SAFEGUARDING ADULTS & CHILDREN POLICY
1. Policy Statement
1.1 Castles & Coasts Housing Association (CCHA) is committed to taking a pro-active approach to safeguarding. CCHA is also committed to ensuring our officers and contractors understand their individual responsibilities to residents and the wider community, and that they are supported to identify signs of abuse, neglect or harm, and act accordingly.
1.2 CCHA believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to help prevent the abuse of adults and children, by understanding the signs of abuse or neglect and acting in an appropriate way to safeguard residents, and to ensure support is in place for individuals at risk. CCHA recognise that it has a key safeguarding role to play, alongside other professionals in social care, health, education and the police, in keeping people safe.
2. Policy Aims
2.1 The key objectives of this policy are that CCHA will strive to:
• meet its safeguarding obligations, in line with the Care Act 2014 and the Children Act 1989 and 2004
• raise awareness about the signs of potential abuse, neglect or harm
• create a culture across CCHA where abuse is not tolerated, and officers and contractors understand their individual responsibilities, in helping to safeguard residents and the wider community
• put in place procedures to identify and, where appropriate, act on potential signs of abuse or neglect
• have multi-agency partnerships in place to endeavour to safeguard residents from abuse or neglect.
3. Safeguarding Definitions
3.1 Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare, health, wellbeing and human rights of adults and children, to protect them from harm, abuse and neglect.
3.2 Abuse and neglect can be caused by inflicting harm or by failing to act to prevent harm. Abuse or neglect is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights, by any other person or group of people. Abuse or neglect can happen anywhere; often the person causing the harm is someone known to the person, in a position of trust and power. Neglect can include self- neglect.
3.3 The Care Act 2014 encourages agencies not to limit their view of what constitutes abuse or neglect, and to consider each case individually. The Act lists the following types of abuse. However, this is not intended to be an exhaustive list:
• Physical abuse: This includes hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, restraint, and misuse of medication. It can also include inappropriate sanctions.
• Psychological/emotional abuse: This includes threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, isolation, or withdrawal from services or supportive networks.
• Financial or material abuse: This includes theft, fraud, internet scamming, and coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions. It can also include the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions, or benefits.
• Sexual abuse: This includes rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts, indecent exposure and sexual assault, or sexual acts to which the adult has not consented, or was pressured into consenting.
• Modern slavery: encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude
• Domestic abuse: encompasses controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over, who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members or are personally connected, as defined by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, regardless of gender or sexuality. It includes so called ‘honour’ based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage
• Discriminatory abuse, including hate crime: abuse that centres on a difference or perceived difference, particularly with respect to race, gender, disability, or any of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act.
• Organisational or institutional abuse: This includes 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. Organisational abuse can range from one off incidents to ongoing ill-treatment. It can be through neglect or poor professional practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within an organisation.
• Neglect and acts of omission: This includes ignoring medical or physical care needs and failing to provide access to appropriate health social care or educational services. It also includes the withdrawing of the necessities of life, including medication, adequate nutrition, and heating.
• Self-neglect: neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings, including behaviour such as hoarding. Whether a response is required will depend on the adult’s ability to protect themselves by controlling their own behaviour.
3.4 The definition of adults, for the purpose of safeguarding, is:
• anyone aged 18 or over
3.4.1 The provisions for safeguarding adults at risk of abuse or neglect contained within the Care Act 2014, apply to an adult who meets the following three-part test:
• Has care and supportneeds (whether, ornot, the LocalAuthority ismeeting those needs)
• Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
• As a result of those needs, is unable to protect themselves against the abuse or neglect, or the risk of it.
3.4.2 The Care Act 2014alsorecognises informalcarersas people whomayhave support needs, and, if so, the Safeguarding Framework applies to them.
3.4.3 An adult at risk may be someone who: (Not an exhaustive list)
• has a physical disability and/or sensory impairment
• has a learning disability
• has mental health needs, including dementia or a personality disorder
• is dependent on others to maintain their quality of life
• has a long-term illness or condition
• lacks the mental capacity to make particular decisions and is in need of care andsupport.
3.5 The definition of children, for the purpose of safeguarding, is:
• Anyone under the age of 18
3.5.1 The Government’s “Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023” guidance document defines safeguarding as including:
• Protecting children from maltreatment
• Preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or 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.
3.5.2 Children can suffer abuse by a range of possible perpetrators, including parents, siblings, friends, acquaintances, ‘trusted adults’ (for example a professional who works with them), neighbours and strangers. The abuse may be the result of a direct act, or omission of an act, or both. Abuse can take a number of forms, and it may be the case that two or more types of abuse are occurring simultaneously. Furthermore, CCHA will not be constrained in their view of what constitutes abuse or neglect and will always consider the circumstances of the individual case.
3.6 Types of abuse can include (not an exhaustive list):
• Physical Abuse
• Sexual Abuse
• Emotional Abuse
• Exploitation
• Neglect and acts of omission are the persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and/or psychological needs, likelyto result inthe serious impairmentof the child'shealth or development
• Financial or Material Abuse
• Discriminatory Abuse, including hate crime
• Domestic Abuse
4 Regulatory Framework and Responsibilities
4.1 The Care Act 2014 introduced a Legal Framework, which is based on a series of principles. These principles are set out in Section 4.3.
4.2 The Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004 provide a Framework for the care and protection of children.
4.3 The Care Act 2014 places an obligation on Local Authorities, where it believes there is an adult at risk to make (or cause to be made) whatever enquiries it thinks necessary, to enable it to decide whether any action should be taken in the adult’s case. The Local Authority, as part of its enquiries, may seek cooperation from the other specialist agencies, the Police, Children’s Services and housing providers, to work in partnership to ensure that residents are safe and free from harm. In order to fulfil this role, and to ensure a robust approach is in place, when dealing with adults at risk, CCHA adopts the same principles as those within the Care Act 2014, these are:
• Empowerment – there is a presumption of person led decisions and informed consent. People are supported and encouraged to make their own decisions, giving them choice and control. The exceptions to this are where there is a risk to others, there is impaired or no mental capacity, if they are exposed to a life-threatening risk, where it is believed there is an increased risk of harm to the individual, by informing them that a referral is being made, or there is a legal restriction in place preventing this.
• Prevention – working collaboratively with agencies to stop abuse before it happens. Raising awareness about abuse and neglect across CCHA, and with partners, making sure information is accessible, simple and appropriate. Providing training, supervision and lessons learnt opportunities for sharing best practice. Officers and contractors receive appropriate training to be vigilant and to recognise and report signs of concern.
• Proportionality – the best response should be the one which is the most proportionate and least intrusive, and the most appropriate to the risk presented. CCHA’s response to safeguarding balances risk with respect, considering what is the best response for the person.
• Protection – CCHA makes it clear what to do if there are concerns, and how to offer help and support for those at risk. All incidents of abuse, or alleged abuse, should be reported to the Safeguarding Team, using the T100 safeguarding ‘See it. Hear it. Note it. Report it’ Incident Form All staff are encouraged and supported to contact emergency services, should there be an immediate risk of harm or are instructed to do so.
• Partnerships – collaboration with local agencies concerned with adult safeguarding, such as the Police, GPs, NHS, voluntary groups and Local Authorities, is a key aspect of effective practice. This includes, where possible, ensuring that there is a local agreement or protocol, setting out the principlesand process for sharing information about a person at risk, or potential/actual perpetrator of abuse. The General Data Protection Regulation (2018) enables the sharing of information and sets out the law in relation to this. CCHA is committed to assisting with early intervention, through the sharing of information and identifying those with support needs that are not being met.
• Accountability – CCHA drives accountability through clear definition of roles and responsibilities, ensuring that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Safeguarding is embedded into job descriptions, recruitment and selection processes, training is provided to all staff and contractors, and is a standard agenda item in team meetings. CCHA makes safeguarding part of our everyday working life; providing information to support safety,healthandwellbeing,suchasdealingwithfuelpoverty,healthylifestyles, housing adaptations and telecare, safer neighbourhoods, home security measures, and referrals to secondary support, e.g., to a Falls Prevention Clinic.
5 Roles and Responsibilities for Safeguarding
5.1 Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. All staff undertake safeguarding training, and we regularly raise awareness across CCHA, to ensure staff remain vigilant to indicatorsof abuse and neglect. This is to ensure that staff are trained in recognising the symptoms of abuse, being vigilant and able to respond to all safeguarding concerns.
5.2 All staff have responsibility for:
• Taking seriously, listening carefully and reporting appropriately any safeguarding
concerns reported
• Ensuring immediate action is taken if the person/s are in serious danger or a crime is likely/or has been committed
• Ensuring accurate records are kept of the allegation, initial enquiries and action and completion of appropriate paperwork/forms
• Acting in accordance with this policy, and any related policies or procedures
• Understanding the Whistleblowing Policy and their obligation to report suspected or actual abuse or neglect.
5.3 In addition, there are some dedicated job roles within CCHA who have responsibility for ensuring that CCHA’s Safeguarding Policy, and associated procedures, are delivered in a robustandeffectivemanner.Thesejobroles,andtheresponsibilities,areoutlinedinthetable overleaf: