Analyzing Safeguarding Legislation & Policy in Health & Social Care

This report provides a comprehensive overview of safeguarding in health and social care, focusing on relevant legislation, policies, and procedures. It begins by defining safeguarding and outlining its advantages and disadvantages. The report then delves into current legislation, including the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and the Care Act 2014, discussing their implications for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children. It also examines the relationship between legislation, policy, and procedures, highlighting how they work together to improve care standards. Furthermore, the report identifies specific safeguarding policies and procedures in health and social care settings, such as anti-bullying and whistleblowing policies. Finally, it addresses factors contributing to individual vulnerability and the recognition of abuse, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding practices for healthcare practitioners. This document is available on Desklib, a platform offering a wide range of study resources, including past papers and solved assignments, to support students.

Safeguarding in health and
social care
Section 1
D1 Safeguarding
Safeguarding means protecting people’s health, well-being and human rights which
enables them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect which is one of the key aspect within
safeguarding.
Safeguarding is the action which that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protecting
them from any type of harm which they might face.
There are advantages and disadvantages which are being considered as important and are
considered within safeguarding and these are described as -
Advantages of safeguarding are -
 Learning who might be vulnerable.
 It helps in improving the team communication ability (Sanders, 2020).
 It helps in building the team trust and communication at large scale.
 Safeguarding also enables the staff recording and reporting the abuse faced by the
individuals at large scale.
Disadvantages of safeguarding are -

 There is lack of understanding of thresholds and meaning of safeguarding which is the
major weakness.
 There has been inconsistent practice of the safeguarding teams which are being allotted to
individuals within the care structure.
 There is lack of clarity and roles and as well as capacity and resources at large scale.
1.2 Explanation of role of Safeguarding
The role of safeguarding is to ensure that the basic human rights of individuals, which
are interrelated towards rights of vulnerable adults, young adults are upheld and children and
other vulnerable people are able to live free from abuse, harm and neglect. The main aim of
Safeguarding is to protect people from different types of abuse, neglect and harm leading to
serious issues such as child sexual abuse and physical violence towards people. Analytical
approach to safety, needs and protection of individuals in relation to safeguarding has crucial
role for providing timely services based on optimum welfare goals
D2 2.1 Current legislation in relation to safeguarding
Health and social care act 2012
The main aims of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, is to provide change in NHS care
commissioning, through rapid involvement of clinicians to improve best health and social care
paradigms based on improved health and accountability standards.
The act aims to improve quality of care, establishing a regulator to promote economic functional
stability. The act works on three core principles, to meet the needs of people, to remain free at
point of care delivery and access to NHS based on clinical needs. It considers economic, social
and environment well-being of procurement of services diversely (The National Archives, 2022).
It reduces inequalities between patients with respect to ability for accessing health services,
where it promotes involvement of patients with their carers within decisions about provisions of
health (Sharma,2019).

It has made it possible to significantly improve care standards, based on benchmarks to
determine engaged safeguarding. Safeguarding is vital process that protects children and adults
from harm, abuse and neglect and is essential towards workplace management.
The Health and Social Care Act relates to safeguarding in the manner that it helps in
protecting children and young adults from any type of abuse or neglect which they are facing.
Safeguarding is the protection of the lives of the people which is stated and is concerned with
regarding the health and care of the patients. The Care Act is concerned with how effectively
the care is being provided to the patients.
The Care Act 2014
The Care Act, 2014 is the main piece of legislation used for safeguarding vulnerable adults. It
sets out a framework for people involved in safeguarding, which is based on care towards home
workers and protection of adults from abuse, harm and neglect. The Care Act helps in
determining the concerns of individuals in society and the help, provided to individuals through
the facilities and services are provided to individuals (GOV.UK 2016). The Care Act 2014 is
one of the best pieces of legislation used for providing safeguarding services for adults, based on
prime, specific learning to determine optimum care standards (Weir,2020). The Care Act
provides informative data for developing and providing best care and services to restore
wellness, specific health care paradigms towards safeguarding.
Acts are concerned with safeguarding adults and children:
Acts related to children - Childcare Act, 2016 is the act which helps in determining and fulfilling the concerns
which are related to developing the facilities and services to be provided to the children
appropriately.
 Children and Social Work Act, 2017 helps in determining the concerns
which are related to the care concerns and facilities to be provided to the children in

safeguarding them from abuse and neglect. This is the act which is intended to improvise
the support while taking care of the children in appropriate manner and looking after their
needs and facilities to be accomplished.
 Domestic Abuse Act, 2021 is the act which explains how the behavior of
perpetrators in domestic abuse cases constitutes abuse, from the point of view of children
witnessing/experiencing abuse in parental domestic abuse relationships. It recognises
children as victim/survivors in their own right within the definition of domestic abuses for the
first time, rather than witnesses.
Acts related to adults -
 The Care Act, 2014 is the act which is defined as the law which sets out how adult
social care, in England should be provided to individuals.
 The Protection from Harassment Act, 1997 helps in determining the
aspects of protecting the adults from harassment and this helps in explaining the concerns
which are regarding the safeguarding of the adults. This act covers wider range of
behavior which helps in alarming the distress or the victim at large scale. This is the act
which helps in providing the remedies regarding the crime which happened and along
with that civil remedies are also provided.
 Clare's Law is the law which helps in determining the concerns regarding the
safeguarding the individuals (Grace, 2019). It helps in enabling the police to enables
the police to disclose information to a victim or potential victim of domestic
abuse about their partner's or ex-partner's previous abusive or violent
offending.
D3 Relationship between legislation, policy and procedures
“Policy”” is defined as the set of guidelines and rules of the organisation which
employees have to follow to achieve compliance. Policies are generally creatted by the
governance body, within the organisation, and help in determining the aspects and rules which

are to be followed. This helps in creating value and understanding towards the policies which are
to be followed.
Procedures are defined as the set of actions, which are determined by addressing and
creating the actions, which are officially and are accepted in formal way. It is the manner in
which different procedures and set of actions are followed within the pattern of finding the
analysis. Procedures are framed to be followed by the individuals and professionals concerned
with safeguarding.
The policies and procedures relate to legislation in the manner which helps in defining
the meaning of legislation within safeguarding. The legislation is the law passed or proposed to
be passed. The policies and procedures are aligned and are constituents of how the legal policies
and procedures are determined.
Policies are the set parameters for decision making process which is framed to be
flexible. Procedures are defined as the step by step instructions which are framed for the analysis
at large scale within the system.
The relationship between legislations, policy and procedures can be analyzed that it tries
to further improve care standards and improve profound care aspects for improved functional
abilities. The legislations, policy and procedures have specific influence correlated on
fundamental competencies, based on specific paradigms for authentic engagement. It enables to
precisely form specific pace, leverage effective awareness and also generate competent
awareness among people to determine specific care standards. People such as care home
workers, nursery staff and teachers have to safeguard varied working specific parameters for
delivering best care specifically.
D4 Identify policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding in health and social care -
Policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding
Safeguarding refers to actions and procedures taken to promote welfare of vulnerable people and
protect people from harm, it refers to guidelines and demands that leaders showcase specific care

standards. The safeguarding procedures are designed to prevent abuses, where potential risks and
steps to protect allegations are further analyzed to determine improvement.
There are different policies and procedures which are being initiated and are
considered within the safeguarding in health and social care -
Anti — Bullying Policy — This is the policy which is framed to protect the individuals from
bullying.
Whistle blowing Policy — It provides the right to the worker to take the case to an employment
tribunal if they have been victimized at their work and have lost their job because of blowing the
whistle.
Health and Safety Policy, 1974 — The Health and Safety Policy, 1974 is being initiated and
framed for the concern that the individuals are concerned and the organizations ensure that the
work culture is fair and is safe and the individuals are protected from the concerns of health and
safety to be provided to individuals.
Section 2
B1 3.1 Factors that contributes to individual vulnerability, recognition of abuse
There are various factors that contribute to individual vulnerability, recognition and abuse
aspects which are related to person lifestyle factors.
There are various factors that contribute to individual vulnerability, which are as follows:
 Poverty: Poverty is one of the specific factors which contributes to individual
vulnerability, and less availability of safeguarding towards lifestyle factors. It can be
analyzed that poverty increases risk of vulnerability against abuse (Martineau, 2019).
 Livelihood: The communities living style and livelihood factors have specific correlation
towards stability and access to products based on absence within proper facilities, where
limited access to market for products is essential. The livelihood parameters if not
contributing to individual vulnerability, it further leads to abuse significantly.

 Equity: Unequal distribution to human rights leads to conflicts and deterioration of social
systems, where access to information connected to access of information are based.
Individual vulnerability is hurt. Recognition of abuse should be monitored, and evolved
check specifically correlated towards improvising care scenarios.
There are some other factors which helps in contributing to individual vulnerability, recognition
of abuse. These factors are mentioned as –
Physical Factors – These are the factors which are indicative of the aspect where the children
are being taken care of. This includes – poor construction and design of the buildings,
unregulated land use and planning.
Disability – Children born with disability are considered and are counted among the vulnerable
group. They need more extensive health care and needs to be fulfilled and this should be taken
care of in appropriate manner.
Mental Health – The children are suffering from mental health problems which has become
major problem and is contributing to the aspects of vulnerability, self-harm and abuse which they
are facing at different ages.
Immigrant Background – Children with immigrant background are more likely to suffer and
this is indicative of the aspect that the vulnerability among children is also increased.
Maltreatment – Children maltreatment is the major concern which has been increasing the
aspects and ways of harming and abusing at large scale.
Poverty is one of the most common factor, for contributing to vulnerability aspects and risks
towards abuse within lifestyle factors. Recognition of abuse is essential and another parameter,
which enables to shape extended care standards to be given by social care practitioner. The
recognition to abuse, significantly improves long term goals for prioritizing wellness and further
extended care to be given for overcoming wider edge priorities (Levine, Morton and O’Reilly,
2020).
The vulnerability of the person and abuse is determined by the factors such as –
disability, if the service user cannot communicate or tell anyone of the abuse,
The elderly, those who are dependent on care services and cannot look after themselves,

the sick people.
B2 1.3 Health and social care practitioners take steps to safeguard themselves
The health and social care practitioners take steps to safeguard themselves by –
 Ensuring that they are in a safe environment away from any harm or abuse which they
might be facing while practicing health and social care.
 By identifying the situation which addresses or makes them fall into the situation of risk.
They safeguard themselves by ensuring that they are in safe zones while undertaking the
health and care practice (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,
2019).
The key issues which are relevant in safeguarding process are described as –
 It is better to take prevention from the harmful ingredients which are diversified and are
there in the environment as it can become an issue while safeguarding within the health
and social care setting.
 The key issue which is relevant while safeguarding process of practitioner are related to
the abuse and harm which they might be facing in their practice.
Therefore, this helps in addressing that how the practitioners are safeguarding themselves.
The health and social care practitioners take different steps to safeguard themselves in such
manner that –
 By reading policies and procedures that are placed to safeguard them and the children
who have been in the society.
 By taking proper preventive measures and protection against any type of harm is likely to
occur within the care setting.
C2 Action to report abuse and health, social care practitioner

The abuse must be reported by analyzing injuries or inconsistency within person lifestyle
and check bruising, cuts, marks on body along with frequent injuries and unexplained falls.
Raising an alert and creating awareness of concerns about abuse must be reported to
agencies, providing safeguarding to vulnerable people. The social care practitioner’s role is to
identify abuse, report abuse significantly by shedding light on the care to be provided to the care
practitioners. Abuse should be recognized, and reported to social care practitioners, for
rehabilitation therapies there is further improvisation in the care facilities. Experiencing abuse,
neglect and exploitation further has significant impact on care delivery where service care
practitioners have to be competently aware of timely providing care, medical services. It is
important that the care practitioners are being serving their duties and responsibilities and this
helps in raising the awareness which is determined. The abuse must be reported to the care
practitioner as it helps in understanding the concerns of how the care is provided to the patients
along with care (Keeling and Davies, 2020).
C1 Five types of abuse are as follows:
Sexual, emotional and mental abuse along with finance, economic abuse are some of the
most specific types of abuse aspects which have crucial impact on overall paradigms. Abuse
types further enables to extensively form competent role, where it ideally advances scope to
collectively analyze untapped priorities. Five types of abuse which hampers specific efficiency
within lifestyle are as follows:
 Sexual abuse: It is form of physical abuse, where it includes physical and non-physical
components, includes sexual abuse aspects such as rape, forced sexual acts and using sex
as weapon. There are number of ways through which sexual abuse can be experienced,
as it is uniquely used for power and control. It can be physically abusive, which impacts
individual overall wellness within longer time period (Jahans‐Baynto and Grealish,
2021).
Signs and symptoms of sexual abuse are – physical pain or itching in the genital area,
problems in sitting or walking, having trouble in sleeping, stomach aches, underwear
stained etc.

 Emotional abuse: It involves nonphysical behavior that include insults, put down, verbal
threat and tactics that make victim feel threatened and ashamed significantly. Emotional
abuse harms self-respect, values and lifestyle factors which is one of the most essential
aspect found as one of the major concern. Emotional abuse can be physical and verbal as
well, as it further declines well- being criteria diversely and technically declines care
standards (Payne, 2021).
Signs and symptoms of emotional abuse are — lack of confidence and self-esteem,
difficulties in controlling emotions, aggressive, having outbursts, extreme behavior etc.
 Mental/ psychological abuse: The mental abuse is experienced through series of action
and words, which involves victim to doubt their own sanity, where sustained period of
time is evaluated. Mental abuse specifically hampers functional lifestyle parameters
isolation which abusers are more prone to experience specific fear. This hampers overall
wellness, mental aptitude and also lowers mental well being dynamically.
Signs and symptoms of mental abuse are — codependency, criticism, humiliation,
controlling, accusation and blame.
 Financial/ economic abuse: There is unexplained lack of money or inability to maintain
lifestyle where unexplained withdrawals of funds from accounts are also experienced.
Financial and economic abuse, significantly hurts determined specific improvement,
based on rapid development. Economic abuse further has critical role to hamper person
specific lifestyle factor, where it also primitively lowers person confidence abilities
diversely (Phelan, McCarthy and McKee, 2018).
Signs and symptoms of financial abuse are — missing personal possessions, unexplained lack
of money, unexplained lack of funds and accounts.
C2Line of reporting and responsibility in relation to safeguarding, protection and welfare
The social care practitioner, in relation to safeguarding, protecting and welfare, delivers
health support from initial care to rehabilitation. Through building close relationships with
medical practitioners, safeguarding and protection for patients is done with support towards
patients and families, to ensure holistic care needs.

Having the right communication policies and procedures is essential in protecting vulnerable
individuals, safeguarding rights and providing protection. It has been found that specific lines of
reporting and responsibility management ensure that efficiency can be achieved, by reporting
vulnerable cases immediately.
Safeguarding, protection and welfare enable to analyze and create value as to how effectively the
protection and welfare are being considered as important for protecting the patients. Line of
reporting, in protection and welfare extensively forms imperative improvement based on
extensive care paradigms based on extensive care standards for strengthening vitality diversely.
Abuse should be reported as identified, as it enables to advance on working procedural growth
based on specific functional improvement diversely on extended criteria functionally. The
safeguarding further enables to determine extensive timely care being given for attending best
technical safety standards, restoring best therapies to vulnerable people and communities. This
can be also analyzed as widely essential, to determine extensive care goals and improvise long
term care plans for developing best determinants based on reporting parameters (Harris, 2018).
The line of reporting and responsibility in relation to safeguarding, protection and
welfare is being addressed as — adhering to policies and procedures, assessment of needs, care
planning, risk assessments, reports from other agencies, safeguarding plans, records of meetings
and outcomes, confidentiality.
The workers should report the signs of abuse and also report the allegations of abuse. By
reporting the abuse, they will be on the safer side as protection and prevention measures will be
provided to them and this will also stop them from getting any type of harm (Butler, 2022). They
should report the abuse to the health and social care practitioners. They should follow the
policies and procedures so that they are able to analyze what rules and policies and to be
followed and how they can take care of themselves within the health and social care
environment.

Section 3
D1 6.1 Role and responsibilities of health and social care practitioner in relation to
safeguarding individuals
The health and social care practitioner's role and responsibilities, in relation to safeguarding
individuals, holds huge importance, as practitioners should work, in a way that prevents abuse,
providing good quality care and putting individuals at the center of the work they do. The health
and social care practitioner must be competent and aware of extensive care services in relation to
safeguarding individuals, as it enables individuals facing isolation and abuse to be safe (FENGE,
2022).
The Health Care Practitioner delivers health support from initial care to rehabilitation,
through building close relationships with medical practitioners. This also builds support towards
patients and families, to ensure holistic care needs are met. Providing advice on health
improvement in supporting care and education to individuals, enables to safeguard their views
and extended care scenarios. As a practitioner, signs and symptoms of abuse have specific
concerns which need to be reported and escalated. Concerns should be responded to. maintaining
optimum care standards, adhering to specific functional care goals aims to improvise the best
health and social care services for safeguarding individuals (Healy and Dray, 2022).
The roles and responsibilities of health and social care practitioner helps in deciding the
care and facilities which are to be provided to the patients, in appropriate manner. This helps to
understand the concerns and duties which are analyzed and helps in considering providing the
inclusive practice, duty of care, person centered practice, empowerment, monitoring of the
patients, observation, reporting, partnership working, maintaining the confidentiality etc. These
are major aspects which are considered and this helps in determining the concerns related to care
and facilities provided to the patients.
D2Working within requirements of current legislations through implementation of
policies and procedures
The working within current legislations through implementation of policies and
procedures enables to improve extensive care aspects, which shapes up accurate goals for