Northern Ireland. Department Of Health, Social Services

This guidance is being issued in the context of a developing government policy framework which aims to improve safeguarding and protection outcomes for vulnerable adults in Northern Ireland. It describes the roles and responsibilities of the two new types of Safeguarding Partnerships: the regional body - the Northern Ireland Adult Safeguarding Partnership (NIASP); and the local bodies - the five Local Adult Safeguarding Partnerships (LASPs).

The Strategy gives a direction for the sector for the next 10 years; focusing on improving skills throughout the workforce, increasing confidence in the sector and involving service users and carers in all aspects of workforce development. Committee members will disseminate the strategy to their sectors and raise awareness of the requirements it places on employers and workers. The committee will now explore how to implement the strategy, examining targets and the implications these have for employers.

This Guidance has been prepared by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in order to assist in understanding the Carer’s and Direct payments Act 2002 and the policy behind it. The Act places new responsibilities on “an authority”. This term is defined in the Act as meaning either an HSS Board or an HSS Trust, though in practice it will mean an HSS Trust in virtually all cases. This guidance, therefore, refers throughout to assessments and services being provided by HSS Trusts. The Act was introduced into the N.I.

This Strategy (2013 – 2020) and Action Plan (2013 – 2016) sets out the Northern Ireland Executive’s commitment to improving services and support for people with autism in Northern Ireland. It has been prepared as a result of the Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, which required the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) to lead on the development and implementation of a cross departmental Autism Strategy.

The Northern Ireland Health Minister launched 'Living Matters Dying Matters: A Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy for Adults in Northern Ireland’. Palliative and end of life care is the active care of patients with advanced progressive illness. This report outlines the strategy and identifies palliative and end of life care as a continuum of care that evolves as a person's condition progresses.

One of the key findings arising from the Departmental Review of Direct Payments was the need for a standardised approach to the monitoring of Direct Payments to ensure financial probity.