Title: Safeguarding Adults: Lecturing at Birmingham City University (BCU) -Birmingham City University Campus - Safeguarding Adults Lectures I have been an active member of the Birmingham Safeguarding Adults Board (BSAB) for some time, firstly as a Police Officer and now as a business owner. At one recent conference, I was invited to take my skills and experiences to Birmingham City University (BCU) and deliver some lectures to students on their Masters in Safeguarding course. The BSAB has taught me that there are many associations that focus on safeguarding vulnerable children, but far fewer in place that focus solely on safeguarding vulnerable adults. BCU have identified this as a potential issue, and created a pioneering Masters Degree in Safeguarding to address this shortfall. The students I delivered to consisted of managers and senior managers in housing, education, the NHS and the social services sectors, all keen to develop and improve their skills. As this was such a diverse group, some very stimulating discussions were created, as we identified and challenged issues such as stereotyping, traits and treatments, and then delved into how we can protect both ourselves and those we serve.
Here is a brief overview of three of my lectures on Safeguarding Adults: 1. Safeguarding and Hoarding During this lecture, we looked at the definition of hoarding, learnt to recognise when messiness or untidiness becomes hoarding and explored links to mental health, and triggers that may turn a person into a hoarder. We also examined the fairly new term of disposaphobia, which created some excellent discussion, as well as how the media expose people who hoard. I was able to relay one incident from my early policing career where I was called to the house of an elderly man who hadn t thrown away anything for over 30 years, and neighbours feared he had died in the property. Once entry was gained, I discovered that he had indeed passed away, and one of the things he had been hoarding was mattresses every time he needed a new one he laid it on top of the old one. The gentleman died in bed and to get to his body I had to scale eight or nine mattresses, as I couldn t see him from the ground. At this point we discussed the impact upon those around hoarders, as well as upon the hoarders themselves. We also talked about the amazing work that the West Midlands Fire Service do as a great partner agency that provides assessments of people reported to be hoarding.
-BCU Safeguarding Adults Lectures 2. Court Processes and Giving Evidence This was a particularly exciting topic, as I know from experience that many people fear going to court, whether as a victim, offender, witness or professional. I believe that in many industries, there is scant guidance on how to prepare yourself for the court process, which naturally creates a degree of nervousness. Professionals in the caring and servicing industries are generally committed to best serving and protecting their charges, so another fear is that they may let them down in court, and be left feeling that they have failed them, which can have some devastating consequences. Therefore, I ensured that this lecture focused not only on the structure, purpose and remit of all the courts in the UK and Europe, but then explored how to gather and harvest best evidence so that our chances of success are maximized. We also explored some tips and tricks to be aware of in court, as well as correct etiquette and procedures, which would help to reduce performance nerves. One of the biggest issues with court processes and giving evidence at court is that the incident has not been correctly captured. This may make the incident very
difficult to prove, therefore the harmed party may be left feeling vulnerable and the professional feeling helpless. Having the right practices for collecting evidence from the very beginning can help alleviate some of that vulnerability and also provide justice. I advised the students that when I am dealing with those who are vulnerable, I always ask myself: Am I acting in the best interests of the vulnerable person, to the best of my professional ability? 3. Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Complex Offenders This was another interesting topic because a lot of the students came into the lecture with a preconception of what defines a vulnerable adult and what defines a complex offender. My aim here was to challenge the students and their stereotypes, and ensure they leave questioning whether there is a difference between the two. In many cases, perhaps complex offenders start out as vulnerable adults.? We also talked about the duty of care that we have to all those we encounter. An example I gave was from when I specialised in sexual offences as a police officer and dealt with many paedophiles. Whilst I consider their crimes to be repugnant, I always ensured that I treated them with great respect, and addressed any safeguarding issues they may have had to this end I would buy them their cigarettes, or coffees and sandwiches, and even put my arm around them if they became upset. This caused a great reaction from the BCU students, but I continued by telling them that a byproduct of my great treatment of the offenders was that a better relationship was formed, and they always gave me full details of their crimes. Other officers who dealt with sex offenders would sometimes let their emotions get the better of them and not treat the offenders as well as they could. This generally resulted in less precise evidence and reduced potential for convictions. As an officer of the law, or any other profession, you must remain focused on the task mine was to convict sex offenders, and I was successful. The students left the lecture with the question Is a vulnerable adult the same as a complex offender? still ringing in their ears. I know this for sure because when I went to the loo afterwards, I heard them talking about it in a small group in the toilet! I believe that my role as a guest lecturer in Safeguarding at BCU is to impart my knowledge and experience, stimulate discussion, encourage questioning and exploration, as well as provide wide and diverse learning to these eager professionals, so that they can improve their service delivery. I loved being part of the new Masters in Safeguarding course at BCU and look forward to similar opportunities in the future.