What is the purpose of the Creative Solutions Panel?

The Creative Solutions Panel was set up by the Islington Safeguarding Adults Board in response to learning from serious case reviews. Practitioners had reported feeling ‘stuck’ with some of their more difficult cases and felt there was no clear pathway for escalating complex highest risk cases.  This was particularly so for cases where the person not compliant with traditional service delivery and not responding well to standard interventions. On review, it was felt that these cases would have benefited from multi-agency creative thinking to devise potentially innovative and creative approaches to mitigate the risks.

The Creative Solutions Panel aims to move away from paternalistic protections towards creative solutions for people.

What kind of cases can be referred to the Creative Solutions Panel?

The Panel is not intended to replace ‘business as usual’ social work, healthcare or public protection interventions but is reserved for cases with high complexity and high risk where a single agency approach is not adequate to meet need, and where the usual options have already been explored. 

Any case of an adult over eighteen who meets the criteria of a complex presentation and cannot be managed with a single agency response or standard multi-agency response can be presented at the panel. The case must have

• already been presented to a relevant first level multi-agency panel such as hoarding panel, MARAC, community MARAC, INC or other such forum/panel
• (if appropriate) already been through a standard Section 42 safeguarding enquiry
• a senior manager in the escalating agency who agrees the case needs strategic multi-agency involvement to authorise a ‘creative solution’.

The creative solutions panel is designed to be the multi-agency panel of last resort – all other avenues need to have been exhausted before being brought to the Panel. However, this does not necessarily mean that agencies need to wait a long time before escalating a case to the Creative Solutions Panel. If alternative processes are unsuccessful in resolving rising risk within safe timescales, then the case can be referred to the Creative Solutions Panel.

Who can refer a case to the Creative Solutions Panel?

Any professional can refer a case for consideration.  

How do I refer a case to the Creative Solutions Panel?

Ask for a referral form from safeguardingadults@islington.gov.uk