Safeguarding policy
Our policy on safeguarding.
We recognise that in a number of situations, we may come across adults and young people that require safeguarding. This could be customers, employees, or people we engage with either in a paid or unpaid capacity.
We don't engage in any regular activity with adults who have care and support needs or young people who are regulated by domestic safeguarding legislation. From time to time we may engage with young people (defined as individuals under the age of 18) and adults at risk who bring complaints about financial businesses to us. We take our obligation to act appropriately to any allegations, reports or suspicions of abuse seriously and won't tolerate abuse in any of its forms.
All adults and young people should be able to live free from fear and harm. And under the Human Rights Act 1998, everyone has the right to live free from abuse and neglect. 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 may be unable to do so because of an accident, disability, frailty, addiction or illness. It's important to have policy and procedures in place so that we can help prevent abuse and know what to do if we are concerned about someone's safety. We are committed to working to:
- stop abuse or neglect wherever possible;
- promote the wellbeing of the adult(s) with care and support needs and/or young person/people in safeguarding arrangements;
- safeguard adults and young people in a way that supports them in making choices and having control about how they want to live;
- promote an approach that concentrates on improving life for the adults and young people concerned;
- raise awareness of safeguarding adults and young people to ensure that everyone can play their part in preventing, identifying and responding to abuse and neglect;
- increase understanding and raise the awareness of employees within the service of risks relating to safeguarding;
- provide information and support in accessible ways to help people understand the different types of abuse, how to stay safe and what to do to raise a concern about the safety or wellbeing of an adult and young person; and
- ensure safeguarding concerns are addressed promptly and through the appropriate channels.
This policy is based on The Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support statutory guidance and London Safeguarding Adults policy and associated procedures.
Definition of young person at risk
A young person at risk is any individual aged under 18.
Definition of adults at risk
An adult at risk is defined as any individual aged over 18 who:
- has needs for care and support and;
- is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
- as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect.
Types of abuse and neglect include physical abuse, domestic abuse sexual abuse, psychological/ emotional abuse, radicalisation, financial/material abuse, neglect, discriminatory abuse, organisational/ institutional abuse, and, self-neglect/self-abuse. Abuse may be carried out deliberately or unknowingly and may be a single act or repeated acts.
Safeguarding leads
The organisation will always have named safeguarding leads who are responsible for making decisions about notifying adult social services if required and considering alternative actions, where necessary.
The safeguarding leads are responsible for the safeguarding policies and procedures being followed correctly and that a safe environment is promoted for employees and consumers. The safeguarding leads will ensure they are up to date with their safeguarding training.
Recording and managing confidential information
We're committed to maintaining confidentiality wherever possible and information around safeguarding issues will only be shared with those who need to know. The information that is recorded will be kept secure and will comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). For further information, please see our confidential information and data protection policy.
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. You can go to SCIE for further guidance on information sharing information and safeguarding.
Process
We recognise our duty to act on reports, or suspicions of abuse or neglect. If one of our employees witnesses or receives a disclosure of abuse we will respond by:
- reassuring and listening to the person concerned
- recording what we've been told/have witnessed as soon as possible
- tell them that the information will be treated seriously
- inform the safeguarding lead
We also need to:
- call an ambulance or arrange a welfare visit if required
- call the Police if we think a crime has been committed
- locate the local social services team for the area the individual lives in and make a referral
- for young people refer to the NSPCC
The safeguarding process will be explained to the person concerned and all relevant support will be offered.
