Safeguarding Policies & Procedures

Wallsend Kinship Carers (WKC) welcomes and encourages the involvement of people from all walks of life in our work. From time to time this may bring us into contact with ‘adults at risk’ who access our services as volunteers, beneficiaries of volunteers, or members of voluntary and community groups.

The purpose of this strategy and policy is to:

- protect adults at risk of abuse or neglect who access our services

- provide clear guidance on our approach to safeguarding adults at risk.

This strategy and policy applies to all paid staff, volunteers and Trustees, at all levels within the organisation, and extends to sessional workers, agency staff, students or anyone else acting on behalf of WKC. The strategy and policy has been developed in line with the work of the North Tyneside Adult Safeguarding Board, whose information you can find here.

Details of the types of abuse that adults at risk may experience are provided in definition of adults at risk

An ‘adult at risk’ is defined by The Care Act 2014 as a person, aged 18 and over, who meets all three of the following criteria:

- has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs)

- is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect and as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

An adult at risk may therefore be a person who:

- is elderly and frail due to ill health, physical disability or cognitive impairment

- has a learning disability

- has a physical disability and/or a sensory impairment

- has mental health needs including dementia or a personality disorder

- has a long-term illness/condition

- misuses substances or alcohol

- is a Carer such as a family member/friend who provides personal assistance and care to adults and is subject to abuse

- is unable to demonstrate the capacity to make a decision and is in need of care and support.

Wallsend Kinship Carers take seriously our safeguarding responsibilities and is committed to:

- Reporting and acting upon safeguarding concerns in a timely way.

- Prioritising the dignity, safety and well-being of adults at risk.

- Having our own internal operational procedures to complement this policy.

- Ensuring all staff, including volunteers and Trustees, and others working on behalf of WKC, understand their roles and responsibilities in regard to safeguarding.

- Ensuring that staff and volunteers have access to training and support appropriate to their safeguarding responsibilities.

These policies should be read when entering into a contract with WKC whether that be as a trustee, Volunteer or a member of the group.

Consent Form for new members regarding safeguarding

Communications

Signing in book

Confidentiality & Data Protection

Disciplinary

Liability Insurance

Equality & Diversity

Health & Safety at Work

Volunteers – DBS checks

Wallsend Kinship Carers has a named Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) as well as a Deputy (see Appendix 4). There is a Safeguarding Representative on the Board of Trustees.

Purpose of the DSO role:

Strategic: To take the lead role in ensuring that appropriate arrangements are in place at WKC for keeping safe adults who are at risk.

Operational: To promote the safety and welfare of adults at risk who are using WKC’s services.

Duties and responsibilities

Ensure that all issues concerning the safety and welfare of adults at risk who access WKC are properly dealt with through policies, procedures and administrative systems.

Make sure that all staff, including volunteers and Trustees, are made aware of the procedures and what they should do if they have concerns about an adult at risk.

Receive and record information from anyone who has concerns about an adult at risk who accesses WKC.

With support from management, take the lead on dealing with information that may constitute an adult safeguarding concern. This includes assessing and clarifying the information, and taking decisions where necessary in consultation with colleagues, the Chair of the Trustees and statutory safeguarding agencies.

Consult with, pass on information to and receive information from statutory agencies, such as the Adult Social Care team and the police. This includes making formal referrals to these agencies when necessary.

Offer support to staff and volunteers who have been involved in a safeguarding matter.

Be familiar with and work within local inter-agency adult safeguarding procedures developed by the local safeguarding boards.

Be familiar with issues relating to safeguarding and abuse, and keep up-to-date with new developments in this area.

Attend training on issues relevant to safeguarding from time to time and share knowledge from that training with staff and Trustees.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. All paid staff, volunteers, Trustees and others acting on behalf of Wallsend Kinship Carers have a duty to report any safeguarding concerns in line with the guidance provided below.

How to respond if you receive an allegation:

- Reassure the person concerned.

- Listen to what they are saying.

- Record what you have been told/witnessed as soon as possible.

- Remain calm and do not show shock or disbelief.

- Tell them that the information will be treated seriously.

- Do not start to investigate or ask detailed or probing questions.

- Do not promise to keep any secrets.

- Let them know what will happen next.

Share this information immediately, or as soon as possible, with Wallsend Kinship Carer’s Designated Safeguarding Officer.

If you witness abuse or abuse has just taken place the priorities will be to:

- If emergency medical assistance is required call 999 and request an ambulance

- If minor medical assistance is required, call 111 for assistance followed by WKC’s Designated Safeguarding Officer who will be able to acquire a first aid responder.

- Call the police if you believe a crime has been committed (999, or 101 if not an emergency.

- Preserve evidence.

- Keep yourself, staff, volunteers and service users safe.

- Inform WKC’s Designated Safeguarding Officer as soon as possible.

How to Record a Safeguarding Allegation

When making a record of a safeguarding incident or allegation you should:

- Write down exactly what you are told or have seen.

- Use the exact words of the person telling you, not your own.

- Include times of incident.

- Include the type of alleged abuse.

- Include the location of the alleged abuse.

- Make it clear who said what and when.

- Write down everything you saw, keep it factual.

- Write down people’s names in full, explaining who they are.

- Be accurate – write down facts as they happened, be unbiased/do not take sides, do not ask leading questions, use the phrases ‘tell me about it, explain that to me, describe that’.

- Share your concerns with WKC’s Designated Safeguarding Officer immediately, providing them with a fully completed Safeguarding Report form (Appendix 2).

What happens next?

All situations of abuse or alleged abuse will be discussed with WKC’s Designated Safeguarding Officer or their Deputy as soon as possible. If the person sharing the information feels unable to raise this concern with the Designated Safeguarding Officer or their Deputy then concerns can be raised with WKC’s Chief Executive or directly with the Adult Social Care Gateway Team. The alleged victim will be told that this will happen. This stage is called the ‘Alert’.

When WKC’s Designated Safeguarding Officer receives a safeguarding alert they will review the information to make sure they have sufficient and accurate details. If it is appropriate and there is consent from the individual, or there is a good reason to override consent, such as risk to others, a referral will be made by the Designated Safeguarding Officer to the Adult Social Care Gateway Team. If the individual experiencing abuse does not have capacity to consent a referral will be made without that person’s consent, in their vital interests.

Adult Social Care Gateway Team: Tel: 0191 643 2777

Online referral form:

https://mycare.northtyneside.gov.uk/web/portal/pages/worriedadult

or

https://mycare.northtyneside.gov.uk/web/portal/pages/safeguardingreport

Wallsend Kinship Carers will ensure that any allegations made against members of staff will be dealt with swiftly.

Where a member of staff/volunteer is thought to have committed a criminal offence the police will be informed. If a crime has been witnessed the police should be contacted immediately.

The safety of the individual(s) concerned is paramount. A risk assessment must be undertaken immediately to assess the level of risk to all service users posed by the alleged perpetrator. This will include whether it is safe for them to continue in their role or any other role within the service whilst the investigation is undertaken.

The Designated Safeguarding Officer will liaise with the Adult Social Care team to discuss the best course of action and to ensure that WKC’s disciplinary procedures are coordinated with any other enquiries taking place as part of the on-going management of the allegation.

Staff will be supported to use WKC’s Whistle Blowing policy where appropriate.

To ensure clear information sharing Wallsend Kinship Carers is committed to the simple process of sharing relative information and follows the seven “Golden Rules” for information sharing taken from the HM Government Information Sharing guidance package (2008):

Remember that the Data Protection Act is not a barrier to sharing information but provides a framework to ensure that personal information about living persons is shared appropriately.

Be open and honest with the person from the outset about why, what, how and with whom information will, or could be shared, and seek their agreement, unless it is unsafe or inappropriate to do so.

Seek advice if you are in any doubt, without disclosing the identity of the person where possible.

Share with consent where appropriate and, where possible, respect the wishes of those who do not consent to share confidential information. You should go ahead and share information without consent if, in your judgement, that lack of consent can be overridden in the public interest. You will need to base your judgement on the facts of the case.

Consider safety and well-being: Base your information sharing decisions on considerations of the safety and well-being of the person and others who may be affected by their actions.

Necessary, proportionate, relevant, accurate, timely and secure: Ensure that the information you share is necessary for the purpose for which you are sharing it, is shared only with those people who need to have it, is accurate and up to date, is shared in a timely fashion, and is shared securely.

Keep a record of your decision and the reasons for it – whether it is share information or not. If you decide to share, then record what you have shared, with whom and for what purpose.

Author: Sheila Dodds

Organisation: Wallsend Kinship Carers

Date Released: 13/10/ 2021

Last Update: 15/8/2024

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Wallsend Kinship Carers

7 Ferndale Avenue

Wallsend

NE28 7NE

© 2022 WALLSEND KINSHIP CARERS Registered Charity 1190153

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© 2021 WALLSEND KINSHIP CARERS Registered Charity 1190153