Firstly, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year for 2020. It’s amazing how quickly time passes and its hard to believe that we’re at the start of a new year again. This is often a time for reflection as well as giving us an opportunity to look forward.
I would like to begin this year by remembering that in its broadest terms, ‘Safeguarding’ is everyone’s business and revisiting the basics of safeguarding adults
Adult abuse can happen to anyone, anywhere, and the responsibility for dealing with it lies with us all, as members of the public or volunteers and professionals.
The Care Act 2014 statutory guidance defines adult safeguarding as:
‘Protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action.
A local authority must act when it has ‘reasonable cause to suspect that an adult in its area (whether or not ordinarily resident there):
- has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs),
- is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
- as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.’
So, safeguarding is for people who, because of issues such as dementia, physical or learning disability, mental ill-health, or substance abuse, have care and support needs that may make them more at risk to abuse or neglect.
The first priority should always be to ensure the safety and protection of the adult at risk.
All staff and volunteers from any service or setting should know about the Care Act 2014 which give us the legislative framework to respond to abuse, neglect & exploitation
All staff and volunteers have a duty to act in a timely manner if they have a concern or suspicion that an adult at risk is being abused, neglected or exploited and a duty to ensure that the situation is assessed and reported appropriately.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON TRAINING YOUR STAFF ABOUT SAFEGUARDING ADULTS AND THE CARE ACT 2014, PLEASE CONTACT US
With best wishes to all for a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2020
Kind Regards
Helen
Safeguarding Adults Training 
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