Improving Safeguarding Strategies in Health and Social Care Contexts

This report delves into the critical topic of safeguarding within health and social care environments. It begins by outlining existing working practices and strategies designed to reduce abuse, such as effective communication, anti-discriminatory policies, training sessions, and whistleblowing mechanisms, referencing the importance of regulatory standards like those outlined in the Care Quality Commission (CQC) guidelines. The report then evaluates the effectiveness of these practices, using case studies like the tragic Baby P case to illustrate both successes and failures in implementation. It highlights the significance of multi-disciplinary working and partnership approaches. Finally, the report proposes improvements to existing strategies, emphasizing the need for enhanced standards of care, improved complaint systems, and robust whistleblowing policies to minimize the potential for abuse and ensure the well-being of service users. The report underscores the importance of continuous evaluation and adaptation of safeguarding measures to address emerging challenges and protect vulnerable individuals.

Safeguarding in Health and
Social Care

TABLE OF CONTENTS
LO3..................................................................................................................................................3
3.1 Existing working practices and strategies design to reduce abuse in health and social care
context..........................................................................................................................................3
3.2 Effectiveness of working practices and strategies used to minimize abuse in health and
social care contexts......................................................................................................................4
3.3. Improvement to working practice and strategies to minimise abuse in health and social
care contexts................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

LO3
3.1 Existing working practices and strategies design to reduce abuse in health and social care
context
There are various existing practices such as effective communication oral and written.
This is the best practice in the context of social and health care. When social and health care
organization keeps open communication system within workplace that helps to resolve conflicts
crisis which takes place between health providers, senior authorities and service users. Effective
communication reduces abuse of service users and health provider. Oral and written
communication is an expected strategy to minimise abuse. According to the code of 13 standard
care and treatment must plan and provide in such manner that meets all individuals needs
effectively. In that state caregivers requires effective communication with service users or their
family effectively to understand that any abuse have taken place with service users. The
regulation 13 (4) safeguarding stated that there must be involved in police and procedures of
hospitals which helps to deliver best care and treatment with requirement detailed in plan and
report to the service users and their family about health-related information. The reason behind is
that according 13 (2) safeguarding rule caregivers must aware of their specific responsibilities
that will resist, determine as well report abuse when offering care and treatment. if service
providers keep information under covered that means servicer user can be face abuse. So, it
essential to practice effective communication within workplace. Anti-discriminatory practice is
another existing working practice that must implement within workplace. The reason behind is
that when health and social care organization implements such policy within workplace that
means no health professionals or service users will be discriminated within workplace (Hood and
et.al., 2017). According to CQI 13(4) safeguarding rule that health professionals must understand
their roles and responsibility to prevent discrimination with service users in term of age, gender,
sexual orientation, gender disability, pregnancy and others and practices anti-discrimination
policies in their action that will minimize abuse in the health and social contexts. Exiting
strategies are training session for protecting child from abuse and forms for abuse. Training
session helps health professionals to improve understanding in protecting child from abusing.
When heath professionals have high understanding of child abusing then they can take initiatives
to minimize abuse in the social and health contexts. While Abuse forum is another existing

strategy that helps service users and health professionals to inform senior authorities about
abusing. Abuse forum is a type of written complaining document
procedure whereas service users or other caregivers can complain
against anyone related to abusing wheather physical or sexual.
While health and social organizations takes instant action against
such people who abusing to service user. This is best method of minimizing
abuse in the contexts of health and social care. In the case of Baby P, he was new born baby had
been passed only 17 months but he was abused by relatives. But hospitals and local authorities
were failed to protect Baby P from abuse because they did not practice existing strategy and
working practice within workplace. Baby P’s doctor aware about Baby P injuries but was not
give any response. While local authority like police knew that Baby P’s relatives are interlinked
with child abuse scandal but did not give any response.
Whistle blowing disclosure policies is effective policy that can support to minimize
abuse. For example, local authorities allow such whistle blowers to disclose all unethical
practices which are undertaken within social and health contexts. The main goal of the whistle
blowing policy to prevent unethical practices. Safeguarding policy also plays essential role to
protect child from abuse. With this safeguard policy empowers service users to complaint against
unethical and abuse behaviour of caregivers in the context of social and health. There is various
code of care safeguarding laws specially 13 safeguarding regulation that are designed to
minimize abuse with service users. Multi-disciplinary working is another best existing working
practice whereas all social workers, health professionals and local authorities collaborates
together at the particular platform. In the case of Baby P health professional shared child
abusing information to the local authorities then they informed police. Thus, all department were
played their responsibility quite impressively.
3.2 Effectiveness of working practices and strategies used to minimize abuse in health and social
care contexts
Anti-discriminative practice, effective oral and written communication, communication
technology in sharing information between health professionals etc. are working practices that
gives huge contribution in minimizing abuse within health and social contexts. As same existing

strategies are training session to protect child abuse, abuse forum and others. All existing
strategies and working practices are served their purpose effectively means each practice is
designed to improve wellbeing of individuals in different contexts like social care and heath care.
it plays vital role in minimizing abuse between health professionals and service users effectively.
But there is a condition such as when all social care and health care effectively practices such
existing practices and policies then they can serve their purpose (Omar, 2019). In the case of
Baby P, he was suffering from sexual abuse by their relatives and he had more than 50 injuries.
Baby P is treated by doctor and he knew that child was suffering from 50 injuries but did
not give any response. The child was suffering from sexual abuse and had extensive injuries on
his body which made his condition pathetic, but doctors did not take Baby P injury seriously as
resulted were unable to protect him. However, Baby P’s doctor informed police about Baby P’s
case but did not disclose the name of criminals. Generally, death of Baby P could be prevented if
local authorities had informed police to investigate background of Ms. A. and her boyfriend.
Social workers, doctors and police were played effective in such case for example doctors aware
local authorities about Baby P condition then local authorities informed police about
safeguarding children. While social worker played effective role with doctors, they did not offer
opportunity to the police (Peckover and Appleton, 2019). Doctors and social workers have
decided to investigate case self without involving police. In addition, social workers took some
initiative to protect child such as to influence Ms A to keep child with family to indicated that
authorities wanted. Thus, each one played effective role to protect Baby P. Partnership working
is quite good as compared individuals because it improves working productivity within
workplace. For example, when health care organization works in the collaboration with social
care organization that improves working efficiency and leads productive outcomes in the service
user’s health. In the case of Baby P, whereas doctors and social workers are worked together to
keep Baby P safe who were abusing physical abuse. This working can be improved if all partners
perform their duties honestly and gives priorities of each viewpoint. Thus, such working
improves effectiveness of work and minimize abuse possibilities.

3.3. Improvement to working practice and strategies to minimise abuse in health and social care
contexts
To improve existing working practice and strategies needs to develop such areas that will
minimize abuse possibilities in the context of social and health care. For example, standard of
care is the main area that needs to be improved because when health professionals or social
workers and local authorities practices a care of standard like standard 13 then they enable to
improve understanding scenario of abusing that can take place intentionally and simultaneously
(Peckover and Golding, 2017). Heath professionals must improve their care practices that will
lead outcome-based results in service user’s health. Another is complaint system that is also an
important source of improvement. If health and social care develops complaints systems such as
if any person is abusing by others either they are service users or health professionals then they
can direct communicate with senior authorities instead of sharing their issues with two and three
mediators that keeps individual’s protective from abusing. Whistle blowing policies are also
good option that will support to minimize abuse in health and social care contexts.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Hood, R and et.al., 2017. Collaborating across the threshold: The development of
interprofessional expertise in child safeguarding. Journal of Interprofessional
Care, 31(6), pp.705-713.
Omar, A., 2019. New safeguarding arrangements: identifying children outside the system. BMJ:
British Medical Journal (Online), 367.
Peckover, S. and Appleton, J.V., 2019. Health visiting and safeguarding children: A perfect
storm?. Journal of Health Visiting, 7(5), pp.232-238.
Peckover, S. and Golding, B., 2017. Domestic abuse and safeguarding children: critical issues
for multiagency work. Child abuse review, 26(1), pp.40-50.