Safeguarding Adults Level 1 and 2

 

Level 1: Basic Awareness of Safeguarding Adults

Principles of Safeguarding Adults

1. Empowerment:
   • Support individuals to make their own decisions.
   • Ensure informed consent and respect for personal choices.
2. Prevention:
   • Take proactive measures to prevent abuse and neglect.
   • Provide information and support to reduce risks.
3. Proportionality:
   • Respond appropriately to the severity of the risk.
   • Use the least intrusive intervention necessary.
4. Protection:
   • Support those in greatest need.
   • Ensure safety and protection from harm.
5. Partnership:
   • Work collaboratively with other agencies and community resources.
   • Share information appropriately to enhance safeguarding efforts.
6. Accountability:
   • Be transparent and accountable for actions and decisions.
   • Ensure clarity in roles and responsibilities.

Legal Framework

• Care Act 2014: Provides the statutory framework for safeguarding adults in England, emphasizing cooperation and promoting well-being.
• Mental Capacity Act 2005: Protects individuals who may lack mental capacity, providing a framework for decision-making on their behalf.
• Human Rights Act 1998: Ensures protection of individuals’ rights and freedoms, including the right to life, freedom from torture, and respect for private and family life.

Types of Abuse and Neglect

1. Physical Abuse: Hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, restraint, or inappropriate physical sanctions.
2. Sexual Abuse: Rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts.
3. Psychological Abuse: Emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, isolation or unreasonable and unjustified withdrawal of services or supportive networks.
4. Financial or Material Abuse: Theft, fraud, internet scamming, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including wills, property, inheritance, or financial transactions.
5. Neglect and Acts of Omission: Ignoring medical, emotional, or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health, care and support or educational services, withholding of the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition, and heating.
6. Discriminatory Abuse: Harassment, slurs, or similar treatment based on race, gender, gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation, or religion.
7. Organisational Abuse: Neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting such as a hospital or care home, or in relation to care provided in one’s own home. This may range from one-off incidents to ongoing ill-treatment.
8. Domestic Abuse: Psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse; so-called ‘honour’-based violence.
9. Self-Neglect: A wide range of behavior neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health, or surroundings and includes behavior such as hoarding.

Recognizing Signs of Abuse and Neglect

• Physical: Unexplained injuries, bruises, burns, fractures.
• Emotional: Withdrawal, anxiety, depression, fearfulness, changes in behavior.
• Sexual: Bruising or injuries in genital areas, sexually transmitted infections, changes in behavior.
• Financial: Unexplained financial transactions, loss of property or money, unmet basic needs.
• Neglect: Poor hygiene, untreated medical conditions, malnutrition, dehydration, unsafe living conditions.

Actions to Take

1. Recognize: Be vigilant and identify signs of abuse or neglect.
2. Respond: Ensure immediate safety, provide support, and document concerns.
3. Report: Follow organizational procedures for reporting to safeguarding leads or appropriate authorities.
4. Record: Keep detailed, factual records of observations and actions taken.

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Level 2: Intermediate Safeguarding Adults

Enhanced Understanding of Safeguarding

1. Risk Assessment:
   • Conduct thorough assessments to identify risks and vulnerabilities.
   • Use standardized tools and frameworks to evaluate the severity and impact of risks.
2. Safeguarding Plans:
   • Develop and implement comprehensive safeguarding plans.
   • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to address identified risks and support the adult at risk.
3. Legal and Ethical Considerations:
   • Apply relevant legislation, such as the Care Act 2014 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005, in practice.
   • Balance respect for autonomy with the duty to protect individuals from harm.

Advanced Types of Abuse and Neglect

• Forced Marriage: Marrying without the consent of both parties and under duress.
• Modern Slavery: Encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labor, and domestic servitude.
• Radicalisation: Process by which individuals come to support terrorism or extremism.

Advanced Recognition and Response

• Pattern Recognition: Identify patterns of abuse over time, rather than isolated incidents.
• Holistic Assessment: Consider physical, emotional, social, and environmental factors when assessing for abuse.
• Multi-Agency Working:
  • Collaborate with social services, law enforcement, mental health services, and other agencies.
  • Participate in safeguarding meetings and case conferences to share information and plan interventions.

Detailed Steps in Responding to Abuse

1. Immediate Response:
   • Ensure the immediate safety of the adult at risk.
   • Provide necessary medical treatment and support.
2. Detailed Reporting:
   • Report concerns following organizational protocols.
   • Include all relevant information, such as the nature of the abuse, involved parties, and any immediate actions taken.
3. Comprehensive Recording:
   • Keep detailed, accurate, and timely records.
   • Document observations, conversations, and actions taken.
4. Referral and Follow-Up:
   • Refer to safeguarding authorities or specialist services as required.
   • Follow up on referrals to ensure appropriate actions have been taken and outcomes achieved.

Support and Advocacy

• Empowerment and Advocacy:
  • Support individuals to make their own decisions and advocate on their behalf when necessary.
  • Provide information about rights and available support services.
• Emotional and Psychological Support:
  • Offer or refer to counseling and mental health services.
  • Provide ongoing emotional support to help individuals recover from abuse.

Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR)

• Purpose: SARs are conducted to learn from serious safeguarding cases where an adult has died or been seriously harmed.
• Process: Multidisciplinary review to identify lessons learned and improve future safeguarding practices.
• Implementation: Use findings from SARs to inform policies, procedures, and training programs.