Edit · UNIT 7 - Safeguarding

Safeguarding defintion

Involves promoting human rights, needs and interests of individuals as well as protecting them from harm and abuse.

9 different types of abuse

1. Bullying

2. Discrimination

3. Institutional

4. Physical

5. Sexual

6. Emotional/psychological

7. Financial

8. Neglect

9. Exploitation/mate crime

Physical abuse may include

-Hitting, slapping, pushing, shaking, kicking, or burning

-Inappropriately using physical restraints

-Force feeding

-Physical punishment

Sexual abuse may include

Rape, forcing sex, videoing an individual doing sexual acts, unwanted fondling

Emotion/psychological abuse may include

Failure to respect privacy, preventing the expression of choice, intimidation, harassment, enforced social isolation

Neglect may include

Failure to provide/allow access to food, shelter, clothing, ignoring or isolating, failure to ensure privacy, prevention from decision making

Institutional abuse may include

discouraging visits, abusive and disrespectful attitudes, inappropriate use of restraints, lack of respect

Exploitation may include

unfairly manipulating someone for profit and personal gain, gaining a persons trust and position of power over them

Financial abuse may include

theft, scamming, taking a loan from someone else's name, someone moving in rent free

Bullying may include

hitting, name calling, threatening, ignoring, undermining, manipulating

discrimination may include

verbal abuse, denying basic rights to healthcare/education, unequal treatment based on protected characteristics

9 protected characteristics

Age

Disability

Gender Reassignment

Marriage and civil partnership

Pregnancy and maternity

Race

Religion or belief

Sex equality

Sexual orientation

Key features of Equality Act

1. Direct and indirect discrimination is now illegal

2. Reasonable adjustments should be made

3. Equal access to employability, education, goods, housing

4. Protection from victimisation and harassment

5. Protection from discrimination due to association

6. Positive action is encouraged for under represented groups

7. Breastfeeding in public is legal

8. Pay secrecy clauses are illegal

6 different types of people out at risk of abuse

1. Learning disability

2. Dementia

3. Lack mental capacity

4. Physical disability

5. Sensory impairment

6. Looked after children

LD may be more at risk because...

- They can have difficulty: understanding new or complex information, learning new skills and coping independently

-Lack mobility

-less likely to speak up

-may be easily manipulated

-take advantage of lack of mental capacity

Dementia may be more at risk because...

- not want to risk loss of support as need carers for day to day

-difficulties remembering incidents/self doubt

-memory problems - may trust wrong person

-loss of cognitive functions so not recognising abuse is happening

Lack mental capacity may be more at risk because...

-could be viewed as an easy target

-communication difficulties

-limited cognitive understanding so could be taken advantage of

Physical disability may be more at risk because...

-cannot defend themselves

-restricted mobility

-may feel helpless

Sensory impairment may be more at risk because...

-taken advantage of

-easy target

-not being able to read signs (body language, facial expressions) from potential abuser

-could be verbally abused - hearing loss

Looked after children may be more at risk because...

-werent able to develop skills they need to manage with daily life

-depend solely on caregivers to have their needs met

-be in environments where they don't have any close relationships with adults

6 main features of the Children's Act 2004

1. Children's commissioner has responsibility to safeguard children

2. Establishment of local Safeguarding children boards in each local authority

3. Every child matters outcomes

4. Local authorities required to find out wishes of children when making decisions

5. A child centred approach is paramount

6. Duty on agencies to improve children's wellbeing

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) Statutory guidance

1. Safeguarding is everyones responsibility

2. A child-centred approach

3. Welfare of children

4. Share information in timely way

5. Statutory guidance

All professionals share appropriate information in a timely way and can discuss any concerns about an individual child with colleagues and local authorities

All professionals who come into contact with children and families are alert to their needs and any risks of harm that abusers may pose to children

Environmental factors that make abuse more likely

• Care services with institutional practices

• Adults and children residing in h&sc settings

• health services

• Independent living facilities

• Homelessness

Care services with institutional practices

Eg. care home, (MH) hospital, independent living facility

Involves day to day working within a setting. Abuse becomes more likely as they result in poor standards of care. Difficult for people who work/live there to report

Examples of poor institutional practices

• Incorrect moving / handling procedures due to untrained staff

• Strict or inflexible routine in areas such as sleep, bathing, meals

• Restraint is used as early method of addressing challenging behaviour

• Staffing issues

Adults and children residing in health and social care settings

Eg. care home, foster home, hospice, MH hospital

Children in residential setting = most vulnerable because:

• Complex needs, including emotional + behavioural difficulties

• Young person who does not want to live in a family environment

• Have often experienced multiple carers and placements

Health services

Eg. GP surgery, hospitals, pharmacy, physiotherapy

Health services can make people more at risk because:

• Providers in a position of trust, can be misused

• Staff may not be suitably trained

• May be understaffed so concerns not reported

• Lack of resources/time to protect adults from abuse

Independent living facilities

Housing arrangements designed to help elderly or disabled people to continue with the same freedoms as those who are younger or non disabled

More at risk because:

• Not 24hr care so could be targeted by others living there

• Lose contact with friends and family or may visit less often than in own home - abuse not discovered/reported

• Perceived as needing less care

• May feel dependent on carers so not want to raise concerns as may lose help provided

Homelessness

Lacking a safe, stable, permanent place to live. Includes rough sleeping, staying in emergency shelters, sofa surfing

More vulnerable because:

No network around them, isolated, may stay in unsafe public areas or may stay with abuser out of fear