Safeguarding Policy

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Honiton Carers Support Group (HCSG) – Safeguarding Policy

Policy brief and purpose

HCSG is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults.  Whilst the carers we support are 18+, and the people they care for are 18+, we recognise the importance of not endangering Children or any Young People linked to any of our activities.  Hence, this is why information about same is included. 

The purpose of this policy is to outline the duties and responsibilities of volunteers, members and visitors who are working on behalf of HCSG, in regard to the protection of vulnerable adults. The policy is about stopping abuse where it is happening and, preventing abuse where there is a risk that it may occur.

Definition 

Everyone has a right to be safe from harm and should be able to live free from fear of abuse, neglect and exploitation. Some people are less able to protect themselves than others, and some have difficulty making their wishes and feelings known. This may make them more vulnerable. 

Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of those who are vulnerable and to protect them from harm. 

The key objectives of this policy are: 

  1. To explain the responsibilities that HCSG and all its volunteers and members have in respect of protecting vulnerable adults
  2. To provide an overview of who may be vulnerable and how we all should work to protect them
  3. To provide a clear procedure that will be implemented around safeguarding and, our response should issues arise.

Legal framework 

This guidance reflects the principles contained within the Human Rights Act 1998, the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, No Secrets 2000, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Care Act 2014. 

Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any other person or persons. (No Secrets 2000). 

Abuse may consist of a single act or repeated acts. It may be physical, verbal or psychological, it may be an act of neglect or an omission to act, or it may occur when a vulnerable person is persuaded to enter into a financial or sexual transaction to which she or he has not consented or cannot consent. Abuse can occur in any relationship, and it may result in significant harm to, or exploitation of, the person subjected to it. Abuse can happen to anyone who may be unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation. 

Adult at risk of abuse or neglect – For the purposes of this policy, adult at risk refers to someone over 18 years old who, according to paragraph 42.1 of the Care Act 2014:

  • Has care and support needs
  • Is experiencing or, is at risk of abuse or neglect
  • As a result of their care and support needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or,the risk of it.

Children and young people are defined as those persons aged under 18 years old. This policy will apply to all volunteers and members and will be used to support their work. 

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined in Working Together 2018 as:

  • Protecting children from maltreatment
  • Preventing impairment of children’s health and development
  • Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
  • Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

Types of abuse 

  • Physical: including hitting, shaking, biting, grabbing, withholding food or drink, force-feeding, wrongly administering medicine, unnecessary restraint, and failing to provide physical care and aids to living. 
  • Sexual: including sexual assault, rape, inappropriate touching/molesting, and pressurising someone into sexual acts they don’t understand or feel powerless to refuse. 
  • Emotional or psychological: including verbal abuse, shouting, swearing, threatening abandonment or harm, isolating, taking away privacy or other rights, bullying/intimidation, blaming, controlling or humiliation. 
  • Financial or material: including withholding money or possessions, theft of money or property, fraud, intentionally mismanaging finances, borrowing money and not repaying. 
  • Neglect: including withholding food, drink, heating and clothing, failing to provide access to health, social and educational services, ignoring physical care needs, exposing a person to unacceptable risk, or failing to ensure adequate supervision. 
  • Discriminatory abuse (also known as Hate Crime): including slurs, harassment and maltreatment due to a person’s ethnicity, sex, disability, age, gender or gender status, religion or belief, culture or sexual orientation. 
  • Institutional abuse: including the use of systems and routines which neglect a person receiving care. This can happen in any formal care setting. 
  • Mate crime: people with learning difficulties can be befriended by people who then exploit them. These are groups and individuals who pretend to be friends but who are really taking advantage of people. This is abuse of a vulnerable person. 
  • Self-Neglect: where the person makes a choice to potentially abuse themselves, e.g., neglecting personal hygiene, self-harming, not eating, drug and alcohol abuse. 

Our Policy 

All volunteers and members working on behalf of HCSG must promote the welfare and safety of vulnerable adults. This policy covers all Trustees, volunteers, and members.

· The HCSG has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.

· There are no excuses for not taking all reasonable action to protect children and adults at risk from abuse, exploitation, radicalisation and mistreatment.

· The HCSG is committed to promoting well-being and harm prevention; and, responding effectively if concerns are raised.

· How to follow agreed Safeguarding procedures: 

  1. See Safeguarding Appendix A Flow Chart for Referrals: 
  • See it. Recognise it. Report it. 
  • When a safeguarding concern is raised, HCSG Trustees will follow the procedures.
  1. The Data Protection Act enables you to act to protect members of the public. It is appropriate to share information in this instance. If someone approaches you about concerns, discloses possible abuse or, discloses abuse by someone else: 
  • Listen to what the person has to say. 
  • Stay calm. 
  • Do not show shock or disgust.
  • Do not be judgmental or dismissive of the allegation. 
  • Ask sufficient questions to determine if the vulnerable person is safe; but do not prejudice any investigation. 
  • Seek consent to share information – but do not promise to keep the secret. 
  • Please note: Under Data Protection you must ask for permission to report concerns unless you consider the person to be at serious risk. 
  • Speak to a Trustee/HCSG Safeguarding lead. 
  • Maintain confidentiality and do not discuss with anyone else at all. 

Trustees/Safeguarding Lead actions: 

  • Take appropriate notes and keep them safe
  • Inform other trustees as appropriate
  • Get in touch with one of the contacts below to make an alert, providing all the details that you have to date
  • If the potential abuse is immediate, seek to stop action.  This may include suspension or temporary exclusion whilst an investigation is undertaken. Recognising this action is not an assumption of abuse but an agreed safeguarding process
  • The trustees should then contact:
    • Care Direct at Devon County Council and explain your concerns – 0345 1551 007. 
    • The Safeguarding Adults team for the Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group: d-ccg.safeadults@nhs.net: 01392 267683 
    • Or, the Police. 

In addition:

  • The welfare of the child and/or adult at risk is paramount and all adults have the right to protection from abuse
  • We are committed to working with appropriate agencies. These include Devon County Council’s Safeguarding Teams. We have a duty to ensure the reporting of abuse is appropriate; and that it is in line with local, national and Charity Commission’ requirements and, Information Sharing guidance
  • We will create an environment where volunteers and members feel able to raise safeguarding concerns and feel supported with their safeguarding responsibilities
  • All volunteers and members are given an induction to the organisation, which includes awareness of their safeguarding responsibilities and procedures to be followed if they have a safeguarding concern
  • Appropriate Safeguarding training is provided to volunteers as part of their induction, and a safeguarding refresher course every three years
  • All volunteers are required to report any suspected abuse. They should be aware of the appropriate reporting and support procedure for safeguarding, including the reporting of people at risk of radicalisation and extremism
  • All volunteers must be clear about what behaviour and responses are appropriate. They must follow our agreed Code of Conduct/Behaviour. Failure to maintain standards may be dealt with using the HCSG’s procedures
  • All volunteers who come into contact with adults at risk of abuse (or of children and their families) as part of their HCSG duties must be alert to possible signs of abuse. They should consider whether there may be safeguarding concerns. They will discuss their concerns with the Designated Safeguarding Lead, to get appropriate support
  • There is a Designated Lead for safeguarding at the HCSG
  • The Designated Safeguarding Lead for the HCSG will fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities in a way that ensures that adults and children are safeguarded from harm. 
  • The Safeguarding Lead is responsible for following up and reporting any suspected reports of abuse
  • A suitable recruitment of volunteers’ policy is in place, including guidance on when to obtain a DBS check
  • Any hall hirer/user should have their Safeguarding policy in place and the SLA/Contract for hire will include an agreement to follow a shared safeguarding process
  • A senior HCSG Trustee-level member will have leadership responsibility for the HCSG’s safeguarding arrangements
  • This policy will be reviewed annually by the HCSG Trustees
  • Trustees may receive disclosures of abuse and observe vulnerable adults who are at risk of abuse, either from professionals or from family members. This policy will enable Trustees to make informed and confident responses to specific adult protection issues. 

All volunteers and members will be made aware of this policy on induction and a copy will always be available on request.