{{org_field_logo}}

{{org_field_name}}

Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

---

Partnership Working with Other Agencies and Professionals Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline {{org_field_name}}’s commitment to effective partnership working with other agencies and professionals. Collaborative working enhances the quality of care and support provided to people we support by ensuring a coordinated, person-centred approach that promotes well-being, safety, and improved health and social outcomes.

Partnership working will be undertaken in a way that protects and promotes the rights, dignity, privacy, choices, wellbeing and safety of people we support. It will support effective personal planning, risk enablement, safeguarding, continuity of care, timely escalation of concerns, and coordinated responses where a person’s needs, wishes, risks or circumstances change. Partnership working will also recognise the role of carers, families, representatives, advocates and other people who are important to the person, where the person has consented or where there is another lawful basis for involvement.

This policy establishes clear expectations for engaging with health, social care, social work, housing, advocacy, community, emergency, regulatory and third-sector organisations. It supports compliance with Scotland’s Health and Social Care Standards, the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011, Care Inspectorate quality frameworks, the SSSC Codes of Practice and all relevant safeguarding, data protection, equality and human rights duties. By fostering strong partnerships, {{org_field_name}} ensures that people receiving care benefit from holistic, responsive, and high-quality services tailored to their individual needs.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all employees of {{org_field_name}}, including care workers, supervisors, managers, and administrative staff. It applies to partnership working in relation to assessment, care and support planning, review, risk assessment and risk enablement, safeguarding, hospital discharge, medication-related communication, health deterioration, complaints, incidents, duty of candour events, transitions, emergency planning and service continuity. It also applies to external professionals and agencies involved in delivering integrated care, including but not limited to:

• Local Authorities, Health and Social Care Partnerships, commissioning teams, contract monitoring officers, social work and social care teams
• NHS Health Professionals (GPs, district nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and mental health practitioners)
• Regulatory and Safeguarding Bodies (Care Inspectorate, Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), Adult Protection Units)
• Emergency Services (Police Scotland, Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service)
• Advocacy and Voluntary Sector Organisations (carers’ organisations, mental health charities, dementia support groups)
• Housing and Community Support Services
• Pharmacies and Medication Management Services
• Unpaid carers, family members, representatives, welfare attorneys, welfare guardians and named persons, where the person consents or where there is a lawful basis for their involvement
• Independent advocacy services, including advocacy required to support decision-making, complaints, adult protection processes, mental health matters or communication needs
• Community link workers, community alarm/telecare providers, equipment and adaptations services, and falls prevention services
• Local Adult Support and Protection Committee arrangements and local authority Council Officer routes
• Hospital discharge teams, intermediate care, reablement, rehabilitation and community nursing services
• Disclosure Scotland and relevant recruitment/regulatory bodies, where required for safe recruitment or regulated role checks

3. Legal and Regulatory Framework

This policy aligns with the following legislation, standards, codes and guidance, as amended or replaced from time to time:

• Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 – provides the current statutory framework for the regulation of care services in Scotland, including the role of Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland, known as the Care Inspectorate.
• Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 – requires registered care services to meet welfare, safety, fitness, staffing, record keeping, complaints and personal planning requirements. Regulation 5 requires a personal plan to be prepared in consultation with the person and, where appropriate, their representative, and reviewed at least once in every six-month period while the person receives the service.
• Health and Social Care Standards: My Support, My Life – sets out what people should experience when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland, including dignity, compassion, inclusion, responsive care and support, and wellbeing.
• Care Inspectorate Quality Framework for Support Services (Care at Home, including Supported Living Models of Support) – used for self-evaluation, scrutiny and improvement, including how well people’s care and support is planned, delivered, reviewed and improved.
• Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers, 2024 – sets out the standards of practice, conduct and behaviour expected of social service workers and the responsibilities of employers. The 2024 Codes apply from 1 May 2024 and replace previous versions.
• Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 – supports integrated planning and delivery of adult health and social care through Health and Social Care Partnerships.
• Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 – promotes choice, control and involvement in arranging support, including collaboration with the person and relevant others.
• Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 – requires cooperation and timely information sharing where an adult may be at risk of harm and supports multi-agency adult protection arrangements.
• Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 – provides safeguards and principles for decision-making where an adult lacks capacity, including benefit, least restriction, taking account of the adult’s present and past wishes, and consulting relevant others.
• Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 – provides rights and safeguards for people with mental disorder and is relevant where partnership working involves mental health services, named persons, advocacy or compulsory measures.
• Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 – recognises carers’ rights and duties relating to adult carer support plans, young carer statements, carer involvement and information and advice for carers.
• Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and Children (Scotland) Act 1995 – relevant where the service supports children, young people, parents or households where children may be affected by care and support arrangements.
• Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007, Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 and Disclosure Scotland guidance – relevant to safe recruitment, regulated roles and ongoing suitability to work with protected adults and/or children.
• UK General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018 – govern the lawful, fair, transparent and secure processing and sharing of personal data, including special category health and social care information.
• Human Rights Act 1998 – requires public authorities and services carrying out public functions to respect Convention rights, including private and family life, liberty, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and protection from discrimination.
• Equality Act 2010 – requires the service to prevent discrimination, harassment and victimisation and to make reasonable adjustments where required.
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations – requires safe systems of work for staff and others affected by the service.
• Organisational Duty of Candour under the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 and the Duty of Candour Procedure (Scotland) Regulations 2018 – requires openness, notification, apology, review and learning where an unintended or unexpected incident results in death or harm as defined by the legislation.
• Care Inspectorate notification guidance and records guidance – requires the service to keep required records and notify the Care Inspectorate of specified events, incidents and changes in accordance with current guidance.

4. Principles of Partnership Working

Effective partnership working is based on the following principles:

• Person-Centred Care – Services must be designed around the needs and wishes of the people we support.
• Rights-Based and Outcome-Focused Practice – Partnership working must uphold the person’s human rights and focus on what matters to them, including their personal outcomes, independence, relationships, identity, choices and wellbeing.
• Collaboration and Cooperation – Agencies must work together to achieve the best outcomes.
• Meaningful Involvement – The person must be fully involved, as far as they are able and wish to be, in decisions about their care and support. Where appropriate, carers, representatives, advocates, attorneys, guardians and other relevant people will be involved in line with the person’s wishes, capacity and legal authority.
• Clear Communication – Open, transparent, and timely information sharing is essential.
• Respect for Roles and Expertise – Each professional contributes unique skills and knowledge.
• Confidentiality, Consent and Lawful Information Sharing – Information must be shared securely, proportionately and lawfully. Staff must seek the person’s consent wherever possible, explain what information may be shared and why, and record the legal basis for sharing. Where there is a safeguarding concern, serious risk, legal duty, duty of candour requirement or vital interest, relevant information may need to be shared without consent and this must be clearly recorded.
• Shared Accountability – All partners must take responsibility for their role in service provision.
• Risk Enablement – The service will recognise that people have the right to make choices and take informed risks. Staff will work with the person and relevant partners to understand, assess, reduce and review risks without unnecessarily restricting the person’s independence, choice or control.

5. Implementing Effective Partnership Working

5.1 Establishing Partnerships

{{org_field_name}} actively seeks to establish and maintain relationships with relevant agencies and professionals. This involves:

• Identifying Key Partners – Mapping out organisations and professionals relevant to the care and support of our service users.
• Key partners will be identified in relation to each person’s assessed needs, wishes, personal outcomes, risks, communication needs, health needs, safeguarding needs, carer arrangements and any legal decision-making arrangements. The person’s personal plan will record who is involved, why they are involved, what information may be shared, and any agreed communication arrangements.
• Formal Agreements – Establishing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) or Service Level Agreements (SLAs) where necessary.
• Regular Multi-Agency Meetings – Engaging in professional forums, safeguarding boards, and partnership networks.
• Designating Liaison Officers – Assigning staff members as key contacts for external agencies.
• The Registered Manager, or a delegated senior member of staff, will ensure that partnership arrangements are current, effective and clearly recorded. Staff must know who to contact for routine matters, urgent concerns, safeguarding concerns, out-of-hours issues and professional escalation.

5.2 Communication, Consent and Information Sharing

Clear, respectful, accurate and timely communication is essential to safe and effective partnership working. {{org_field_name}} will ensure that:

• Staff communicate with people we support in a way that is right for them, at their own pace and using their preferred method, language or communication support wherever possible.
• The person is told who may be involved in their care and support, what information may be shared, why it may be shared, and how their confidentiality will be protected.
• Consent to share information is sought and recorded wherever this is required and practicable.
• Where a person may lack capacity to consent to information sharing, staff must consider the principles of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, any welfare attorney or guardian powers, the person’s present and past wishes, and the need to act in the person’s benefit using the least restrictive approach.
• Information shared with partners must be relevant, necessary, proportionate, accurate and limited to what is required for the purpose.
• Staff must use secure communication methods, such as encrypted email, secure portals, approved electronic care planning systems or agreed professional communication channels, when sharing personal or sensitive information.
• Records of partnership communications must be accurate, dated, signed or attributable, and stored in line with the organisation’s confidentiality, record keeping and data protection procedures.
• Where information is shared without consent because of adult protection, child protection, serious risk, duty of candour, legal obligation, vital interests or prevention/detection of crime, the reason must be recorded clearly.
• Any suspected data breach, misdirected communication or inappropriate disclosure must be reported immediately in line with the organisation’s Data Protection and Information Governance Policy.
• Staff must not delay sharing necessary information where delay could place a person, carer, child, staff member or other person at risk of harm.

5.3 Multi-agency Records and Audit Trail

Staff must keep a clear audit trail of partnership working. Records must include, where relevant:

• the name, role, organisation and contact details of the professional or agency involved;
• the reason for contact or referral;
• the date and time of communication;
• what information was shared and the lawful basis for sharing it;
• the person’s consent or, where consent was not obtained, the reason why;
• agreed actions, responsible persons and timescales;
• any advice, recommendations or decisions received from external professionals;
• how the person and, where appropriate, their representative or carer were informed;
• any follow-up required; and
• evidence that the personal plan, risk assessment or other relevant record was updated.

Where advice is received verbally, staff must record the advice accurately and, where necessary, confirm it in writing with the professional or agency concerned.

5.4 Joint Assessments and Care Planning

To provide person-centred, rights-based and integrated care, {{org_field_name}} will collaborate with the person, their chosen or legally authorised representatives, carers where appropriate, and relevant professionals in assessment, personal planning, review and risk management:

• Initial Assessments – Ensuring that the person’s needs, wishes, choices, outcomes, strengths, risks, communication needs and relevant health and social care information are considered. Where required, multi-disciplinary input will be sought and recorded.
• Personal Plan Reviews – Ensuring that each person’s personal plan is prepared within required timescales, reviewed at least once every six months, and reviewed earlier where needs, wishes, risks, health, medication, environment, capacity, safeguarding concerns or support arrangements change. Relevant professionals, carers, representatives and advocates will be involved where appropriate and with due regard to consent and legal authority.
• Crisis Management – Working closely with emergency services and social workers to provide immediate interventions.
• Hospital Discharge Planning – Coordinating with NHS teams to facilitate smooth transitions from hospital to home care.
• Transitions and Changes in Support – Working with partners when a person starts using the service, transfers from another service, returns from hospital, experiences a change in health or ability, moves home, changes support arrangements or leaves the service.
• Professional Recommendations – Ensuring that advice from GPs, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, pharmacists, mental health professionals, social workers or other relevant professionals is considered, recorded and reflected in the personal plan and risk assessments.

5.5 Carers, Representatives and Advocacy

{{org_field_name}} recognises the important role of unpaid carers, family members, representatives and advocates in supporting people’s wellbeing, rights and outcomes. Staff must ask the person who they wish to be involved in their care and support and record this in the personal plan.

Where the person agrees, carers and representatives will be included in relevant discussions, reviews and information sharing. Where a person lacks capacity, staff will involve legally authorised welfare attorneys, welfare guardians or other relevant representatives in line with their powers and the principles of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.

Staff will signpost carers to information, advice and support, including the right to request an adult carer support plan or young carer statement where relevant.

Where a person has difficulty expressing their views, understanding information, making decisions, raising concerns or participating in reviews or safeguarding processes, staff will support access to independent advocacy where appropriate.

5.6 Capacity, Legal Authority and Decision-Making

Staff must presume that adults have capacity to make their own decisions unless there is evidence to the contrary. Where there are concerns about a person’s capacity to make a specific decision, staff must seek appropriate guidance from the Registered Manager and relevant professionals.

Where a person has a welfare attorney, welfare guardian, intervention order, financial guardian, Department for Work and Pensions appointee or other legal arrangement, staff must record the details, obtain evidence of the authority where appropriate, and understand the scope and limits of that person’s powers.

Any decision made on behalf of an adult who lacks capacity must benefit the adult, take account of the adult’s present and past wishes and feelings, involve relevant others where appropriate, and use the least restrictive option.

Partnership working must not exclude the person. Even where a legal proxy is involved, the person must be supported to participate as much as possible using their preferred communication method.

5.7 Adult Support and Protection, Child Protection and Risk Management

Multi-agency working is essential to protect adults and children from harm while respecting rights, choice, autonomy and lawful decision-making. {{org_field_name}} will:

• follow local Adult Support and Protection and Child Protection procedures;
• report adult protection concerns promptly to the relevant local authority social work / Adult Support and Protection route where an adult may be at risk of harm;
• report child protection concerns promptly in line with local child protection procedures where a child may be at risk of harm or affected by the care and support arrangements in the household;
• contact emergency services immediately where there is immediate danger, urgent medical need, crime in progress or serious risk to life or safety;
• share relevant and proportionate information with statutory agencies where required to prevent, detect or respond to harm, abuse, neglect, exploitation or serious risk;
• participate in adult protection inquiries, case conferences, protection planning meetings, child protection meetings and other multi-agency safeguarding processes where required;
• ensure that personal plans and risk assessments are updated following safeguarding concerns, incidents, professional advice, protection plans or changes in risk;
• notify the Care Inspectorate of reportable incidents in accordance with current notification guidance;
• consider whether a referral to the SSSC, Disclosure Scotland, the police, local authority or other relevant body is required where a worker’s conduct, fitness to practise or suitability may be impaired; and
• ensure staff are trained to recognise and respond to signs of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, exploitation, financial harm, domestic abuse, psychological harm, discriminatory harm, sexual harm, physical harm and organisational harm.

Staff must not investigate safeguarding concerns themselves beyond taking immediate protective action, recording factual information and reporting concerns through the correct channels.

5.8 Duty of Candour, Harm and Learning

Where an unintended or unexpected incident occurs during the provision of care or support and results in death or harm, or could result in harm as defined by the organisational duty of candour legislation, {{org_field_name}} will follow its Duty of Candour Policy and Procedure.

This includes:

• identifying whether the duty of candour procedure is triggered;
• notifying the person affected and/or their relevant representative;
• offering a meaningful apology;
• reviewing what happened;
• involving relevant professionals and agencies where required;
• providing support to the person, their family and staff;
• identifying learning and improvement actions;
• keeping accurate records; and
• reporting externally where required.

Partnership working must support openness, transparency, learning and improvement, and must not be used to avoid organisational accountability.

5.9 Joint Training and Development

To strengthen partnership working, {{org_field_name}} actively engages in shared learning initiatives with other agencies. This includes:

• Joint training sessions on safeguarding, infection control, dementia care, and mental health awareness.
• Workshops and networking events to improve coordination and information sharing.
• Shadowing and secondments where staff learn best practices from partner agencies.
• Regular updates on legislative and procedural changes affecting multi-agency collaboration.

Training and development relevant to partnership working will include, where appropriate to role:

• SSSC Codes of Practice, including the 2024 Codes;
• Health and Social Care Standards;
• Adult Support and Protection and Child Protection;
• information sharing, confidentiality, UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018;
• duty of candour, incident reporting and Care Inspectorate notifications;
• Adults with Incapacity principles, capacity, consent and legal proxy arrangements;
• risk assessment and risk enablement;
• trauma-informed practice;
• communication support, advocacy and accessible information;
• equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights;
• working with unpaid carers and representatives; and
• multi-agency escalation, professional challenge and dispute resolution.

5.10 Professional Boundaries and Role Clarity

Staff must understand their own role and the roles of partner agencies and professionals. Staff must not undertake tasks outside their competence, training, delegated authority or the agreed care and support plan.

Where another professional gives advice or delegates a task, the Registered Manager or delegated senior staff member must ensure that the task is lawful, appropriate, risk assessed, recorded, included in the personal plan, and supported by training, competency assessment and supervision where required.

Staff must respect the expertise of other professionals while also raising concerns where advice, decisions, delays or actions may place a person at risk or conflict with the person’s rights, wishes or best interests.

5.11 Hospital Admission, Discharge and Transitions

Where a person is admitted to hospital, discharged from hospital, transferred between services, begins reablement or experiences a significant change in support, {{org_field_name}} will work with relevant partners to promote safe, coordinated and person-centred transitions.

Staff will share relevant information lawfully and proportionately, including information about the person’s communication needs, medication support, mobility, risks, equipment, nutrition, pressure area care, cognition, mental health, personal outcomes, carers, legal representatives and any safeguarding concerns.

Following discharge or transition, the personal plan and risk assessments must be reviewed and updated to reflect any changes in needs, professional advice, medication, equipment, moving and assisting requirements, visit times, staffing requirements or contingency arrangements.

5.12 Medication and Pharmacy Partnership Working

Where {{org_field_name}} supports a person with medication, partnership working with GPs, community pharmacies, district nurses, prescribers and other relevant professionals must be clear, safe and recorded.

Staff must escalate medication concerns promptly, including missed medication, medication errors, adverse effects, changes in medication, unclear instructions, refusal, swallowing difficulties, storage concerns, or discrepancies between medication administration records and supplied medication.

Medication-related advice from external professionals must be recorded and reflected in the person’s medication records, personal plan and risk assessment where required. Staff must not accept or implement unclear medication instructions without clarification from an appropriate professional.

5.13 Out-of-Hours and Emergency Partnership Working

{{org_field_name}} will maintain clear arrangements for urgent and out-of-hours communication with relevant partners, including NHS 24, GP out-of-hours services, community nursing, local authority social work emergency services, emergency services, community alarm/telecare services and senior management on-call arrangements.

Staff must know how to escalate urgent concerns, including sudden deterioration in health, falls, medication concerns, suspected abuse or neglect, missing person concerns, no access visits, environmental hazards, fire risk, carer breakdown or failure of essential equipment.

All emergency or out-of-hours actions must be recorded and followed up at the earliest opportunity by the appropriate senior staff member.

6. Monitoring and Evaluating Partnership Working

To ensure that partnership working remains effective, safe, rights-based and outcome-focused, {{org_field_name}} will monitor and evaluate partnership working through:

• Quarterly partnership reviews to assess collaboration effectiveness.
• Feedback surveys from staff, external partners, and service users.
• Audits of information-sharing and joint care planning records.
• Annual reviews of formal agreements (MOUs, SLAs, and partnership contracts).
• audits of personal plans to confirm that partner involvement, professional advice, reviews and agreed actions are recorded and followed up;
• audits of safeguarding referrals, adult support and protection activity, child protection activity and related outcomes;
• review of incidents, accidents, complaints, concerns, missed visits, medication issues, hospital admissions and duty of candour events to identify partnership learning;
• checks that Care Inspectorate notifications and other external reports have been submitted where required;
• review of feedback from people we support, carers, representatives, advocates, staff and partner agencies;
• review of delays, communication failures, professional disagreements and escalation outcomes;
• evidence that learning from partnership working is shared through supervision, team meetings, training and policy review.

The Registered Manager is responsible for ensuring that partnership working is reviewed as part of the service’s quality assurance and self-evaluation arrangements. Findings must be used to improve practice, update risk assessments and personal plans, and strengthen working relationships with relevant partners.

7. Resolving Disputes, Escalation and Professional Challenge

{{org_field_name}} will work constructively with partner agencies and professionals. However, where there is disagreement, delay, unclear responsibility, conflicting advice or concern that a person’s rights, safety, wellbeing or outcomes may be affected, staff must escalate the matter promptly.

The following process will be followed:

Stage 1 – Clarification: Staff will seek clarification from the professional or agency involved and record the discussion, advice and agreed actions.

Stage 2 – Senior Review: If the matter remains unresolved, staff must escalate to the Registered Manager or delegated senior manager, who will review the concern, relevant records, risks and required actions.

Stage 3 – Professional Escalation: The Registered Manager or delegated senior manager will contact the appropriate senior person in the partner agency, commissioning team, Health and Social Care Partnership, local authority, NHS service or safeguarding route.

Stage 4 – Safeguarding or Regulatory Escalation: Where the concern relates to harm, abuse, neglect, exploitation, serious risk, unsafe practice, fitness to practise, a reportable incident or failure to act, the service will escalate to the relevant statutory, safeguarding, regulatory or professional body without delay. This may include the local authority Adult Support and Protection team, child protection route, Care Inspectorate, SSSC, Disclosure Scotland, Police Scotland or other relevant body.

Stage 5 – Formal Complaint or Contract Escalation: Where the matter remains unresolved and affects service quality, safety, contractual requirements or outcomes for people, the service will use formal complaint, contract monitoring or dispute resolution procedures.

Staff must not allow professional disagreement to delay urgent action needed to protect a person from harm, obtain medical support or meet essential care and support needs. All escalation must be recorded, including the concern, actions taken, people contacted, advice received, decisions made and follow-up required.

8. Related Policies

This policy should be read alongside:

• Adult Support and Protection Policy
• Child Protection Policy, where applicable
• Safeguarding Adults and Children Policy
• Confidentiality, Data Protection and Information Governance Policy
• Records Management and Record Keeping Policy
• Person-Centred Care and Support Planning Policy
• Personal Plan Review Policy
• Risk Assessment and Risk Enablement Policy
• Medication Policy
• Incident, Accident and Near Miss Reporting Policy
• Care Inspectorate Notification Policy
• Duty of Candour Policy
• Complaints Policy
• Whistleblowing Policy
• Staff Supervision and Learning and Development Policy
• Recruitment, Safer Recruitment and PVG Policy
• Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Policy
• Adults with Incapacity / Capacity and Consent Policy
• Carers and Advocacy Policy
• Business Continuity and Emergency Planning Policy
• Lone Working and Health and Safety Policy

9. Staff Responsibilities

All staff are responsible for working in partnership in a professional, respectful, lawful and person-centred way. Staff must:

• understand and follow this policy and related procedures;
• communicate respectfully and accurately with people, carers, colleagues and partner agencies;
• seek consent and follow information-sharing procedures;
• record partnership communications accurately;
• escalate concerns promptly;
• report safeguarding concerns without delay;
• follow professional advice only where it is clear, lawful, within the agreed plan and within their competence;
• inform a senior member of staff where there is disagreement, delay, risk or uncertainty;
• update personal plans and risk assessments where partnership working identifies changes;
• maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries; and
• work in line with the SSSC Codes of Practice and the Health and Social Care Standards.

Failure to follow this policy may result in supervision, retraining, disciplinary action, referral to the SSSC or other appropriate action, depending on the seriousness of the matter.

10. Registered Manager Responsibilities

The Registered Manager is responsible for ensuring that effective partnership working arrangements are in place and that staff understand how to work with other agencies and professionals. This includes ensuring:

• partnership working supports people’s personal outcomes, safety, rights and wellbeing;
• staff receive appropriate training, guidance and supervision;
• personal plans and risk assessments reflect relevant professional advice and multi-agency decisions;
• safeguarding referrals, Care Inspectorate notifications, duty of candour procedures and other external reports are completed where required;
• concerns about staff conduct, fitness to practise or suitability are escalated appropriately;
• information sharing is lawful, proportionate and recorded;
• partnership working is audited and evaluated; and
• learning from incidents, complaints, inspections and partner feedback is used to improve the service.

11. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if there are changes in Scottish legislation, Care Inspectorate guidance, SSSC Codes of Practice, Health and Social Care Standards, local Adult Support and Protection or Child Protection procedures, commissioning requirements, organisational structure, service registration, or following significant incidents, complaints, duty of candour events, safeguarding concerns, inspection findings or quality assurance findings. Any amendments will be communicated to staff and, where relevant, to partner agencies and people using the service.

---

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}}{{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.