Safeguarding Adults at Risk of Abuse or Neglect Policy Consultation

Safeguarding Adults at Risk of Abuse or Neglect Policy: 25

(Amended 10/1/25)

Accountable Director: Operations

Policy Statement: Freebridge believe that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. We are committed to taking a person-led and outcome-focused approach. We believe that everybody has the right to live their life free from violence and abuse. Freebridge is committed to taking all reasonable measures to safeguard all adults at risk, who live in our accommodation.

We are not an investigative or intervention agency; however our staff and contractors are in regular contact with our customers and are therefore in a position to potentially observe signs of abuse and to alert the appropriate agencies. Freebridge shall work with statutory and partner agencies to proactively prevent abuse and/or neglect and ensure that any such abuse is responded to promptly and effectively.

Procedural Guidance:

Safeguarding means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is promoted, including, where appropriate, having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action. This must recognise that adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear or unrealistic about their personal circumstances.

The Care Act 2014 defines that safeguarding duties apply to an adult who:

• Has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs);
• Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
• Is a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuseor neglect or the risk of it.

What is abuse?

 Abuse is any behaviour towards a person that causes them harm, endangers life or violates their rights. It can happen to anyone.

Incidents of abuse can be a one off or multiple and may affect one person or more. Abuse may also be intentional or unintentional or result from a lack of knowledge. Abuse can be an act of neglect or an omission or a failure to act.

Abuse can take many forms as shown in the list at Appendix One – Definitions. There may also be patterns of abuse and neglect which vary including:

• Serial abusing in which the perpetrator seeks out and ‘grooms’ individuals by obtaining their trust over time before the abuse begins – sexual abuse commonly falls into this pattern as do some forms of financial abuse and radicalisation.
• Long-term abuse in the context of an ongoing family relationship such as domestic violence between spouses or generations or persistent psychological abuse;
• Opportunistic abuse, such as theft occurring because money or jewellery has been left lying around.
• Situational abuse which arises because pressures have built up and/or because of difficult or challenging behaviour neglecting a person’s needs because the carerhas difficulties. These could be debt, alcohol or mental health related or the specific demands resulting from caring for a vulnerable person.

General Responsibilities It is the responsibility of:

• every member of customer-facing staff to be aware of, and have a clear understanding of safeguarding; also to remain alert, and respond appropriately, to indications of possible abuse and neglect.
• the Director of Operations, acting as Freebridge’s Designated Officer and the Head of Housing & Community Services as deputy designated officer, for the implementation of this policy.
• the Designated Officers to maintain an up-to-date awareness and understanding of good practice, and the legislative & regulatory requirements which may impact this policy and the service provided; and
• members of Leadership Team to maintain an overview of safeguarding practises, and an awareness of the operation of the policy.

We shall:

 Make our role and responsibilities towards safeguarding adults at risk clear to customers, partners and staff

• Ensure safeguarding the health and welfare of all adults in our communities remains our highest priority
• Remain alert to, and take seriously all potential safeguarding issues, reportinganything of concern
• Share and analyse information with other agencies and professionals to inform assessment
• Work jointly with statutory and partner agencies to proactively prevent abuse and/or neglect and ensure that any such abuse is responded to promptly and effectively; and
• Learn from professional challenge in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of adults By taking a proactive approach we aim to:
• Stop abuse or neglect wherever possible;
• Prevent harm and reduce the risk of abuse or neglect to adults with care and support needs;
• Safeguard adults in a way that supports them in making choices and having controlabout how they want to live;
• Promote an approach that concentrates on improving life for the adults concerned;
• Raise public awareness so that communities as a whole, alongside professionals,play their part in preventing, identifying and responding to abuse and neglect;
• Provide information and support in accessible ways to help people understand thedifferent types of abuse, how to stay safe and what to do to raise a concern aboutthe safety or well-being of an adult; and
• Address what has caused the abuse or neglect.

Our commitment

 We shall adhere to the six key principles as defined in the Care Act 2014:

• Empowerment – People being supported and encouraged to make their owndecisions and informed consent.
• Prevention – It is better to take action before harm occurs.
• Proportionality – The least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented.
• Protection – Support and representation for those in greatest need.
• Partnership – Local solutions through services working with their communities. Communities have a part to play in preventing, detecting and reporting neglect and abuse.
• Accountability – Accountability and transparency in delivering safeguarding.

Recruitment

 We will take appropriate legal advice to determine what level of Disclosure and Barring Service checks apply to all roles across the organisation. The requirement for a DBS check is clearly stated in any job advertisement and all applicants are required to complete a rehabilitation of offenders form which is reviewed prior to job offers being made. More information on our recruitment and selection procedures, relating to DBS, can be found under section 8 of our recruitment policy.

All offers of employment will be made subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check. Any volunteers working with us will be required to consent to the same level of check, deemed appropriate for the position they are volunteering for, that a paid member of staff would be.

We will also undertake quarterly reviews of staffing and job role changes within the organisation, in order to ensure that all post holders continue to have the relevant level Service check.

We require staff to keep us informed of any changes to their circumstances which could affect their Disclosure and Barring Service check results, and checks will be renewed every three years. Our Employee Handbook provides more information.

Training

We shall:

• Brief all newly appointed customer-facing staff on safeguarding awareness & ourown procedures within 3 months.
• Provide appropriate refresher training every three years for all customer-facing staff in all relevant aspects of safeguarding

Contractors

 We will:

• Require contractors working on our behalf to have their own policies and procedures in place (or agree to comply with ours)
• Provide information to support their staff to report any concerns they have directly to our Designated Officers
• Require contractors to evidence that they have appropriate procedures in place toassess the need for Disclosure and Barring Service checks of their own staff, andto carry out those checks if determined necessary

Working with Partners and the Local Safeguarding Adult Board

 In promoting and raising awareness of safeguarding, we shall:

• Work with Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board and residents to ensure that they are aware of how to report any concerns they have.
• Participate in Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements and Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferencing case conferences as appropriate, as well as engaging with Professionals Strategy meetings where new concerns arise.
• Recognise the role of the Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board in ensuring multi- agency cooperation, and are signatories to the Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Policy.
• Engage with the Local Safeguarding Adults Partnership for the West Norfolk locality, via partnership meetings and other appropriate events, in order to ensure we remain aware of, and implement, best practice at all times.

Reporting

Where concerns arise regarding possible abuse, neglect or risk of significant harm to adults, we shall:

• Work with statutory agencies, the Local Authority’s Adult Social Care Team (Adult Community Services), and in cases of immediate risk to life or on suspicion of a criminal offence, with Norfolk Constabulary, to ensure their involvement with the adult at risk.
• Support staff to take a person centred approach in listening, accurately recordingand reporting all concerns, and consulting with the Adult Social Care Team when in doubt.
• Maintain comprehensive and easily accessible procedures for all customer-facingstaff to support them in making referrals to the Local Authority’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) via the Social Care Centre of Expertise (SCCE).

Our Director of Operations is the organisation’s Designated Officer, with the Head of Housing & Community Services as deputy for Safeguarding, and is responsible for:

• Providing advice and guidance to staff in relation to potential safeguarding concerns
• Work closely with the Local Authority’s Adult Social Care Team to ensure that referrals are dealt with robustly and that communication between organisations iseffective
• Promoting safeguarding awareness across the organisation, and that procedures and current knowledge remain up to date and relevant
• Reporting any allegations regarding the conduct of staff or contractors, promptly to the Local Authority’s Adult Social Care Team (via the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) and ensuring cooperation with any subsequent investigation.

Alternatively, staff can raise their own concerns directly via our Whistleblowing Policy. We recognise that raising concerns can be difficult for staff, and will also signpost to the Whistleblowing Charity - Public Concern at Work – for further advice and support.

We understand that involvement in cases of abuse and neglect can be distressing for staff, and will provide all appropriate support throughout their involvement, including access to our Employee Support Line.

Information Sharing

 We recognise the importance of treating all information with appropriate caution and shall ensure that our staff comply with all relevant legislation when handling data.

We have a responsibility to report all safeguarding concerns, with the welfare of the vulnerable person being of paramount importance. Where we feel that an individual has capacity to consent to a referral being made to the Adult Social Care Team we will alwaysseek permission in the first instance. However we shall:

• Never agree to absolute confidentiality, as even without consent, if the level of risk of harm to the individual is significant, we will always make a referral.
• Endeavour to work closely and openly with families of adults at risk to advise them of, and discuss our concerns. Whenever possible our staff will inform families of any referrals that they have made to the Adult Social Care Team.

However, this may not be possible, especially when the individual concerned does not consent to family members being advised, or when we have concerns regarding abuse or harm being perpetrated by a member of the individual’s family.