All adults, children and young people have a right to feel safe and protected at all times from all forms of abuse.
Sugarman Health and Wellbeing have a duty of care and support to ensure that all staff employed are fully trained and competent and alert to the potential indicators of abuse or neglect, how to report their concerns, or concerns raised with them and always follow best practice. The training will be tailored to the specific needs of the Service User and that they, their families and/or advocates know they can report their concerns and that they will be heard.
Sugarman Health and Wellbeing will demonstrate that we are compliant with our CQC registration and quality standards. That the full Safeguarding policy is shared with all staffand Service Users and that this policy is reviewed annually to ensure it remains relevant, reflects best practice and is flexible to change.
Our Purpose
- To protect the Service User‘s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.
- To set out the key arrangements and systems Sugarman Health and Wellbeing has in place for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults, children and young people at risk, to ensure compliance with local policies and procedures.
- To have a clear, well-publicised policy of zero-tolerance of abuse within the organisation.
Our Objectives
To ensure that all staff working for, or on behalf of Sugarman Health and Wellbeing, understand their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding adults or children and young people at risk and know who to escalate concerns to within Sugarman Health and Wellbeing.
To manage the safety and well-being of Service Users in line with the six principles of safeguarding:
- Empowerment – People being supported and encouraged to make their own decisions and informed consent
- Prevention – It is better to act 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
Sugarman Health and Wellbeing aims to support and empower each adult to make choices, to have control over how they want to live their own lives, and to prevent abuse and neglect occurring in the future which is a key underpinning principle of Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP). Sugarman Health and Wellbeing intends to take this approach with all safeguarding concerns.
Sugarman Health and Wellbeing recognise that children and young people must be listened to and that the power to make decisions is managed through their parents or appointed carers and/or advocates.
Our Policy
Everybody has the right to live a life that is free from harm and abuse. Sugarman Health and Wellbeing recognises that safeguarding vulnerable adults or children and young people at risk of abuse or neglect is everybody’s business. Sugarman Health and Wellbeing aims to ensure that all Service Users at risk of abuse or neglect are enabled to live and work, be cared for and supported in an environment free from abuse, harassment, violence or aggression. Sugarman Health and Wellbeing safeguarding policies and procedures will dovetail with the local multi-agency policy and procedures, which we understand take precedence over Sugarman Health and Wellbeing policy and procedures.
We aim to provide services that will be appropriate to the Service User at risk and not discriminate because of disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, culture, or lifestyle. We will make every effort to enable Service Users to express their wishes and make their own decisions to the best of their ability, recognising that such self-determination may well involve risk.
We will work with Service Users and others involved in their care and/or education, to ensure they receive the support and protection they may require; that they are listened to and treated with respect (including their property, possessions and personal information) and that they are treated with compassion and dignity.
Our robust governance processes, including comprehensive training, will ensure that staff working for and on behalf of Sugarman Health and Wellbeing recognise and respond to the main forms of abuse which are set out in the Care Act 2014 Statutory Guidance Chapter 14 (rev 2017), which is not an exhaustive list but an illustration as to the sort of behaviour that could give rise to a safeguarding concern:
- Physical abuse (including cuckooing and county lines)
- Domestic violence
- Sexual abuse
- Psychological abuse
- Financial or material abuse
- Modern slavery
- Discriminatory abuse
- Organisational abuse
- Neglect and acts of omission (including Tissue Viability)
- Self-neglect
Prevention – Providing Information to Support Service Users
Sugarman Health and Wellbeing will support Service Users by providing accessible, easy to understand information on what abuse is and what signs to look out for. This will include Service Users‘ rights and how to get help and support if they need it.
All Service Users, or the responsible adult or advocate, will receive a copy of the Service User‘s Guide and have access to the Complaints Policy and Procedure and be given information on how to escalate any concerns to the Commissioner, the Regulator, advocacy or Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman should they not be satisfied with the approach taken by Sugarman Health and Wellbeing
Prevention – Raising Awareness
- All Staff will receive appropriate training to meet the needs of the Service Users. Currently, we provide mandatory training to basic safeguarding level 2 for adult Service Users. For Children and Young People, it is Sugarman Health and Wellbeing policy to provide all staff supporting children and young people with enhanced safeguarding training to level 3, this training will ensure that standards of competence are met
- Staff will be trained and understand the different patterns and behaviours of abuse as detailed in the Care Act and the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Sugarman Health and Wellbeing will ensure that they are able to respond appropriately
- Sugarman Health and Wellbeing will ensure all staff are trained on the Whistleblowing Policy and Procedure
- During induction training, all employees will complete the “Understanding Abuse” workbook, as part of the Care Certificate.
- All Staff will receive training in their roles, ensuring that standards of competence are met
Duty of Candour
An effective safeguarding practice requires open, honest and transparent communication with all Service Users and or advocates in relation to the care, education and treatment provided to them. In the case of safety incidents “unintended“ or “unexpected” that may occur, that could cause death, severe or moderate harm or prolonged psychological harm. In this case there is a duty to tell Service Users both in person and in writing, explain, apologise and advise on any actions taken as a result. In our standard Service User Guide, clear guidance is provided to Service Users on how they might refer any concerns to the regulating authority if they believe it is appropriate.
Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing is an important aspect of the support and protection of Service Users at risk of harm where staff are encouraged to share genuine concerns about a colleague’s behaviour. Their behaviour may not be related to a Service User at risk, but they may not be following the code of conduct or could be pushing boundaries beyond normal limits or displaying conduct which is a breach of the law, conduct which compromises health and safety or conduct which falls below established standards of practice with Service Users at risk.
Sugarman Health and Wellbeing has clear Whistleblowing policies and processes in place which staff are frequently reminded about, and they must be familiar with and understand how to escalate and report concerns.
Sugarman Health and Wellbeing have a whistleblowing email address whistleblowing@sugarmanhealth.com