce’s Farm and also includes staff from the Gibraltar Health Authority, Elderly Residential Services and the Royal Gibraltar Police Safeguarding Unit.

Training will be delivered by Ms Deirdre Mahon, Director of Women and Children’s Services and Executive Director of Social Work in the Western Health and Social Services Trust, Northern Ireland. Ms Mahon is a qualified and experienced Social Worker and Youth and Community worker and is a member of the Safeguarding Board of Northern Ireland and has worked nationally and internationally.

Ms Mahon has been working closely with Ms Jennifer Poole, Head of Adult Services and staff from the Care Agency to develop and update the interagency adult safeguarding procedures. The new procedures incorporate values and language from Signs of Safety, which is a solution focused and safety organised framework, putting serves users, families and their network front and centre to build safety for any adults at risk. This training will ensure that participants begin to understand the ’signs of safety’ process and its application to Adult safeguarding and following the training begin to apply it in their alerts and safety planning.

The CEO of the Care Agency, Mr Carlos Banderas, said: “I am delighted to have Ms Mahon working alongside the Care Agency given the unprecedented times the community has recently faced where we have seen the raise in numbers of safeguarding alerts. We must ensure our most vulnerable have the best outcomes and are provided with safe and effective care.”

The Minister for Justice, Equality, Health and Care, the Hon Samantha Sacramento, stated: “I am very pleased to welcome Ms Mahon to Gibraltar. The fact that key leaders from different Government departments and agencies and their staff are working together towards a common goal reflects our determination to ensure that the most vulnerable in our community are protected and are able to grow and develop happily and healthily without the risk of abuse or neglect”.