CORNWALL SAFEGUARDING ADULTS POLICY
Introduction:-
Kernow Men’s Society (KMS hereinafter) follows the Multi Agency Safeguarding Adults Policy for Cornwall. It has a commitment to ensure all members understand and adhere to the principles and procedures within that policy. For further information on safeguarding adults see Cornwall Council’s website: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/adult-social-care/safeguarding-adults/
All members need to be aware of KMS’s commitment to this policy and any members who work with adults who may be at risk will be given more in depth training.
Who do adult safeguarding duties apply to?
Under the Care Act 2014, adult* safeguarding duties apply to an adult who:
– Has needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs) and;
– Is experiencing, or is at risk of, neglect or abuse and;
– As a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of neglect or abuse.
*Under normal circumstances a person is a “child” until they reach 18 years of age or until they get married, whichever occurs first.
What is Abuse?
Abuse is actual (or potential) harm or exploitation of a person. The categories of abuse defined in the Care Act are as follows:-
– Physical abuse: including assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, restraint or inappropriate physical sanctions.
– Domestic abuse: including psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional, controlling and coercive behaviour and “honour-based” violence.
– Sexual violence: including rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the adult has not consented or was coerced.
– Psychological abuse: including emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, cyber bullying, isolation or unreasonable and unjustified withdrawal of services or supportive networks.
– Financial or material abuse: including coercion to take extortionate loans and threats to recover debt, theft, fraud, internet scamming, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection to wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.
– Modern slavery: encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude.
– Discriminatory abuse: including forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment; because of race, gender and gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.
– Organisational abuse: including neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting such as a hospital or care home or in relation to care provided in one’s own home. This may range from one off incidents to on-going ill-treatment. It can be through neglect or poor professional practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within an organisation.
– Neglect and acts of omission: including ignoring medical, emotional or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health, care and support or educational services, the withholding of the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating.
– Self-neglect: this covers a wide range of behaviour; neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding that causes a risk of harm.
Abuse can consist of a single act or repeated acts. It can occur in any relationship and may result in significant harm to, or exploitation of, the person subjected to it.
Disclosure:-
If a disclosure of alleged abuse is made to a KMS member, it is not their responsibility to investigate the allegation, but wherever possible they should try to obtain the following information:-
– details of the person who has disclosed that they have been abused,
– the person they allege to be the abuser,
– the type of abuse,
– where the abuse has taken place,
– when the abuse took place,
– whether or not consent has been obtained from the Adult at Risk.
They should contact a named Safeguarding Adult Lead Person within KMS who will support them in taking the matter forward, i.e. supporting member to make telephone contact with MARU (Multi Agency Referral Unit). An Inter-Agency Adult Safeguarding Referral Form will be required to follow up the phone call.
The named KMS Safeguarding Adult Lead Person is:-
Mark Fanning
Tel: 07966 000474
If the allegation is against the main named KMS Safeguarding Adult Lead Person, any other Committee Member should be contacted.
If further disclosures are made by the same adult at risk, without evidence of any obvious action being taken from the original disclosure, immediate contact should be made with the Safeguarding Adults Lead and/or the deputy to ensure the allegation is being suitably dealt with.
Out Of Hours/ Safeguarding Adults Leads Unavailable:-
If there is a need to make a Safeguarding Adults alert out of normal operating hours (such as evenings and weekends) or none of the Safeguarding Adult Leads are available then the alert should be made direct to the Multi-Agency Referral Unit (MARU), Tel: 0300 1231 116
The person making the alert should also inform one of the Safeguarding Adults Leads of the action taken as soon as practicably possible when normal operating hours resume.
Once information has been supplied to the KMS Safeguarding Adults Lead, it should not be subject to further discussion with anyone else unless information is specifically requested by someone involved in the Safeguarding Adults process. If there is any doubt, a KMS Safeguarding Adults Lead should be contacted to clarify the situation and provide guidance.
All members should be aware that the information provided by a KMS member to the KMS Safeguarding Adults Lead Person will be acted upon in accordance with the Multi Agency Safeguarding Adults Policy in Cornwall.
No guarantees that the information will remain confidential should be made to the person making the disclosure.
All KMS members must agree to apply this procedure in practice. The procedure is deemed to be incorporated in the Society’s Membership and it is a condition of membership with KMS that members understand and operate the policy fully.
Additional Useful Information:-
Easy Read Guidance:-
https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/14709570/adult-safeguarding-guide.pdf
Inter-Agency Adult Safeguarding Referral Form:-
https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/12571800/Inter-Agency-Adults-Safeguarding-Referral-Form.docx
Inter-Agency Adult Safeguarding contact with the Multi-Agency Referral Unit (MARU) – Guidance Notes:-
Safeguarding adult training:-
