SAFEGUARDING VULNERABLE ADULTS

Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Policy

Policy Aim

Ultimately, effective safeguarding of adults can only be achieved by ensuring people are at the centre of the system, and by making sure every individual is working together to meet the needs of the adult at risk.

Our aim is to raise public awareness so that staff work in line with the care act 2014 to ensure that people are not harmed. We will not tolerate the abuse or neglect of adults in any of its forms and we are committed to safeguarding adults with care and support needs.

The focus of the policy is to make certain that safeguarding is made personal. This policy outlines the steps that Driving 2ition will take to safeguard an adult if they are deemed to be at risk. This policy sets out the roles and responsibilities of staff in working together with other professionals and agencies in promoting the adult’s welfare and safeguarding them from abuse and neglect. The policy raises public awareness so that our instructors are able to prevent, identify and responding to abuse and neglect.

Decisions made will allow adults to make their own choices and include them in any decision making. We will also ensure that safe and effective working practices are in place.

This policy is intended for staff working at Driving 2ition to understand their role and responsibilities in safeguarding adults. All staff are expected to follow this policy.

The key objectives of this policy are for all employees to:

have an overview of adult safeguarding
be clear about their responsibility to safeguard adults
ensure the necessary actions are taken where an adult with care and support needs is

deemed to be at risk

This policy is based on:

- The Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support statutory guidance

- Under the Human Rights Act 1998, everyone has the right to live free from abuse and

neglect. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights/human-rights-act

What is safeguarding adults?

‘Safeguarding means 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. This must recognise that adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear or unrealistic about their personal circumstances.’

Care and Support Statutory Guidance, Department of Health, updated February 2017

All adults should be able to live free from fear and harm, but some may find it hard to get the help and support they need to stop abuse.

An adult may be unable to protect themselves from harm or exploitation due to many reasons, including their mental or physical incapacity, sensory loss or physical or learning disabilities. This could be an adult who is usually able to protect themselves from harm but maybe unable to do so because of an accident, disability, frailty, addiction or illness.

We will adhere to following the six key principles that underpin safeguarding work (See Care Act guidance):-

Empowerment
Prevention
Proportionality
Protection
Partnership
Accountability

Driving 2ition will not tolerate the abuse of adults in staff and volunteers should ensure that their work reflects the principles above and ensure the adult with care and support needs is involved in their decisions and informed consent is obtained.

Driving 2ition should ensure that the safeguarding action agreed is the least intrusive response to the risk.

Driving 2ition should be transparent and accountable in delivering safeguarding actions.

Types of abuse

There are different types of categories of abuse and neglect.

Abuse includes: Physical, sexual and psychological abuse.

Physical abuse - includes attacking, hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, restraint.

Sexual abuse – includes any sexual acts to which the adult has not consented to or was pressured into consenting and sexual assault and rape.

Psychological abuse – includes intimidation of harm or abandonment emotional abuse, lack of contact, humiliation, blaming, domineering, intimidation, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse, and isolation.

Modern Slavery – including human trafficking.

Financial abuse – includes stealing, fraud, exploitation, manipulating affairs in relation to an adult’s financial dealings or arrangements, including associations to will, property, inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.

Neglect and acts of omission – include having disregard for medical or physical care needs, failure to provide access to suitable health, care and support or educational services, the withholding of the provisions of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating.

Self-Neglect –includes a range of behaviour such as neglecting one’s personal hygiene, care, health or surrounding.

Domestic Violence – includes any act of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between two adults who are or have been in a relationship together or between family members, despite of gender or sexuality. Domestic violence includes hitting, slapping and beating, controlling behaviour as well as emotional abuse including forced marriages and so-called “honour crimes”.

What is Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP)?

MSP means a case should be person-led and outcome-focused. Therefore, the individual should be involved in identifying how best to respond to their safeguarding situation. By doing so, allows

them to make a choice and have control of the matter as well as improving quality of life, wellbeing and safety.

Driving 2ition will not tolerate the abuse of adults; and will ensure that adults are involved in their safeguarding arrangements. All safeguarding concerns will be dealt with on an individual basis. As adults may have different preferences, histories and lifestyles, the same process may not work for all.

Who do adult safeguarding duties apply to?

The Care Act 2014 sets out adult safeguarding duties that apply to any adult who has care and support needs, and is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse and neglect, and is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect, because of those needs.

Who do I go to if I am concerned?

The named responsible person for safeguarding duties at Driving 2ition is Simon Harbidge. The safeguarding lead is responsible for notifying the safeguarding team for further actions.

The safeguarding lead will also ensure that the safeguarding adults’ policies and procedures are in place and up to date.

The safeguarding lead will ensure they are up to date with their safeguarding adults training.

What should I do if I am concerned?

Once a safeguarding concern has been identified, the referrer should:

Respond

Always make sure the individual is safe. Consider the situations i.e. are emergency services required? If emergency action is required, and the person is at immediate risk of harm or in need of urgent medical attention, dial 999 for emergency services

Report

1. Get brief details about what has happened find out what the person’s views and wishes are about reporting the safeguarding issue. Seek consent from the adult to act and to report the concern.

2. Retain any evidence relating to the safeguarding concern

3. Report the incidents/risks

4. Inform the person that you are required to share the information to (safeguarding lead/local authority)

Record

1. Information should be recorded on the safeguarding referral form; this will be sent to the local authority safeguarding team.

2. As far as possible, records should be written contemporaneously, dated and signed.

3. Keep records about safeguarding concerns confidential and in a location where the alleged abuser will not have access to the record. Access should not be given to any unauthorised personal for accessing confidential information including the sharing of passwords.

4. In making a decision whether to refer or not, the designated safeguarding lead should take into account:

(1) the adult’s wishes and preferred outcome

(2) whether the adult has mental capacity to make an informed decision about their own and others’ safety

(3) the safety or wellbeing of children or other adults with care and support needs

(4) whether there is a person in a position of trust involved

(5) Whether a crime has been committed.

(6) The designated safeguarding lead should keep a record of the reasons for referring the concern or reasons for not referring.

What are your roles and responsibilities?

All staff at Driving 2ition are expected to report any concerns to the named person for safeguarding, Simon Harbidge.

An alerter is the person who raises a safeguarding concern within their own provider, should this happen they must follow their own policy and procedures

If the allegation is against Driving 2ition, seek advice from the Local authority safeguarding team.

The local authority will decide on who will lead on a safeguarding enquiry should it progress to that stage. We will not conduct our own safeguarding enquiry unless instructed to do so by the local authority.

Confidentiality and information sharing

Driving 2ition expects all staff to maintain confidentiality at all times this is in line with Data Protection law, Driving 2ition does not share information if not required.

It should however be noted that information should be shared with authorities if an adult is deemed to be at risk of immediate harm. Sharing the right information, at the right time, with the right people can make all the difference to preventing harm.

In serious cases it is important to keep in mind that a lack of information sharing can be detrimental to others such as the public, police investigation and implications for regulated service. Information should be shared with consent wherever possible but a person’s right to confidentiality is not absolute and can be superseded where there is evidence that sharing information is necessary to support an investigation or there is risk to others.

Recruitment and selection

Driving 2ition is committed to safe employment. Safe recruitment practices, such as Disclosure and Barring checks reduce the risk of exposing adults with care and support needs to people unsuitable to work with them.

Training, raising awareness and supervision

Staff will be trained in adult safeguarding in anticipation of coming across adults with care and support needs that may be at risk of abuse.

The safeguarding lead will be responsible for ensuring safeguarding training is up to date.

Therefore, it is essential staff are well versed on safeguarding should they need to raise a safeguarding concern. Knowledge and awareness of what constitutes a safeguard is essential to staff identifying abuse.

Prevent

Radicalisation and extremism of adults with care and support needs is a form of emotional/psychological exploitation. Radicalisation can take place through direct personal contact, or indirectly through social media.

If staff are concerned that an adult with care and support needs is at risk of being radicalised and drawn into terrorism, they should treat it in the same way as any other safeguarding concern. For

more information about Prevent see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance

Useful contacts

To raise concerns about an adult living in Staffordshire:

Call 0345 604 2719

To raise concerns about an adult living in Stoke:

Call 0800 561 0015

social.care@stoke.gov.uk

References

1. Adult Safeguarding: Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff – Intercollegiate Document, first edition August 2018, RCN

2. https://www.england.nhs.uk/safeguarding

3. Care act- http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/23/contents/enacted

4. Carer and support statutory guidance