Health and Care Standards
Supporting Guidance
Standard 2.7: Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Adults at Risk
What is the Standard about?
This standard is about keeping people safe by actively keeping safeguarding concerns in mind. Services should be designed, developed and adapted to ensure that wherever a child or vulnerable adults comes into contact with health services (directly or indirectly) they receive safe and effective care; their health and welfare is enhanced and promoted and they are protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
This consideration must be extended to families of service users in all healthcare settings.
Organisations and services need to put in place systems and procedures that mirror best practice guidance for the protection of children and vulnerable adults, including compliance with the Mental Health Act 1983 in relation to persons liable to be detained and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 regarding Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, as well as requirements of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014.
Support, empowerment and anti discriminatory practices will also be essential component of care provided and in dealing with any safeguarding matters.
Who is it for?
All healthcare staff and volunteers in all healthcare settings.
In relation to the standard criteria (in bold) the following key questions need to be considered:
There is compliance with legislation and guidance to include:
- All Wales Child Protection, and Vulnerable Adult procedures;
- Mental Health Act 1983 in relation to persons liable to be detained, and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 regarding Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
- How do you ensure that staff and volunteers are informed of the legislation and guidance pertaining to safeguarding children / adults?
- How can you demonstrate compliance with the legislation?
- How are these implemented in practice?
- How are you complying with the Rights of Children and Young Persons Measure (Wales 2011) which has a duty on Welsh Ministers to consider the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in all decisions?
- Have your staff and volunteers received training in:
- Safeguarding Children?
- Safeguarding Adults at Risk?
- Children’s Rights?
- Have staff and volunteers had the appropriate DBS checks?
- Who are your named leads for:
- Safeguarding Children?
- Safeguarding Adults at Risk?
- Do you have a Professional Abuse Policy within your organisation?
- How do you manage complaints from children, young people and vulnerable adults?
- How do you manage concerns relating to children, young people and vulnerable adults?
- How are safeguarding concerns addressed?
- What security arrangements are in place for infants, children and young people and vulnerable adults who are in-patients?
- How are children and vulnerable adults safeguarded when visiting healthcare establishments?
- How do you ensure compliance with section 28 of the Children Act 2004 which requires health bodies in Wales to ensure that their functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children?
- How do you ensure compliance with Building Partnerships-Staying Safe guidance and ensure your organisation meets its duty under the Counter Terrorist and Security Act 2015?
Assurance of safeguarding services and processes is evident across all levels of the organisation.
- Do you have clear governance structures and lines of accountability within your team/ service/organisation?
- Are Safeguarding leads for GP and Dental practices in place?
- How do you review practice and performance in these areas?
- How and to whom are safeguarding concerns reported, by staff, volunteers, patients and visitors?
- How are they addressed at senior level?
- What is your compliance with the Public Health Wales led Safeguarding Quality and Outcomes Framework
- How do you gain assurance of compliance with All Wales procedures for safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults
Effective multi-professional and multi-agency working and co-operation are in place complying with the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act.
- How do you know that your organisation and services are responding appropriately to all requests from other agencies?
- How do you identify the need for multi-agency working, where necessary? How do you initiate it?
- How do you know that you are working well together?
- Are your referral and communication processes effective?
- How does your organisation play a full and effective part in Safeguarding Adults and Children Boards?
Staff are trained to recognise and act on issues and concerns, including sharing of information and sharing good practice and learning.
- Does training cover recognition and action on issues and concerns?
- Do your staff know:
- When to report concerns,
- Who to report to,
- Where to report,
- When to share information?
- What supervision, advice and support are available for staff dealing with safeguarding cases?
- How is compliance with the Safeguarding Children – Roles and Competencies for Healthcare staff Intercollegiate Document (third edition March 2014) and the NHS key skills document assured?
- How do you learn from what has happened internally or externally?
- How do you ensure staff are aware of and participate in Child Practice Reviews and Adult Practice Reviews
- How do you share what you have learnt?
People are informed how to make their concerns known.
- What materials are available to service users to enable them to make concerns known?
- Are all staff aware of the Procedure for NHS Staff to Raise Concerns?
- What training is provided to staff and volunteers in safeguarding procedures?
- How do you make children aware of the Children’s Scheme in relation to UNCRC Children’s Rights?
Priority is given to providing services that enable children and vulnerable adults to express themselves and to be cared for through the medium of the Welsh language because their care and treatment can suffer when they are not treated in their own language. (They are recognised as a priority group in More Than Just Words).
- What mechanisms are in place to enable people to express their language of preference
- What mechanisms are in place to ensure appropriate staffing levels to enable working in the language of choice?
Suitable arrangements are in place for people who put their safety or that of others at risk to prevent abuse and neglect.
- What arrangements are in place to prevent bullying and victimisation?
- Do all mental health assessments identify whether the patient is in the parental role with dependent children?
- Do all adult substance misuse health assessments identify whether the patient is in the parental role with dependent children?
Risk is managed in ways which empower people to feel in control of their life.
- How do you ensure practice and service development for children and families are shaped by learning from Child Practice Reviews and Adult Practice Reviews?
- How do you ensure health professional engagement in multi-agency processes such as Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)?
Arrangements are in place to respond effectively to changing circumstances and regularly review achievement of personal outcomes.
- How do you ensure all children and young people are cared for in an appropriate child centred environment of care?
Legislation and Guidance