To make a referral Email referrals@childandfamilysocialcare.com Mobile 07379 996 293
To make a referral Email referrals@childandfamilysocialcare.com Mobile 07379 996 293
This policy sets out the key elements and overarching principles of Child and Family Residential Services commitment to adult safeguarding.
Safeguarding is a term used to describe a range of activities aimed at ensuring that children and adults who need care and support are not abused.
Child and Family Residential Services safeguarding encompasses everything we do to protect adults who need care and support.
Safeguarding is a fundamental part of Child and Family Residential Services work and this commitment is reflected in our mission of making the residential service a great place to live, we want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to make the most of their life, whatever their circumstances, wants and needs.
Our delivery of this will be guided by three key objectives:
1. To provide emergency, short term and long term placements for care leavers and young adults.
2. To support care leavers and young adults with complex mental health, drugs or alcohol misuse.
3. To support care leavers and young adults that have experienced sexual or criminal exploitation.
4. To provide specialist support for single parents with one child who have experienced domestic abuse.
5. This policy and procedure covers care leavers and young adults, all staff and volunteers in all areas of work.
We recognise that we have responsibilities under the Care Act 2014 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Under the Care Act we must be familiar with the local multi-agency policy and procedures and have internal procedures to direct staff on what to do if they encounter abuse.
All staff and volunteers working in Child and Family Residential Services who have contact with adults who could be at risk of abuse or neglect have a duty to act if they have any concern that an adult is being abused, neglected or exploited.
Child and Family Residential Services recognises that it is the right of adults who have mental capacity to make their own choices, irrespective of how unwise we may consider certain decisions to be.
Child and Family Residential Services adopts the Mental Capacity Act 2005 presumption of mental capacity, unless a person’s apparent comprehension of a situation gives rise to doubt. We the right of people to make their own decisions.
The mental capacity of the adult concerned to consent to information being shared is a key element in considering any onward disclosure to another agency. This is important in helping us to take appropriate and proportionate action in response to a concern.
There are 2 main elements in Child and Family Residential Services safeguarding work:
1. Prevention: We will put sensible measures in place to prevent abuse, including the use of safe recruitment practices, promoting safe working environments and raising awareness of safeguarding.
2. Protection: We will provide policy, procedures, information and training to enable all Child and Family Residential Services staff and volunteers to identify and respond appropriately to concerns about abuse that may be affecting an adult who needs care and support.
Where there are reasonable doubts about the ability of the person raising concerns to obtain the right support for themselves or others, or where allegations concerning Child and Family Residential Services or volunteers are raised, more complex responses may be required.
Detailed information on how all safeguarding issues should be managed within Child and Family Residential Services can be found in the Child and Family Residential Services Adult Safeguarding Guidance & Procedures.
Every individual working for Child and Family Residential Services, irrespective of their role, has a part to play in safeguarding adults who need care and support from abuse.
All staff will undertake relevant training and must familiarise themselves with our Safeguarding Policy, Guidance and Procedures.
The staff and volunteers have a duty of care to the residents, which includes taking the necessary steps to safeguard those at risk from abuse and managing risk. Safeguarding is included in the strategic plans, risk assessments, communications and quality assurance processes of Child and Family Residential Services. In some cases the team will be required to make decisions in relation to complex or serious safeguarding concerns, in consultation with the Chief Executive.
The Senior Management Team will receive and scrutinise reports on safeguarding activity via the Designated Persons for Safeguarding.
Senior managers will ensure that staff members are trained to recognise signs of abuse and they should promote the discussion of safeguarding at team meetings and as part of supervision or one to one meetings.
Breaches of Policy
Failure to comply with the Child and Family Residential Services safeguarding policy may be managed in a number of ways, depending on the nature and consequences of any incident. In some cases a combination of responses may be required.
Disciplinary process: Where there are concerns regarding staff misconduct or competence.
Local Authority coordinated safeguarding investigation: Where concerns about the actions or inactions of a member of staff or volunteer necessitate referral to the adult safeguarding team in the area where the abuse is alleged to have taken place. This may also result in referral to Disclosure & Barring Service
Police led investigation: Where the actions or inactions of a member of staff or volunteer appear to be criminal in nature.
Additional or repeat training: Where the concern does not meet the threshold for the processes outlined above, but does indicate a need for further development of safeguarding competence.
This document does not refer specifically to adults as ‘vulnerable’. It refers instead to adults who need care and support, who may be at risk of abuse. This is the wording used in the Care Act and is the common form of terminology in adult safeguarding practice. It also highlights the fact that a person’s needs for care and support should not, in a civilised society cause them to be inherently vulnerable.
There is no single, universally accepted, definition of abuse in relation to adults who need care and support. However abuse is a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action which occurs in any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which may result in significant harm to, or exploitation of, the person subjected to it which causes harm or distress to an adult who needs care and support.
There are many different types of abuse. It may be physical, verbal or psychological, sexual, financial or domestic. It may be neglect, discrimination or institutional or modern slavery.
Date implemented: May 2022
Date to be reviewed: May 2024
Approved by: Child and Family Residential Services
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