Safeguarding and Protection of Vulnerable Adults

This document discusses the concept of safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults, including the differences between the two concepts, the impact of policy developments, the legislative framework, case reviews, and protocols and referral procedures. It also provides insights into the identification of policies and procedures in a work setting that contribute to safeguarding and preventing abuse.

Safeguarding and
protection of vulnerable
adults

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Analysing differences among the concept of safeguarding to that of concept of protection
in context to vulnerable adults.....................................................................................................1
1.2 Evaluating impact of policy developments on approaches for safeguarding vulnerable
adults within the own setting.......................................................................................................3
1.3 Explaining legislative framework to safeguard vulnerable adults.........................................4
1.4 Evaluating the ways case reviews or inquiries have influenced quality assurances,
regulation addition to inspection concerned with safeguarding vulnerable adults......................5
1.5 Explaining protocols and referral procedures at the time when situation of harm or abuse is
suspected......................................................................................................................................5
2.3 Identification of policies and procedures in work setting which contributes in safeguarding
as well as preventing abuse..........................................................................................................6
3.2 Reviewing effectiveness of systems together with procedures for working in partnership
with other companies...................................................................................................................7
4.2 Evaluation of effectiveness of systems as well as procedures for protecting vulnerable
adults in service setting................................................................................................................8
4.4 Recommending proposal for improvements in systems and procedures within
organisational service setting.......................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Vulnerable adults are said to people above the age of 18 who are not unable to protect
themselves or take proper care of themselves against significant exploitation addition to harm
because of impairment of physical, emotional addition to mental function. It is significant for
physicians, family members, neighbours and caregivers to safeguard and protect vulnerable
adults against abuse or poor treatment. To gain insights for safeguarding and protection of
vulnerable adults, BS Care is chosen company. It is a domiciliary care agency in UK that
supports care homes, supported livings along with other healthcare environment. It provide
highest quality of advice addition to care to care people at their own and covers larger
geographical area. It assist population of all ages with neurological, mental as well as physical
health difficulties or needs emotional support.
The assessment covers differentiation between concept of safeguarding and protection in
context to vulnerable adults, impacts of policy development approaches to safeguard vulnerable
adults and legislative framework related to safeguarding vulnerable adults. It also explains
protocols as well as referral procedures when harm or abuse are suspected, effectiveness of
systems and process for working with other companies as partnership and protecting vulnerable
adults within service settings. At last, proposal is recommended for improving systems and
procedures of business service setting.
MAIN BODY
1.1 Analysing differences among the concept of safeguarding to that of concept of protection in
context to vulnerable adults
Vulnerable adults are people aged above 18 whose ability for protecting themselves
against abuse, neglect and violence is significantly impaired via mental or emotional disability
(Koubel, 2016). Addition to this, vulnerable adults are also featured as the one who are
diagnosed to be physically or mentally ill, who have mental heath requirements, who is old as
well as frail because of physical disability and unable to report for abuse or make own decision.
Difference between concept and safeguarding and protection in relevance to vulnerable
adults:
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Basis of
differentiation
Concept of safeguarding Concept of protection
Meaning Concept of safeguarding refers to policies
together with practices to keep an
individual safe as well as encourage their
well being. This includes a framework that
brings entire prospect of investigation into
accusation of abuse or malpractice against a
person who is unable to safe themselves. It
is responsibility of all care agencies and
engrosses measures to minimise or
eliminate potentials of abuse which are
occurring in targeted geographical locations
(Vogel and Elkmann, 2017).
Concept of protection refers to
process to defending people
suffering from harm or risks. It is
central component to promote
welfare of vulnerable adults. It
includes activities which are
undertaken for protecting specific
people that are suffering or have
possibilities to suffer significant
harm.
Organisational
working
Team of BS Care makes attempt to reduce
and prevent risk of harm against
exploitation and abuse. It is
multidisciplinary working that is performed
by care agencies to minimise together with
manage risks to adults that are vulnerable.
The team of BS Care protects
vulnerable adults through
assisting them to take control of
their livings through making
informed choices.
Principles To safeguard these people, the domiciliary
care agency follows principles that are as
follows:
 Principle of prevention: The
principle states that it is better to
implement actions before
occurrence of any harm.
 Principle of accountability: The
principle defines that all the
activities of domiciliary care
Employees of BS Care protect
vulnerable adults through
working with following
principles:
 Principle of protection:
According to the
principle, people having
greatest needs and require
supports must be
protected promptly
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assistants needs to be accountable
for their activities in safeguarding
vulnerable adults.
 Principle of empowerment: As
per the principle, vulnerable adults
must be supported for devising
their own choices with best
possible knowledge and
information.
(Dougherty, 2016).
 Principle of
proportionality: The
principle says that a
domiciliary care agency
must do activities in
proportion top risk. For
example, if risk is low,
they they should not
become over protective to
vulnerable adults as it can
disadvantage them as well
as deprive them to make
own decisions.
1.2 Evaluating impact of policy developments on approaches for safeguarding vulnerable adults
within the own setting
In service setting of BS Care, policy developments on approaches to safeguard vulnerable
adults have positive and negative impacts. According to Mertens and Wilson (2018), it is
evaluated that development of policies motivates employees to work in influencing manner that
safeguard and protect people that are facing harms against negligence and avoidance. They put
people first that have high risks involved with these types of issues which improves their
customer base and makes it popular. By developing policies, the company also have chances to
work in partnership of other similar business and meet requirements of vulnerable adults as well
as adopt multi agency guidances together with procedures concerned with safeguarding
vulnerable adults with adhering policies governed by local authority. It also impacts positively
on shifting resources and focus of planning for preventing interventions and increasing care of
conditions of people that are unfocused by other companies. Impacts of developing policy also
makes it responsibilities of governing bodies, employees addition to service providers to work
with full efficiency to safeguard vulnerable adults against abuse and neglect.
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As per Pinkerton and Higgins (2018), it is evaluated that policy development related top
approaches to safeguarding vulnerable adults in service setting of BS Care also have certain
negative impacts. There are various employees in the service setting that resist any changes in
policies and feels uncomfortable to work with new policies. This decreases their work
satisfactions and results in unfavourable outcomes to safeguard vulnerable adults. Moreover,
policy development also impacts drastically as it increases working of administration due to
which they have less time to focus on proper safeguard to vulnerable adults.
1.3 Explaining legislative framework to safeguard vulnerable adults
Legislative frameworks are said to laws that are promulgated by governing body or
legislature of a country (Dickinson and O'Flynn, 2016). Domiciliary care system are governed by
various legislation and provides guidelines with the hope of safeguarding vulnerable adults.
Laws provides guidance with rights and requirement for provision of services. Following are
some of legislative frameworks adhered by BS Care so to safeguard vulnerable adults:
Care Standards Act, 2000: The legislation is governed by Parliament of UK that
provides administration of multiple care institutions and agencies including independent
hospitals, residential care homes, domiciliary care agency and children's home. The legislation
describes requirements on care providers for ensuring that they have effective and updated
procedures to safeguard people from risks and abuses in their care (Westwood, 2016). The
major aim of the legislation is to reform laws related to inspection and regulation of care
institutions for safeguarding vulnerable adults. BS Care properly adhere the legislative
requirement and make necessary actions to safeguard people that faces abuses and neglect in
society.
Mental Capacity act, 2005: The legislative requirement is designed for the purpose of
safeguarding and empowering population who lack mental capacity for filling reports against the
one who abuses them and also lack potentials in making own decisions for care and treatment.
The legislation includes two legal offences of wilful neglect as well as mistreatment in context
to people who lacks mental capacity. BS Care adheres the amendments of the law and safeguard
people from harm, abuse and others.
No Secrets, 2000: This was governed by UK Government publication that provides
guidance on devising as well as executing multi-agency principles for safeguarding people
deemed to be at risk or harm and abuse (Saitis and Saiti, 2018). Adherence of the legislation by
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BS Care assist it to keep no secret with their clients and providing them accurate reports and
situations that they are facing and accordingly charging fees.
Human Rights Act, 1998: The legislation sets out fundamental freedoms along with
rights which all people including vulnerable adults are entitled to. As per the legislation, right to
life, right to freedom to belief as along with religion and right to respect for private with family
life of vulnerable adults are protected. By adhering the act, Care UK and its professionals protect
rights that are must for vulnerable adults to live the life properly.
Care Act 2014: The legislation guides heath and social care to protect vulnerable adults
against mistreatment addition to improving quality of life. Through adhering working according
to legislation, Care UK emphasis towards caring all humans by meeting wants and needs. The
legislation is based on six principles that is empowerment, proportionality, accountability,
protection, partnership and prevention. The legislation aims to eliminate detached approach and
through following the principles, companies empower vulnerable adults to participate in
safeguarding processes in order to receive most appropriate care along with feel in control.
By adhering the mentioned legislation requirements, BS Care safeguards vulnerable
adults and also develop more detailed guidelines as well as guidances for their employees to
provide home care.
1.4 Evaluating the ways case reviews or inquiries have influenced quality assurances, regulation
addition to inspection concerned with safeguarding vulnerable adults
Case reviews as well as inquiries are detailed review together with analysis of situation
concerned with patient's experience with domiciliary care agency. The purpose of these aspects
are to establish that the instruction to be learnt from inquiries or cases wherein local
professionals as well as care agencies work together for safeguarding vulnerable adults. Serious
case reviews and inquiries in context to vulnerable adults have influences regulations, inspection
addition to quality assurance as for promoting better safeguard, BS Care professionals have
learned from the past mistakes, serious incidents and also near misses. Through case inquiries,
the company have also analysed and assured the quality of services and equipments that are used
by the workforce to provide safety to people that are facing mental disabilities and other
problems (Hood, Nilsson and Habibi, 2019).
It is also evaluated that case reviews and inquiries have influenced quality assurance and
inspections in negative manner in BS Care as many things were neglected and ignored due to
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which outcomes achieved were not effective to desired manner. It have also influenced the all in
different manner as inspections and quality assurances were not demonstrated in accurate manner
by the case reviews and inquiries.
1.5 Explaining protocols and referral procedures at the time when situation of harm or abuse is
suspected
Protocols are set of standard rules which brings professionals to work together for sharing
information, discuss concerns and formulate multi agency action plans for distinct situations.
Referral procedures are phases which are used for the purpose of safeguarding referral points of
adults that are taken from person who have concern such as adult at risk of harm (Surtees and
Brunovskis, 2016). In situation of abuse or harm is suspected then all the heath care people and
other professionals must protect the person at risk and deal with immediate requirements, central
decision making process and report the abuse to police and record the event. All staff that are
professionals as well as volunteers of BS Care must report about suspected harm or neglect to
suitable local safeguarding referral point for adults and social care trusts. At same time, when
serious situation are suspected then there is requirements for immediate police response for
protecting people from abuse or harm, considering dialling 999.
Referral procedures for circumstance suspected for abuse or harm includes:
 Collection of all information about suspected accident of harm or abuse and recording it
in factual as well as behavioural terminology.
 Notification to direct administrator of information and verbalising the facts so to report
suitable local authorities and Sexual Abuse Helpline so to assist and advise (McClure and
Et. Al., 2020).
 All the details of vulnerable adult including name, address, birth date, full description of
situation and other important details are provided to counsellor or the person on the
helpline number so that investigation is done and the person is provided justice.
 BS Care takes proper care of the vulnerable adult and takes responsibilities for
safeguarding and provides home care facilities so that situations of abuse or harm are not
faced by the disable people again.
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2.3 Identification of policies and procedures in work setting which contributes in safeguarding as
well as preventing abuse
In work setting of BS Care, it is identified that there are various policies and effective
procedures which assist domiciliary care to safeguard and prevent abuse. Some of policies are as
follows:
The Care Act, 2014: It is the policy which is supported by statutory guidance to
safeguard and prevent abuse to vulnerable adults. It was implemented in the month of April 2015
and consolidate current community care laws which contributes in placing safeguarding adults
on statutory footing. As per the policy, all members and staff of BS Care promotes well-being of
everyone that are part of its domiciliary services and prevent abuse. Also, it responds effectively
when some concerns or situation are suspected (Dagan, Ben-Porat and Itzhaky, 2016). The
domiciliary care service help and protect people having huge possibilities of harm and abuse
through coordination its practices with multi-agency systems that are part of Local Authority
Social Services, Police and voluntary sector.
Safeguarding vulnerable group Act, 2006: It is a government policy that is mandatory
to be adhered by all domiciliary care agencies that work for vulnerable adults so to safeguard
them against risk of harm addition to prevent abuse. The policy safeguards people facing mental
disabilities through supporting them in each choices they make and raise public awareness which
prevent situation of abuse. The policy is applicable on all people that lives nearby to the
vulnerable adults and have responsibility to assist and advice them for staying safe from actual
harm, abuse and other suspected situations. By adopting the policy, BS Care initiates actions in
the manner that contributes widely towards safeguarding vulnerable adults from harm and
prevent any type of abuse to them.
Mentioned below are some of procedures followed by the domiciliary care agency that si
BS CAre to safeguard and prevent abuse to vulnerable adults:
 The first stage includes keeping eye out for neighbours, family and others who might be
vulnerable.
 The next stage is to understand the situation and analyse that abuse may happen.
However, there are some people that are good in hiding risk or abuse signs.
 In case, when a person is isolated with harm or abuse from others, support is provided
them and discussion are made with them so to find solution to prevent them.
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 Speaking them as well as report any suspicions related to abuse to police of other local
authorities for the person who committed abuse.
 Spreading the word related to importance of looking for adult and raising awareness
about protect vulnerable adults against harm, abuse and neglect (Pecora and Et. Al.,
2018).
3.2 Reviewing effectiveness of systems together with procedures for working in partnership with
other companies
Partnership working with other companies in heath care industry brings together the
entities in the manner they can benefit from resources, pooled expertise addition to power
sharing. Major objective of partnership is to increase quality together with efficiency of service
provision. One of system used by BS Care while working with other domiciliary care agency is
Referral system which is set up for particular purpose to enable inter-organisational referrals.
Within the system, care agencies agree on processes for sharing information as well as refer
clients to the partner company. The other system is Multi agency working system in which two
or more firms share resources so to deliver operations jointly. The workings of partners with the
system and process are clearly planned as well as relationships are managed for ensuring
success. It has been reviewed that when system and procedures for working in partnership with
other agencies or companies are effective then they they fosters sharing skills, expertise,
knowledge and resources so to work jointly for safeguarding and preventing abuse to vulnerable
adults. The effectiveness of system and processes coordinates responses of the companies and
incorporate differing perspectives of agencies in one direction. It also allow the organisation to
make and share ownership particularly to draw up strategies along with joint procedures to gain
desires outcomes.
According to Büyüközkan and Göçer (2018) it is reviewed that systems and procedures
for working in partnership with other companies lack commitment among working partners as
some agencies or companies do not provide required resources to achieve desired outcomes. In
context to BS Care, ineffectiveness of system and processes for partnership with other care
agencies results in unclear roles and responsibilities and sharing of insufficient data about clients
and their care against risk of harm and abuse. This makes action feasible to cope with neds of
regulatory framework of BS Care within their daily operations and increase work load on its
employees.
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4.2 Evaluation of effectiveness of systems as well as procedures for protecting vulnerable adults
in service setting
In service setting of BS Care, various systems and systematic procedures are used to
protect vulnerable adults. Systems includes strong leadership and quality of services are main
concerns of the company for protecting people facing mental disability of illness. For BS Care,
health and happiness of client are main concern and for this, effective and potential leaders are
provided responsibilities for directing and stimulating team so to work with full potential for
providing protection to vulnerable adults. As per Khairullina and Et. Al. (2016), it is evaluated
that the leadership is one of influential and important system to inspire team to implement
allotted tasks for protecting people that have high risks level associated and huge chances of
abuse. A leader in the domiciliary care agency improved workforce productivity, builds
confidence, improves creativeness and increases emotional intelligence to come with new ideas
for protecting vulnerable adults. However, system of leadership takes time away from executing
operations, fosters personality clashes and creates disputes which waste time together with
reduce productivity for protecting people against harm.
The other system and procedure that are adopted by administrators of BS Care for
protecting vulnerable adults is developing culture of learning, development and improvement.
The entity have devised an openness as well as transparent culture in which all employees
adhered staff development systems fro reinforcing attitudes, behaviours and working that prevent
concerns of abuse and protect people through putting actions effectively. Addition to this,
continuous development plan, appraisal systems and auditing procedures of the care agency are
reviewed on continuous manner that benefits in recognising areas among employees for further
development so that vulnerable adults are protected with higher efficiency (Pecora, 2018). It is
also evaluated that all these systems are procedures are time consuming to implement actions and
impacts drastically on contribution abilities of employees for the concern of protecting
vulnerable adults.
4.4 Recommending proposal for improvements in systems and procedures within organisational
service setting
For service setting of BS Care, following is the proposal to improve systems and
procedures:
Proposal for improving systems and procedures in service setting of BS Care
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System and procedures Improvements
Leadership Administrators of BS Care must provide opportunities to
leaders to improve their leadership through involving in
emotional intelligence coaching, using personal assessment so
to recognise their personal blind spots as well as nurture their
strengths. When leadership will be developed then it will
improve ways of employee working and efficiencies to
contribute efforts towards providing services to adults at
homes in the manner to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults
in more efficient manner (Stufflebeam and Zhang, 2017).
Organisational culture It is proposed to top authority of BS Care to produce open
policy and effortless approach to flexible systems wherein
employees and clients can complain and effective support are
provided in return so that their issues are grievances are
resolved timely and makes them satisfied with systems and
procedures of service setting to protect vulnerable adults.
Reporting systems and
procedures
BS Care agency is also proposed to improve its reporting
mechanisms in order to ensure that reports, complaints and
incidents are addressed with limited time duration. The entity
should make suitable improvements such as recording issues at
the time suspected and providing information to higher
authorities as soon as possible etc which will promote
efficiency of domiciliary service agency in executing its
operations and achieve success in protecting and safeguarding
vulnerable adults (Duffy, 2018).
Communication Communication in BS Care agency is also an area which
requires improvements. The service setting must build
different modes and channels of communication in the entity
works for improving internal and external communication. By
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strengthening connections, encouraging information sharing,
using adequate and accurate online communication tools and
respecting cultural differences, communication can be
improved with employees and clients.
CONCLUSION
From the mentioned information, it has been concluded that vulnerable adults are said to
the people that are above age of 18 and are unable to secure or protect themselves from risk of
harm. They are in requirement of community care services because of age, mental issue or
illness. Vulnerable adults have huge risk of maltreatment and are reluctant to report. Concept of
safeguarding says that it is responsibility of all people to raise security concerns for vulnerable
adults and all allegations related to abuse or other should be taken seriously for patient that are
in more need. Concept of protection refers to taking measure for protecting people against harm
or abuse. Key principles related to safeguarding are Principle of prevention, Principle of
accountability and Principle of empowerment. At same time, principles concerned with
protection are Principle of protection and Principle of proportionality. Some of legislative
framework to safeguard vulnerable adults includes Care Standards Act, 2000, Mental Capacity
act, 2005 and No Secrets, 2000. The Care Act, 2014 and Safeguarding vulnerable group Act,
2006 are the policies which contributes in safeguarding as well as preventing abuse. By
improving certain areas that are leadership, organisational culture, communication, reporting
systems and procedures, organisational service setting works with great potentials to safeguard
and protect vulnerable adults.
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BS Care. 2020. [Online]. Available through: <http://www.bscare.co.uk/>
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