Safeguarding: Reasons for Vulnerability and Impact of Social and Cultural Factors

This report discusses the reasons for vulnerability of certain groups and the impact of social and cultural factors on abuse and harm. It also reviews the strengths and weaknesses of different legislations and policies in safeguarding individuals. The report highlights the importance of awareness, social support, and physical and financial stability in preventing abuse and harm. It also emphasizes the role of society and culture in contributing to abuse and harm, and the involvement of professionals in safeguarding individuals.

Safeguarding
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INTRODUCTION
Strides taken for protecting individuals' health, well being and rights from different types
of vulnerabilities is safeguarding. It is a mutual responsibility of every person to safeguard
defenceless people from all sorts of harm and abuse. Activities like rape, domestic violence,
human trafficking, discrimination on various basis, etc. are considered abuse. A good
understanding about certain basic legislations and protective acts is essential for defending
oneself in harmful situations. From this report a person can gather knowledge about factors
which contribute to abuse and harm that can be caused by self or others. Various scenarios will
be considered for getting a perception about current legislations, policies and professional
involvement in abuse regarding health and social care. A brief discussion is also provided as a
glance in the practises and strategies used for minimising these abuse. UK government and
many non voluntary organisations have been looking after safeguarding people from harms and
abuse of all kinds.
TASK 1A
P1.1 Reasons for vulnerability of certain groups
Particular individuals such as Mrs. JK are more vulnerable to abuse and harm to self and
others because of internal factors. People with healthy mind and body have better
understanding of their actions. Tendency of harming or abusing others decreases in their case
while physically ill or mentally unhealthy people are more prone to such activities. During the
state of illness or disability if a person's individual rights are violated, aggression, depression
and self harming acts are common. Abuse is this misuse of unhealthy state of a person ( Task
and et. al., 2013). Following factors contribute to increasing vulnerability for abuse and harm to
self and others:
1. Physical Unhealthiness: Considering the case of Mrs. JK. She was suffering from
depression, diabetes and blood pressure problems. All of three problems disturb
individual emotionally and physically. One cannot concentrate effectively on doing
everyday tasks. The lady was 71 years old, her old age makes her tender, weak and
more exposed to mood swings. In such a crucial situation, she doesn't have a family
person who can take care of her and help her in coping with her disabilities. This
increases anxiety levels and person cannot come out of depression.
2. Less knowledge and general awareness: It is significant that if a person is falling prey
to abuse and harm from other people then, he/she is not aware about possible options
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that can be utilised for coping with situation. Hence, knowledge and awareness is
essential. Mrs. JK when started attending day care centre realised the need for filing a
complaint against her son who used to physically assault her and make her spastic
financially. This indicates the importance of awareness. If she would never have
attended social services help, her situation would have gotten worse and could even
lead to her death. People must be in touch with all government and non voluntary
organisations that are muddled in health and social care services (McKenna, Day and
Munro, 2012).
3. Loneliness: Happiness is the only cure for all diseases. Companionship and family are
major sources for happiness and satisfaction. A person will be able to cure himself better
with support from family and friends. Often situations like drug addiction and depression
make a person isolated from society. It is moral responsibility of community and near by
people to help him/her get endurance for fighting such difficult times. In case of Mrs. JK,
her vulnerability increased because she did not have any support from family and
friends. It was the day care centre which helped in sending appropriate cooperation.
Above discussed factors are major contributors to increasing abuse and harm situations
of a person. Vulnerabilities can be handled with care and affection provided to victims and
patients so that they can also perceive a vision for a healthy and safe life (Stefano, Davis and
Corsane, 2014). Government and non voluntary organisations can provide aids in such
situations.
P1.2 Review of risk factors
Basic principle of safeguarding includes preventing risk from any sort of harms and
abuses. Exploitation, physical, mental or emotional torture are basic abuses and harm towards
an individual. Even self harm is prominent in certain situations. It is important for every individual
whether considered healthy or unhealthy to be aware about all risk factors and abuse situations.
This awareness helps in taking precautionary measures in critical situations (Richardson, Wood
and Kerr, 2013). The factors that increase risk of abuse or harm incidences are described
ahead:
1. Inability to combat with stress and depression: Depression and stress are mental
situations of an individual. A person loses his well being and liveliness in this situation.
Aggression, frustration, loss of appetite, insomnia, fatigue, etc. are certain symptoms of
depression. Susceptibility of a person for committing suicide or harming himself
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increases in such situation. Stalkers and external conditions can be cause or source of
depression. When people hurt themselves that certainly means they are not satisfied
with their lives. This situation can be dealt with support from family. Near by people are
the fist one to detect such situation.
2. Lack of social support: Mrs. JK was suffering from extreme depression and did not
have any support from family or friends. This factor made her more vulnerable to
domestic violence by his son. He used to beat her brutally which was not reported by
any other individual from community. If a person has social support even in face of one
person then, probability of tackling a situation increases. Citizens must fulfil their social
responsibility for contributing in safeguarding.
3. Unhealthy situations of patient and their supporters: Considering the case of Mrs.
JK, her son was a drug addict. He was so intensely involved in drugs that h did not even
care for his mother. Instead of looking after her mother, he was in a situation where he
himself needed help and support. In such a position, patient cannot recover. He/she will
fell more disoriented and depressed as conditions will become worse. Mrs. JK therefore
pursued external resources for help.
4. Physical conditions: Risk factors are eligible only for those people who are incapable
in defending themselves. Accidents, exposure to hazards, degradation of environment
are certain factors that deplete a person's physical health (Johannesen and LoGiudice,
2013). It is important for every individual to live in an environment where no harm is
caused due to environment or surroundings. Mrs. JK was already suffering from physical
illness. Due to lack of attention, her conditions worsened. She was going through a
tough time and end results could have led to death. Health and social care groups are
set up with a motive of helping people in such situations. Physical inefficiency and
incapability disturbs emotional well being of individual and this raises risk of falling prey
to abuse and harm to self and others (Hawton, Saunders and O'Connor, 2012).
5. Financial weakness: In given scenario, Mrs. JK was not financially stable. All her
money was taken away by her son for fulfilment of his drug needs. She could not avail
good food and health care facilities. This lead to corrosion of her inner strength.
Financial instability or lack of financial resources is a route cause for abuse and harm.
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TASK 1B
P1.3 Impact of social and cultural factors
Abuse and harm take place only when there is some sort of direct or indirect support
from external environment. The external environment constitutes of government, society and
culture. The follow up presents impact of these social and cultural factors on disparate abuses
and harms (Principles of safeguarding, 2015).
Impact of social factors:
Society comprises of group of people living together within a particular region. Societal
ideals are often subjected to controversies and challenges. Elderly people are treated as
burdens on society for reasons unbearable to mankind. Since, they are weak and less capable
of performing their daily routines, people force them to live alone and face risks of abuse and
harm. Financial burdens often invites such situations. Their feebleness is viewed as burden
(Haw and et. al., 2013).
Domestic violence on children, women, men, old age group people is also a society
factor. With growing technology and depleting nature, work stress and depression are common.
Young adults get aggressive at minute phases of failure or dissatisfaction. They intend to
release their frustration and aggression on tender and physically weak individuals like children,
women or elderly people. Beating, shouting, torturing are some methods of domestic violence.
Population shifts becomes generator of abuse. Society's ability to provide health and
social care to minority groups is decreasing. This shift is making people vulnerable to abuse and
harms or social crimes. Dignity and self respect of individuals are damaged. Major reason for
such crimes is decreasing resources. Scarcity is making public more greedy (Ventriglio, Gupta
and Bhugra, 2016). Everyone wants to acquire maximum resources. This race of maximum
acquisition is compelling people to adopt unfair means which cause harm and abuse to innocent
people.
Elder citizens of country who have served the nation in some form get retired after
reaching 60. This decreases their opportunities for employment. Financially weak civilians of
this group are exploited. Growing older has become a bad dream for such people (Schofield,
Powers and Loxton, 2013). Volume of abuse incidents towards elderly has increased in recent
years. This depicts brutality of society and decreasing humane nature. These amplified alarms
are signals for taking proper measures in improving conditions of elder and tender population of
country.
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Impact of cultural factors:
Culture is basis of a civilisation. Idealistic human thoughts that were established for
development of a society constituted culture. With time, perception for culture changed. People
settled their own beliefs and attitudes without measuring its sustainability and developed a
harmful culture which definitely invites abuse and harm to innocent people. Women are major
targeted segment of cultural abuse. Elderly women are perceived as poor and evil in nature.
Lonely women are often accused of witchcraft and are forced to marry undesirable people. This
gives predators an opportunity to practise all abuse activities like sexual harassment, physical
torture. Such situations are break down points for sufferers (Erooga, 2012).
Certain cultures are formed where people are discriminated on basis of physicality,
income level, religion and sacred objects. The so called less deserving people are harassed and
ill treated for being born in such clans. These types of abuse and harmful acts are crimes in
names of religions and god. Mankind is kept at stake. Generally poor people are subjected to
such culturally discriminatory abuse (Amon and et. al., 2012).
Causing abuse and harm to people with or without motive is crime. Irrelevant personal
beliefs are sources of such crimes. For example, there are regions where women-men
interaction is considered heinous to culture. As a result, cruelty against females increases. In
name of culture, women are brutally beaten and harassed (Phillips, 2013).
TASK 2
P2.1 Strengths and Weaknesses of different legislations and policies
A country will be paralysed if legislations and policies are not formulated to handle cases
of abuse. Crime rate will increase which will make people insecure in their own homes. For
safeguarding citizens from a horrible scenario like this, government of country developed certain
rules and regulations declaring rights and duties of citizens as well as governing bodies
(Cultural Issues That Cause Elder Abuse, 2016). Some policies or legislations that were
declared by UK government for safeguarding vulnerable citizens from abuse are described
below:
1. The Care Act 2014: This legislation is mainly based on duties and responsibilities of
authorities in health care sector. It gives an outline regarding general instructions that
authorities must remember at the time of giving services to citizens.
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Strengths: Maintains integrity of a health care institution as well as prohibits actions that can
cause abuse to people in places where health care services are provided. Elders, women,
children, infants and all vulnerable groups are safeguarded from abuse by health authorities.
2. Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006: Health and social care sectors include
most vulnerable people. Most abuse victims have emerged in these sectors. Be it
hospital staff or any other employee of analogous sector, everyone is in scrutiny of this
act. People with mental and physical disabilities are prone to physical and sexual abuse.
For safeguarding their individual rights and well being this act was forged.
Strengths: Disabled were supported and safeguarded with establishment of The Independent
Safeguarding Authority under this law. First aid, transportation and privacy protection of
individuals was lined by the law.
Weaknesses: The major drawback with this policy was lack of clarity in definition of vulnerable
groups. For providing justice to large vulnerable groups this information is required.
3. Public interest Disclosure Act 1998: Whistle-blowers are people who stand or take
initiative of disclosing unlawful activities for safeguarding people from scandals of
various organisations. They are highly vulnerable to abuse and harm. This law was
generated in interest to such people.
Strength: The law safeguarded people who have disclosed wrong activities in country. Health
and safety of citizens is not vulnerable to harm or abuse. Provides safety assurance to whistle
blowers for their dangerous yet fortifying act.
Weaknesses: Non existence of definition for nature and motive of whistle blower is provided in
the law. This can lead to exploitation of government safeguarding for taking revenge or abusing.
P2.2 Involvement of range of professionals in safeguarding individuals
Vulnerable groups are those who require protection from any sort of abuse and harm.
Dedicated laws and policies help in safeguarding but individual support is also needed by
victims. In first case of Stafford Hospital, the breaking point was when mortality rates were
increasing in hospital. Every health and social care organisation is set up with a motive to
provide people with services so that they can maintain their health and mental well being. If
these organisations do not perform their responsibilities with full dedication, people will loose
trust in healthcare and also in government (Spitzer and Davidson, 2013). But UK government
did not let this breach of trust. An inquiry revealed poor working conditions of individuals in
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Stafford Hospital. Health inspector was sent to check every perception and people were finally
safeguarded from abuse by hospital staff.
When considering second case of Winterbourne Hospital, BBC played the role of
protector. The company inquired whereabouts of Hospital and revealed that staff members
themselves were responsible for discrepancies going on in organisation. Victims were people
with learning disabilities and challenged behaviour. Major modes of abuse were physical and
psychological. It becomes really difficult for people to cope with such brutal acts especially when
mental disabilities are involved. Although, the news channel played a significant role in blowing
whistle against such crimes. News mediums are protectors of vulnerable group. They take care
that people are receiving good health and social care with proper efficiency.
When violence strikes are carried inside a family, it becomes very difficult for
government to immediately find out reasons or such criminal activities (Beard and Bloom, 2015).
Only responsibilities lies with neighbours or friends who are related to victim. In cases, where
mothers killed their children it was local police and investigation officers that looked after the
matter. It defines that people have to be safeguarded from activities of even their family
members as abuse can be initiated by family members also. The baton of protection lies in
hands of social groups or voluntary organisations that provide health care services to people.
One of their major responsibilities is generating awareness drives regarding major societal
factors like depression, sexual abuse, domestic violence, abuse against elders, etc. This will
give a chance to victims, so that they can seek help from such social care centres.
TASK 3
P3.1 Working practises and strategies for minimising abuse
Ageing population and increasing imbalance in work and personal life is creating stress
and depression amongst individuals. People are getting more tensed and liable to abuse and
harm. Hence, it is important that strategies and practises have to be developed for minimising
this abuse. Be it self abuse and harm or external source abuse, strategies have to be developed
for curtailing such abusive practises (Carpenter and et. al., 2016). Certain approaches and
strategies that can be considered for minimising abuse in health and social care contexts:
1. Educational Awareness: The best and most effective practise that can be adapted for
diminishing abuse in social and health care sectors is education. People must be
educated about various ways in which they can get harmed or abused. Awareness can
be spread regarding all mediums of abuse and how they can be prevented and reported.
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Citizens must be imparted basic knowledge regarding various policies and legislations
that will help in fighting particular abuse.
2. Drills and physical activities: Just like disaster management drills, a preventive
measure for learning defence actions can be organised by local institutions and state
governments. These activities will be an innovative way of giving practical knowledge
about abuse and its practises in health and social care sectors. Victims will feel confident
and defendant for saving themselves from future attacks (Trotter, 2015).
3. Entertainment Acts: Skits, plays, drama or movies can be a medium implementing
practises and strategies that will help in lessening the impact of abuse on mental health
of people. The motive behind such entertainment acts must be based on plans through
which people can help curb abuse and harm in society.
4. Social care services: Voluntary organisations and freelancer volunteers can come up
as tie up with government or just individual self so that better micro risk management
can be assessed at individual levels. As there are instances where victims or patients or
abuse cannot reach out for proper justice, through these institutions, people will be able
to communicate their pain and get fast relief (Andrews and et. al., 2013).
P3.2 Effectiveness
Effectiveness of above discussed strategies and practises can be measured by the level
of impact they have on individuals and the declining rate of abuse in health and social care.
1. Educational Awareness: Characteristics shown by an individual depend totally on the
type of education they are given. For example, if a child is taught not to respect women
in any case despite of having a very good mother. This kind of inheritance of irrelevant
social beliefs creates opportunities of abuse against women. That child grows up into an
individual who may perform domestic violence or even show brutality towards all women
that would link in his life. This kind of education must be curbed. Right education will
create better individuals and community build up will be strong. Patients will be able to
develop a better perspective towards their condition and will know what steps they have
to take for accessing justice through judiciary of the country (Payne, 2014).
2. Drills and physical activities: It is very important that tools and ammunitions must be
provided to victims and vulnerable groups so that they can cope with active abuse
situations effectively. Drills and physical activities increase this combatant power of
vulnerable groups. Physical activities are useful in developing mental stability as well as
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concentration. Unlike armed force training at least basic self defence will always help in
emergency. May be an individual would never need this help in his complete life but he
may help others to fight abuse situation. This is like creating a collective strategy for
whole community to fight abuse at different levels.
P3.3 Possible improvements
Improvements have scope in every sector. Abusive and harmful situations can arise in
any form. Vulnerable groups may or may not be aware about the tactics through which they can
fight or overcome such trauma (Phillips, 2013). Hence, certain improvements have to be made
in the working practises and strategies for minimising abuse in health and social care.
1. Risk assessment: Every organisation must have a person who would examine and
evaluate risk factors in healthcare. Hospitals, voluntary organisations or any other social
group must be inspected and scrutinised so that hidden activities can be monitored. This
can be done through risk assessment. Small scale health and social care communities
might not be aware about such techniques. They can be educated for the same so that
better implementation can be achieved at micro levels.
2. Government support: Every country has major decision maker that is government or
ruling body. They can take effective steps and measures to curb abuse and harm that
people cause to society. Strict amendments and better facilities for vulnerable groups
can be made through laws. Strategies can be designed in such a way that wrong doers
will be afraid of committing crime and torturing people (Council, 2015). A important step
that can be taken by government is setting up of certain regulatory bodies that specially
look after such abusive cases of health and social care.
CONCLUSION
Abuse and harm can be in any form to any individual. Safeguarding of all sensitive
groups is essential. Health and social care is extremely vulnerable to physical, psychological
and mental abuse which happen to people who are bounded by society because of their
disabilities. Catapult of laws and rules have certainly safeguarded individuals up to great extent
but it is important that processes and systematic approaches are designed for curbing such
activities that can cause abuse. Major vulnerable groups identified in health and social care
abuses are elders, isolated people, children and people with different disabilities. Minimisation
of risks and abusive activities is essential but with proper support from government. Current
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working patterns for curbing these actions are effective but developments will enhance quality of
health and social care in country.
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