The Executive Director (Communities and People) has submitted a report presenting the Safeguarding Annual Report 2023-24. Cllr Lubna Arshad, Cabinet Member for a Safer Oxford, Richard Adams, Community Safety Service Manager and Laura Jones, Safeguarding Coordinator have been invited to present the report and answer questions. The Committee is asked to consider the report and agree any recommendations.

Cllr Lubna Arshad, Cabinet Member for a Safer Oxford introduced the report from the Executive Director (Communities and People) presenting the Safeguarding Annual Report 2023-24. She highlighted that annual audits were reviewed by the Safeguarding Board and Sub-groups, with actions informing training, communication, and the annual safeguarding action plan. Referrals to statutory agencies were recorded using MyConcern when the threshold was met, reflecting the work of various Oxford City Council teams in preventing and addressing safeguarding issues.

Richard Adams, Community Safety Service Manager, and Laura Jones, Safeguarding Coordinator, added that the report showcased the Council’s comprehensive efforts in effectively safeguarding vulnerable adults and children. The implementation of last year’s Scrutiny Committee recommendations had improved safeguarding practices in terms of organisations which the Council provided grant funding to. The Committee was also advised that Council staff engagement with safeguarding practices was consistently ranking highest in Oxfordshire, reflecting the Council’s broad commitment to safeguarding. Positive feedback from peer reviews further affirmed the Council’s overall success of these initiatives.

Cllr Altaf-Khan joined the meeting.

During discussions, the Committee noted the following points:

• The commissioning and decommissioning of Floyd’s Row services sat within Housing Services and was not directly related to this report. Community Safety Services remained actively involved in street outreach and addressing anti-social behaviour.
• In relation to migrants without right to remain, the Council facilitated support meetings around hotels housing homeless individuals, primarily single males. The issue of the recent upsurge of these individuals rough sleeping had been addressed. Whilst there were challenges in relation to individuals who had no recourse to public funds, the Council continued to work with Asylum Welcome to provide support. Detailed questions in relation to migrant homelessness should be directed to Housing Services.
• The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) bed provisions during extreme weather were triggered by Met Office forecasts that accounted for both high heat and cold conditions. The use of forecasts as the trigger afforded partners a few days' notice to prepare. Questions related to data on the frequency of SWEP being triggered annually and predictive modelling were best directed to Housing Services.
• 85 Council staff had attended optional Domestic Abuse training, which was part of the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) Accreditation. Although this training was promoted, it was not as relevant to some staff (e.g. some who are not frontline), which would present a challenge in terms of making the training mandatory for all staff.
• Exploitation of vulnerable adults was noted in several areas, including drug dealers exploiting individuals through the "cuckooing" phenomenon, a trend observed nationwide. Adult sexual exploitation, particularly through brothels rather than street-based activity, was also reported. Although instances of domestic servitude remained relatively low, there had been a slight increase in cases, though these were difficult to report and uncover. The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) offered statistics on the nationalities of internationally trafficked individuals, with small but consistent numbers from the same countries.
• The identification of vulnerable tenants was an action within the safeguarding action plan for 2024/25 so would be a focus in future reports.

The Committee requested:

·       That the safeguarding annual report continue to be brought to the Committee annually.

·       That the Scrutiny-commissioned report on Adult Exploitation and Modern Slavery scheduled for March 2025 includes detail on exploitation and modern slavery in different sectors; and includes information on any joint working with the Council’s Licensing Teams in response to reports of adult exploitation and/or modern slavery in licensed premises.

The Committee noted the report; there were no recommendations.

Laura Jones, Safeguarding Coordinator left the meeting and did not return.