Principles of Safeguarding - Doc

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Table of Contents
Purpose........................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction:................................................................................................................................................2
Principles of Safeguarding:.........................................................................................................................2
Abuse:.........................................................................................................................................................3
Types of abuse.............................................................................................................................................3
Legislations:................................................................................................................................................6
Working practices and strategies:................................................................................................................8
Conclusion:.................................................................................................................................................9
References.................................................................................................................................................10
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Purpose: This reports briefs about Safeguarding in health and social care. It prevents and reduce
risk of harm from abuse to people who are physically or mentally disabled people, children and
people with learning disabilities or sensory impairment etc. Its mission is to care, support and
protect adult and children who are incapable to protect themselves from harm or abuse. This
paper provides information about various policies, protocols, roles and responsibilities of key
professionals, working practice and strategies.
Introduction:
Safeguarding is protecting vulnerable children or adults from any kind of harm, abuse or neglect.
It makes sure that individuals are supported to get easy access to health care services. According
to the data released by Health and Social Care Information Centre, 63% of people who are
victims of abuse are over 65 years. Health professionals should treat vulnerable people and other
patients equally with same respect (Graham, et al., 2016).
The vulnerable adults and children safeguarding policy aims to promote and focus on the
wellbeing and safety of people. It ensures that everyone understands their responsibilities and
roles of safeguarding. It prevents the staff who has been barred by DBS (Disclosure and Barring
Service) to work with these people and ensures appropriate action is taken against any suspicions
or allegation regarding any harm or abuse. When a staff or a worker wants to disclose any wrong
doing of the organization then that people is known as whistle blower. While disclosure is when
a person or child is sharing something related to harm or abuse. It is important to maintain calm
composure and give full attention so that the patient is comfortable while sharing their
experience. They should understand the level of abuse and forward it to higher authority.
Principles of Safeguarding:
It generally means preventing or reducing the risk of harm from exploitation and abuse, and at
the same time supporting individual to take control of their life by appropriate informed choices
(Anon., 2011). The government of the United Kingdom has set few principles of safeguarding in
health and social care which helps to understand how health professionals can act to protect
individual. These principles are discussed below:
Prevention: to educate propel on abuses so that they can identify it and known how to report
them.
Empowerment: proper support to the people so that they can make their own decision and take
decisions and take care of their lives.
Protection: supporting and protecting people who are in need
Partnership: different services working together to detect any kind of abuses.
Proportionality: providing proper support without being emotional or over concerned
Accountability: all the professional should be aware of their roles and responsibilities and should
abide by them.
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Abuse:
Abuse is the improper treatment or usage of a person to unfairly gain benefit from them. It is an
improper use of power that uses the bonds of trust, dependency and intimacy to make person
vulnerable (Anon., n.d.).
Types of abuse
Neglect or abuse can be of many types which includes:
Physical abuse: It may involve misuses of medication, physical violence, restraint physical
sanctions (Williams, 2002).
Indication involves:
 Bruising, burns, cuts or marks on body
 Unexplained falls and injuries
 Inconsistent injuries with individual’s lifestyle
 Sign of malnutrition etc.
Sexual abuse: It includes sexual assault, rape and any sexual act that has not consented or was
forcefully consented.
Indicators:
 Rape, inappropriate touch or sexual assault
 Indecent exposure
 Sexual activity that lacks ability to consent to
 Sexual teasing and sexual harassment
Phycological abuse: it includes emotional abuse, deprivation of contact, blaming, humiliation,
verbal abuse, abandonment, harassment.
Indicators:
 Low self-esteem
 aggressive behavior and uncooperative
 tearfulness and anger
 Insomnia
 Uncooperative
 Change of appetite, weight loss or gain
Material or financial abuse: It involves fraud, theft, pressure in connection wills, exploitation,
misuse of property, possessions, or benefits.
Indicators:
 Missing personal possessions
 Unexplained withdrawal of money from accounts
 Unexplained inability to maintain lifestyle or lack of money
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Neglect and acts of omission: It includes ignoring physical or medical care needs, failure to
provide access to proper social care, health care and educational services, adequate nutrition,
medication and heating (Anon., 2016).
Indicators:
 Dirty or unhygienic
 Malnutrition
 Untreated injuries and illness
 Poor physical condition
Discriminatory abuse: It involves sexist, racist, abuse based on a person’s disability.
Indicators:
 Expressions of anger, fear, frustration or anxiety
 Person appears isolated and withdrawn
Care act 2014 includes few other categories of abuse which are as follows:
Organizational abuse: It includes neglect and poor care facilities in a hospital or care home.
Indicators:
 Poor standards of care
 Absence of visitors
 Inadequate staffing level
 Few recreational, social and educational activities
Modern slavery: It involves human trafficking, domestic servitude and forced labor.
Indicators:
 Fear of law enforces
 Signs of emotional and physical abuse
 Isolation from community
 Lack of personal document and personal effects
Domestic violence: It includes acts of assault, humiliation, threats and intimidation. It also
involves harming and punishing, exploitation of money and sources of support.
Indicators:
 low self-esteem
 fear of outside intervention
 damage to property or home etc.
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Children are considered to be vulnerable because of their age and immaturity. Adults who are not
able to take care of themselves and their interest which may be due to mental or physical causes
are vulnerable adults (Ramsay, 2009). These group of people are at high risk of psychological
harm and are at high risk of exploitation for the benefit of other people.
Physically or mentally disabled people, homeless, elderly, children, people with learning
disabilities or sensory impairment, victims of domestic violence etc. are at high risk of abuse or
harm. These people are generally under the surveillance of health care-workers as they could
hurt others and themselves as well. As these people are not capable to protect themselves and
are easily targeted by abusers.
These people are vulnerable because:
 They are mostly isolated from family members, neighbors and close friends.
 Due to mental illness and disability.
 They usually have memory problem and feel difficulty to talk to others.
 They may get addicted to alcohols and drugs.
 They need more financial and emotional support.
 As these people are highly dependent on others, which increases risks to get abused by
abusers.
Taking care of such vulnerable people needs lots of hard work and is difficult which makes the
career more impatient and aggressive that leads to abuse (Sam, 2018). The impact of harm
depends upon its kind and intensity. In few cases level of abuse is very high due to which victim
harm themselves or others to overcome stress and tension caused by abuse. They can harm
themselves by use of alcohol and drugs, self-inflicted wounds. There is no obvious reason for
abuse. However, research suggests that some risks factors that leads to incidence of harm and
abuses to self and others (Anon., 2011). These risk factors include social, family and community.
Social factors
Social factors include economic, unemployment, homeless, poverty, gender and social
inequalities, poor government plan and policies, weak criminal justice system, poor social
security. Similarly, individual factors involve any kind of physical of physical, emotional or
cognitive disability, temperaments, attention deficits, aggressive behaviors, age, gender, ethnic
background.
Family factors
Family factors include family violence, regular conflict with family members, involvement in
crime, poor communication between family members, low self-esteem, divorce or separation
with partner etc.
Community
High population density, weak community, poor safety in public space, blaming the victims,
challenging traditional roles, lack of information etc.
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Social and cultural factors have huge impact on different types of abuse to self and others. Social
factors include health, housing, poverty and unemployment, education, network of support and
social exclusion etc. Similarly, cultural factors include ethnic, religion, discrimination (Griffith,
2015).
Social factors:
Financial issues: The stress of having financial problems due to poverty and unemployment
increases the chances of vulnerable people experiencing abuse which can either be sexual,
emotional, physical or neglect.
Health: people such as Elderly, disabled people, children, who are not able to take care of
themselves and need help from others re most likely to get abuse.
Social exclusion: People who are socially excluded do not have emotional factor which increases
the risk of abuse. They do not feel any obligation from the society to take care of their children
or elderly people.
Housing: It is also one of the reason for abuse. When one person is financially dependent on
other, the need of money may lead to abuse.
Education: if person is educated than it has positive impact on abuse. It mostly prevents people
to harm or abuse others as it educates person who takes care of other about the ways to support
and handle patients who are ill.
Cultural factors: Women from every ethnic group and religion face domestic violence, but the
abuse may vary in different community. For example: domestic violence may occur due to
extended family that includes female genital mutilation, forced marriage. Different religion also
leads to abuse harm. For example, in some religion women are forced to have more children and
are not allowed to take contraceptives and that results in having more babies and child abuse as
well.
Legislations:
There are several legislations policies and acts for safeguarding people vulnerable to abuse.
Health and social care act 2008, sexual offences act 2003, family law Act 1996 and CQC
regulation 2009 are laws that protects person from abuse legislation (Hocking & Tomlin, 2016).
Sexual Offence Act 2003: It prohibits any kind of sexual activity between a person with mental
disability and a care worker when there is a relationship of care between them. A relationship of
care occurs when one person has mental disorder and another provides care to him (Anon.,
2006). This law applies to all people working as care providers like, nurses, doctors, care worker
in homes, clinics, hospitals etc.
Strength of this is that it is applied to everyone who’s guilty even if the victim is not in a
condition to explain the whole incident. But the weakness of it is that there is no demarcation
line for extent of intimacy during the cure process.
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Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006: It protects vulnerable adults and children from the
people who are unsuitable to work with them. It strictly states that all the care providers working
with patients must submit their information before working with them which prevents illegal
person to get access to work for such people. The only negative about it is that it does not inspect
people working at home (Anon., 2015).
The Care Act 2014: The duty of local authorities is to make enquiries in there are if anyone is
being neglected or abused or is at risk of neglect or abuse.
The Human Rights Act 1998: It gives right to each and every individual living in the UK i.e.
the right to freedom and life from degrading treatment and torture.
The Data Protection Act 1998: It regulates and protect personal data of people and handles it
in a way that it is not being misplaced or misused as it could increase the risk of neglect and
abuse.
The Mental Capacity act 2005: It aims to empower and protect people who are not able to
make choices on their own for themselves.
The Equality Act 2010: It protects people from disadvantage and discrimination due to race,
disability gender, age etc.
The Mental Health law 1983, section 123: It restricts health workers from ill-treating their
patient with mental illness in Hospital. The strength of this law is that it provides proper
guidelines to the staff. But according to it, only the intentional ill treatment is considered as
offence, so it is hard to know the intention of the workers.
Roles and responsibilities of key professionals:
One of the most important responsibility of individual who works in Health and social care, is to
prevent abuse. The key professionals involved in the protection are care providers, local
authorities, domiciliary career, health care worker, criminal justice agencies.
Local authorities: They have lead coordination role for people who are at high risk of neglect
abuse or exploitation. It includes coordination application of Policy Framework into use, main
responsibility for statutory safeguarding enquiries which includes coordination of activities
between different organization, it also ensures that enquiries under taken by other organization
on its behalf have solved the situation satisfactorily. Its other responsibilities are: review of
practice, dissemination of information, facilitation of joint training, review and monitoring of
progress within the area of local authority (Anon., n.d.).
Health care worker: They play important role in prevention, supporting, reporting and
responding the recovery the person who may be at risk of abuse or has experienced abuse.
Managers: They make staff aware of their responsibility to report any kind of suspicions or
allegations of abuse to the responsible person or local authority or to their line managers. They
link procedures of safeguarding into internal quality assurance, and risk management processes.
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Head of social care: They manage the safeguarding team and protection team for vulnerable
people. they also provide support and guidance to service provider.
Designated safe guard officer: they help in policy development ad reporting, ensures safer
recruitment, collects monitoring data on activities involved in safeguarding across organization
and managing complaints about poor allegations and practice against staff.
Role of the Care Quality Commission in safeguarding vulnerable people
The main role of CQC is to inspect, regulate and monitor services to confirm that it meets the
basic standards of safety and quality. It inspects whether the care providers have beneficial
processes and systems to help keep adult and children from neglect and abuse. It acts promptly
on safety issues that they discover during inspections and raises these issues with the service
providers and if necessary informing it to local authorities and police.
Working practices and strategies:
There are different types of practices and strategies that are being practiced in order to minimize
the level of abuses. Safeguarding follows proper selection and recruitment process provide
proper staff trainings to provide best staff for care to patients.
The strategy to protect children from any kind of abuses is by promoting teaching prevention at
colleges, school (Anon., 2015). This strategy is effective because, children spend most of their
time at school and their teachers are the first one to identify any kind of such physical and mental
abuses among them. The subject like stress management, social interactions should be taught at
school, so that it can minimize the abuses. There should be more emphasis on education process
during the school days as the chances of victimization remains higher during this stage.
Similarly, at college level, the emphasis should be more on the harmful effect of drugs, smoking
and alcohol (Romeo, 2015).. There should be proper advising and counselling in order to
minimize the abuses in vulnerable people.
The support from the family makes the patient feel much more secure than from those who do
not have them. Lastly the hospital and community centers should follow all the guidelines
ensuring the safety of all the patients who are dependent on career. For safeguarding adults risk
assessment tools are designed to make work more effective. They are designed to consider
people at risk’s eligibility for safeguarding service, severity of current risk and mental capacity
of individual to make decision etc.
The community and service centers are working as their best level to give secure and safe
environment to the patients. They follow strategies which are good and effective but has to be
implemented and followed by everyone at each level. The effectiveness of strategy can only be
seen if all the staff involved in the system understand their roles and responsibilities and
importance of it (Anon., 2013). The good strategies always help the centers to prevent any kind
of abuses. For example: the teaching of children and college adults is importance as the chances
of getting abused or not as he himself does not understand the nature of abuse or may be
completely unware of it.
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The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and Care Quality Commission regulates (CQC)
the working practices and strategies of care providers. ISA’s main role is to prevent
inappropriate individual from working with vulnerable adults and children. CQC holds care
provider accounts to ensure and rectify any shortcomings in their arrangement to safeguard
adults and children to improve service. Regulators action involves regular follow up inspections,
taking action against unregistered providers, need providers to produce action plan.
Though the current strategies and working practices are doing fine but there are few issues that
needs to be resolved. There are gaps between policies on safeguarding and implementation of
policies and producers at local levels which needs to be taken seriously. In some cases, staff
follow procedures steps but they rely on self judgement in some complex cases which needs to
be regulated by concerned person. They should take serious action to the staff who does not
follows rules and guidelines while giving care to the patients. Several evaluation and research
conducted on safeguarding showed that there is need of system and cultural change within local
authority safeguarding to improve its service.
Conclusion:
From the above paper it is evident that, it is necessary to minimize abuses by applying necessary
strategies and policies. Safeguarding in health and social care helps by preventing children and
adult from harm and abuse. It uses its principles to shape organizational and strategic
safeguarding arrangements. They work with patients, community partners and local safeguarding
Adults Boards to create safe guards for patient in health care center.
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References
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