Agenda and minutes

The Minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2012 were noted, having been previously approved at the Regulation Committee meeting on 15 May 2012. 

(1)       The Learning Disability and Mental Health Officer reported that the Officer Working Party had met 6 times over the previous year to oversee the cases of every service user on the Guardianship Register and advise Approved Mental Health Professionals in relation to grounds for renewal of Guardianship Orders.  This Working Party consisted of three officers from KCC Families and Social Care and two co-opted independent members. 

(2)       The Learning Disability and Mental Health Office said that there had been 48 names on the Guardianship Register in 2009 and that this figure had now been reduced to 9 (including the closing of 4 cases since the papers had been published.)

(3)       The Learning Disability and Mental Health Officer said that it was the Administration Officer’s role to both keep the Guardianship Register and to provide the Department of Health with precise data on those subject to Guardianship on an annual basis.

(4)       The Learning Disability and Mental Health Officer reported that the Officer Working Party had ensured that a proper audit trail was followed whenever Guardianship was invoked. This encouraged best practice and ensured that a positive decision was taken to remove an individual from the register rather than simply allowing the order to lapse.  Each order had to be reviewed every six months over the first year and every twelve months after that.

(5)       The Practice Support Manager was reviewing the Information Leaflet for service users, nearest relatives and carers to improve clarity and develop understanding. 

(6)       The Learning Disability and Mental Health officer concluded her presentation by saying that robust processes were in place for the review and quality assurance of all aspects of Guardianship Orders.  She anticipated that these processes would continue to improve.

(7)       RESOLVED that the content of the report be noted together with the lists of closed cases since January 2012 and the current guardianship register set out in the Appendices to the report.