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19-25 Great Victoria Street
Belfast BT2 7AQ
Web: www.niscc.info
In general adults needing care or services are provided for under the terms of the Health and Personal Social Services (NI) Orders 1972, 1991 and 1994, the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (NI) Act 1978, the Disabled Persons (NI) Act 1989 and the Mental Health (NI) Order 1986. These pieces of legislation provide for the assessment of need, and the duties to provide or secure provision of personal social services, to promote the welfare of the people of the North of Ireland and to make available advice, guidance and assistance to the extent considered necessary.
The Carers and Direct Payments Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 gives Trusts the power to make Direct Payments for personal social services to carers, disabled parents, parents of children with a disability and 16/17 year old carers assessed for services under the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995.
Vulnerable adults are also protected, as any other person, by criminal law legislation. Thus if a person commits theft, rape or assault against a vulnerable adult, they will be dealt with by the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1923, the Offences Against the Persons Act 1861, the Police and Criminal Evidence (NI) Order 1989 and/or the Sexual Offences (NI) Order 1978.
The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority is an independent body, established by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, on 1 April 2005. It has overall responsibility for monitoring and inspecting the availability and quality of health and social care services in Northern Ireland and encouraging improvements in the quality of those services.
The Authority has two main functions. Firstly, it will inspect the quality of health and social care services provided by Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS) bodies in Northern Ireland. These inspections will take the form of reviews of clinical and social care governance arrangements within these bodies. Secondly, the Authority will regulate (register and inspect) a wide range of health and social care services delivered by HPSS bodies and by the independent sector. The regulation of services will be based on minimum care standards which will be introduced for Northern Ireland by the DHSSPS. These will ensure that service users know what quality of services they can expect to receive and service providers have a benchmark against which to measure the quality of their services.
Each Board has developed policies and procedures for the protection of vulnerable adults from the risk of abuse.
The education of children is provided for in the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986, which also contains provisions for education supervision orders. The Special Educational Needs and Disability (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 introduced measures to improve the educational opportunities of children and young people with a disability or special educational needs.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 applies to the North of Ireland and supersedes the Data Protection Act 1998. Earlier legislation in the area of access to personal information held by public bodies include the Access to Personal Files and Medical Reports (NI) Order 1991, the Access to Health Records (NI) Order 1993 and the Access to Health Records Act 1990.
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