Outside usual office hours, reports can be made to the social services out of hours service emergency duty team (EDT) or to the police.
All reports made to social services must be communicated by the out of hours staff (in writing and if possible also orally) to the relevant social services team the following day, together with the action taken.
In receiving the out of office hours report, the social worker or police officer must:
- be alert to any indications of immediate risk to the adult at risk, other adults at risk or children and must be prepared to take urgent action to ensure their safety. This may include medical attention
- make a joint decision as to what action, if any, is necessary to secure the immediate safety of the adult at risk. This should include a strategy discussion that records the agreed actions and the person responsible for carrying them out. The strategy discussion out of hours may need to be undertaken by the emergency duty team social worker and a senior police officer. The practitioners should complete the relevant documentation in accordance with local protocols.
- The emergency duty team social worker should check for information on the adult at risk held by the local authority social services and make any other checks possible out of hours but recognise these may be limited.
Being unable to make other checks should not prevent taking any necessary action to safeguard the adult at risk.
Arrangements should be in place for social workers to access legal advice out of hours.