Key Principles of Adult Safeguarding in Health and Social Care

It is a well-known fact that the UK has an aging population with an estimated 1.4million people over the age of 65 in England alone receiving some form of social care. Therefore, understanding and applying the principles of adult safeguarding is not just a regulatory requirement but also a fundamental professional duty.

However, one report suggests up to 40% of health and social care workers don’t feel equipped or confident in dealing with adult safeguarding concerns. This illustrates how important comprehensive adult safeguarding training is to ensure those in care live in safely.

What is Adult Safeguarding?

Simply put, safeguarding refers to the protection of a person’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. The Care Act 2014 sets up clear duties for local authorities and their partners to deliver care and support to adults in need of it. Policies and practices that are legally underpinned by the Care Act detail six principles of adult safeguarding. These principles act as a guide for health and social care providers to ensure care is person-centred and rights-based.

Six Principles that Underpin Adult Safeguarding

The six core principals of adult safeguarding within the Care Act 2014 requires health and social care workers to actively engage and apply these practices in their everyday activities.

1. Empowerment

This standard puts the focus on the adult in care ensuring they are involved in the decision-making process. Information around their care should be given in an accessible way so they can give informed consent.

How is this applied in practice? A care worker should use language like, “what matters to you?” and “what would you like to happen” before reporting or taking any further action. By ensuring the individual remains in control of their life wherever possible is key to empower their decision making.

2. Prevention

Prevention means to take proactive action before harm occurs. Using knowledge gained from adult safeguarding training care workers can correctly identify potential risks before they cause harm. For example, this could mean reporting faulty handrails to maintenance teams or addressing a colleague’s poor practice. By identifying these risks before harm occurs is better than having to deal with the consequences after the fact.

3. Proportionality

This entails ensuring a balanced and least intrusive response to the level of risk presented. By responding appropriately to a safeguarding concern health and social care workers can avoid heavy-handed interventions.

For example, if a risk of unmanaged debt was a concern, restricting the individual’s right to manage their own money may be disproportionate and intrusive, therefore a less restrictive measure by offering support with budgeting could mitigate the risk.

4. Protection

This principle ensures adults who are experiencing abuse or neglect have access to the support they need, including protection and representation.

As a health and social care worker your role is to understand what adult safeguarding means in terms of support within your own organisation. By having knowledge of your organisations reporting process, including accurately logging concerns and ensuring the adult in your care has an advocate to express their views and wishes during any investigation.

5. Partnership

Forming relationships and working together with local communities and statutory agencies (police, NHS, Local Authority Social Services) ensures a multi-agency solution to risks can be developed and successfully implemented.

Health and social care workers are fundamental to the wider care team. Sharing information promptly and attending case reviews or meetings, ensures the team have the right up to date knowledge to collectively act together for the best interests of the individual in care.

6. Accountability

Being transparent and responsible should be the core of any safeguarding best practice. Everyone should understand that they are accountable for safeguarding regardless of role and responsibility.

Maintaining accurate, timely and factually correct records of all observations, conversations and actions taken is fundamental. This level of transparency and audit trail protects the individual and the health and social care worker. Demonstrating a professional and ethical practice is heavily covered in adult and safeguarding training.

The Risk of Failing to Safeguard

The risks of not fully complying with the principles of adult safeguarding are far reaching and severe. Of course, the risk to the individual in care is at the forefront. They may suffer serious harm, injury, financial loss or even death if safeguarding concerns are not acted upon. Furthermore, common examples include loss of dignity, choice and control over their lives.

Risk of failing to safeguard correctly go beyond the adult in care but can also affect the care organisation and care worker. For the care provider breaches of the Care Act 2014 can lead to regulatory action against the care provider, including triggering a CQC inspection, reputational damage and potential criminal prosecution. For the care worker failing to act on a concern can result in a disciplinary action, loss of professional registration and severe ethical consequences.

For these reasons mandatory initial training and regular refresher training on the principles of adult safeguarding are essential. Training ensures workers are confident, knowledgeable and ready to act quickly on any safeguarding concerns.

Adult Safeguarding Training

Social Care TV’s expert-led and evidence based adult safeguarding training course ensures your team are confident in identifying signs of abuse and applying the six principles of adult safeguarding in everything they do.