Safeguarding Adults Policy 

Hope Inspired CIC

Policy Statement

At Hope Inspired CIC we are committed to safeguarding adults who attend our events and workshops and to promoting their wellbeing. 

We will safeguard the adults we work with by providing a safe environment and taking all reasonable steps to ensure they are protected from harm. We will respond swiftly to any concerns that are raised about our services so we can put matters right and retain the trust and confidence of all our stakeholders. 

When we are working with adults with care and support needs, we will work in partnership with relevant agencies to support multi-agency safeguarding work if we identify individuals who are experiencing, or are at risk of, harm.      

It is our expectation that all directors, employees, volunteers and any contractors who are commissioned by us to deliver services will follow this policy and associated procedures. 

The key objectives of this policy are for all of us to: 

  • have an overview of adult safeguarding

  • be clear about our responsibility to safeguard adults 

  • ensure the necessary actions are taken where an adult with care and support needs is deemed to be at risk of abuse or harm.

This policy is based on:

  • The Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support statutory guidance

  • Human Rights Act 1998

  • Birmingham City Council Safeguarding Adults policy and procedures

This policy will be made available to all employees and volunteers at the point of induction and to independent contractors at the point of signing any contracts for service delivery. Copies will also be available for reference during our events and workshops and can be provided by the safeguarding lead on request.

This policy/procedure will form the basis of training for directors, staff and volunteers at the start of their role at Hope Inspired CIC and refresher training every 12 months. External training will also be sourced via community links. External contractors will need to provide evidence of safeguarding training prior to commencing any contractual duties. 

What do we mean by the phrase Safeguarding adults?

‘Safeguarding means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect, while at the same time making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is promoted including, where appropriate, having regard to their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs in deciding on any action. This must recognise that adults sometimes have complex interpersonal relationships and may be ambivalent, unclear or unrealistic about their personal circumstances.’ Care and Support Statutory Guidance, Department of Health, Updated February 2017

All adults should be able to live free from fear and harm. But some may experience abuse and find it hard to get the help and support they need to stay safe and to stop the abuse.  Abuse may take different forms and may be:

  • Physical – slapping, punching, inappropriate restraint, force-feeding or withholding food

  • Sexual – rape, indecent exposure, sexual relationship initiated by someone in a position of trust, sexual photography 

  • Financial – theft, coercion in connection with will, property or inheritance, internet scamming, misuse of power of attorney, appointeeship or other legal authority

  • Psychological – the use of intimidation, hostility, abandonment, humiliation, coercion; use of threats or fear to override a person’s wishes

  • Discriminatory – unequal treatment based on age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion/belief, marriage/civil partnership, sexual orientation; verbal abuse, derogatory remarks or inappropriate/offensive language relating to the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010   

  • Organisational – misuse of medication, lack of respect for dignity and privacy, inappropriate use of restraints, not providing adequate food or drink or assistance to eat/drink

  • Domestic – controlling, threatening or violent behaviour, including ‘honour-based’ violence, female genital mutilation and forced marriage

  • Neglect – failure to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, aids, heating, personal or medical care

  • Self-neglect – neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings; hoarding 

  • Modern slavery - human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude; inhumane treatment arising from these.

Abuse can consist of a single act or repeated acts. Patterns of abuse and neglect vary and can include:

  • Serial abusing, where the perpetrator seeks out and ‘grooms’ individuals by obtaining their trust over time before the abuse begins – sexual abuse or exploitation commonly falls into this pattern, as do some forms of radicalisation and financial abuse

  • Long-term abuse in the context of an ongoing relationship, such as domestic abuse between spouses/partners

  • Situational abuse that arises because pressures have built up within a family. These could be related to debt, addiction or the specific challenges resulting from caring responsibilities.    

An adult may be unable to protect themselves from harm or exploitation due to many reasons, including their mental or physical incapacity, sensory loss or physical or learning disabilities. This may include adults who are usually able to protect themselves from harm but may be unable to do so because of an accident, disability, frailty, addiction or illness. 

Key Principles

The following six principles (see Care Act guidance) underpin all safeguarding actions at Hope Inspired CIC

  • Empowerment – people being supported and encouraged to make their own decisions

  • Prevention – taking action before harm occurs

  • Proportionality – the least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented

  • Protection – support and representation for those in need  

  • Partnership – services working together to prevent, detect and report abuse or neglect

  • Accountability – taking responsibility and being transparent when taking safeguarding actions   

Hope Inspired CIC is committed to Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) and translating the above principles into practice. This simply means putting the person at the centre of everything we do when there are safeguarding concerns so that the safeguarding is done with and not to the person. It is vital that the person feels they are the focus and have control over the process. MSP is not just about gaining the person’s consent, although consent is important, but also about hearing what they want as an outcome.   

This means each case will be person-led and outcome-focused. The individual will be involved in identifying how best to respond to their safeguarding situation by giving them more choice and control as well as improving quality of life, wellbeing and safety. 

Who do adult safeguarding duties apply to?

The Care Act 2014 sets out that adult safeguarding duties apply to any adult who:

  • has care and support needs, and

  • is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse and neglect, and

  • is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect, because of those needs. 

Who is responsible for safeguarding adults at Hope Inspired CIC?

Safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone in the organisation! This policy has been produced so we are all clear about what is expected and work together to prevent abuse and harm and promote the wellbeing of those who attend our services.   

The named Designated Safeguarding Lead for safeguarding duties for Hope Inspired CIC is:

Khairun Butt 07809 412 678

All staff, volunteers and contractors should contact Khairun for any concerns/queries they have in respect of safeguarding adults. Khairun is responsible for making decisions about notifying Adult Social Care if required and considering alternative actions, where necessary. 

The Strategic Safeguarding Lead is:

Dr Shazma Thabusom 07999 150 565

Dr Thabusom has strategic responsibility for safeguarding and is responsible for ensuring that the safeguarding adults policy and procedures are in place and up to date and a safe environment is promoted for staff, volunteers, contractors and adults accessing our service. 

Safeguarding Adults Procedure

The procedure to follow if you have a concern is referred to as the 4 Rs!

1. Respond

  • Take emergency action if someone is at immediate risk of harm/in need of urgent medical attention.  Dial 999 for emergency services.

  • If it is not an emergency situation, get brief details about what has happened and what the adult would like done about it, but do not probe or conduct a mini investigation  

  • Seek consent from the adult to take action and to report the concern.  Consider whether the adult may lack capacity to make decisions about their own and other people’s safety and wellbeing. If the person does not give consent for you to share information, and you are worried about their or someone else’s safety, do not wait for consent.  If you decide to act against their wishes or without their consent, you must record your decision and the reasons for this.  

2. Report

  • Contact Khairun Butt on 07809 412 678 and if she is not available, contact Shazma Thabusom on 07999 150 565.

3. Record

  • We have a Safeguarding Reporting Form for recording the details of a safeguarding concern. These forms will be available at our events/workshops and can be provided on request. 

  • However, do not delay recording until you have obtained the Safeguarding Reporting Form; make a record immediately a disclosure is made, or you see/hear something that raises concerns. As far as possible, records should be written at the time of occurrence, dated and signed. Write a clear statement about what you have been told, seen or heard.

  • Hope Inspired CIC will keep records about safeguarding concerns confidential and in a location where these cannot be accessed by unauthorised persons.

4. Refer

In deciding whether to refer or not, the designated safeguarding lead will consider:

(1)  the adult’s wishes and preferred outcome

(2)  whether the adult has mental capacity to make an informed decision about their own and others’ safety

(3)  the safety or wellbeing of children or other adults with care and support needs 

(4)  whether there is a person in a position of trust involved

(5)  whether a crime has been committed.

This will inform the decision whether to notify the concern to the following people:

  • the police if a crime has been committed and/or:

    • Birmingham City Council or another local authority or relevant regulatory bodies such as Care Quality Commission, Charities Commission

    • Social Work England

    • family/relatives as appropriate (following advice from adult social services).

The designated safeguarding lead will keep a record of the reasons for referring the concern or reasons for not referring.  

Incidents of abuse may be one-off or multiple and may affect one person or more. Staff and volunteers should look beyond single incidents to identify patterns of harm. Accurate recording of information will also assist in recognising any patterns. 

Roles and responsibilities

All directors, staff and volunteers are expected to report any safeguarding concerns to the designated lead person for safeguarding. 

The designated safeguarding lead is responsible for receiving, assessing and managing any safeguarding concerns. They will provide acknowledgement of the referral and brief feedback to the person raising the original concern. If you are unhappy with the designated safeguarding lead’s decision about the concerns you have raised, contact the designated strategic lead about this. 

If the safeguarding concerns are about the safeguarding lead or the strategic lead, seek advice from the relevant local authority, which is most likely to be Birmingham City Council, but may be a different authority.  (Contact details of Birmingham City Council are at the end of this policy). 

The local authority will decide who will lead on a safeguarding enquiry should it progress to that stage. Hope Inspired CIC will not conduct its own safeguarding enquiry unless instructed to do so by the local authority. 

Mental Capacity

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 becomes relevant when decisions have to be made on behalf of adults with care and support needs who are unable to make some decisions for themselves. There may be a number of reasons a person’s ability to make decisions is affected, including learning disability, dementia, physical ill health, mental health needs and acquired brain injury.  

The 5 guiding principles of the 2005 Act are:

1.  Presume capacity

2.  Do all you can to support decision making

3.  Do not conclude someone lacks capacity because they make an unwise decision

4.  If a person lacks capacity for a decision you must act in their best interests, and

5.  You must aim to choose the less restrictive action.

In considering capacity, an assessment will be made as to whether the person can:

  • Understand the information relevant to the decision.

  • Retain the information long enough to make the decision.

  • Use and weigh up the information to make a decision.

  • Communicate their decision by any means.

If the person has capacity, then professionals cannot get involved or make decisions about their safety without their permission. The exception to this is where a serious crime has been committed or if there is a risk to others with care and support needs.

If the person lacks capacity, we will need to involve an advocate to make decisions about the safeguarding concern; any decisions made, and action taken, will be made in the best interests of the individual concerned. 

Confidentiality and information sharing

Hope Inspired CIC expects all directors, staff, volunteers and contractors to maintain confidentiality at all times, in line with current data protection legislation. 

It should, however, be noted that information will be shared with the relevant authorities if an adult is deemed to be at risk of harm. Sharing the right information, at the right time, with the right people can make all the difference in preventing harm.  

When we do need to share information for safeguarding purposes, we will do so in a way that is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which was incorporated into UK law by the Data Protection Act 2018. As such, we will only share information when we are clear about the reason for doing so and will only share what is relevant, necessary and accurate. We will only share information with those who need to have it for the purpose of safeguarding the individual and/or others. We will be open and honest with the individual (and/or their family where appropriate) about why, what, how and with whom information will be shared and seek their agreement; when it is appropriate/necessary to share without their consent, we will tell them when information is being shared, unless it is unsafe to do so.  

Recruitment and selection 

Hope Inspired CIC is committed to safe recruitment practices, to reduce the risk of harm to those who use its services, from people unsuitable to work with them. 

Our recruitment process ensures that all potential directors, staff and volunteers complete an application form, provide 2 pieces of identification which confirm their identity and address and provide 2 written references, one of which must be from their last employer or an organisation that has knowledge of their education, training or work. Each applicant’s right to work in the UK is established before any contracts are finalised.  

All directors, staff, volunteers and contractors who are likely to have unsupervised contact  with adults attending our events/workshops will have relevant checks undertaken in line with the requirements of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). These checks reduce the risk of exposing individuals to people unsuitable to work with them. 

Useful contacts 

Emergency Services – Dial 999

Police (non-emergency) - Dial 101

Birmingham City Council 

Tel: 0121 303 1234

Text Relay: Dial 18001 followed by the full national phone number

Email: CSAdultSocialCare@birmingham.gov.uk   

Out of Hours Team: 0121 464 9001

For more information, please read section 14.17 of the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, available on www.gov.uk

This policy will be reviewed and, if necessary, amended by 31 December 2024.

Appendix 1

What are the types of abuse?

The Care and Support statutory guidance sets out the 10 main types of abuse which have been referred to earlier in this policy document.  However, we need to keep an open mind about what constitutes abuse or neglect as it can take many forms.

What are the possible signs of abuse?

Abuse and neglect can sometimes be difficult to spot.  You should be alert to the following possible signs of abuse and neglect: 

  • Depression, self-harm or suicide attempts

  • Difficulty making friends

  • Fear or anxiety

  • Looking dirty or not dressed properly

  • Never seeming to have money

  • An injury that is difficult to explain (such as bruises, finger marks on neck or arms)

  • Signs of a pressure ulcer

  • Insomnia

  • Appearing frightened, or being frightened of physical contact

  • Inappropriate sexual awareness or sexually explicit behaviour

  • Becoming withdrawn or displaying noticeable changes in behaviour.

You should ask the person if you are unsure about their well-being as there may be other explanations for the above presentation. 

Who abuses or neglects adults?

Abuse can happen anywhere, even in somebody’s own home. Often abuse takes place by others who are in a position of trust and power. It can take place whether an adult lives alone or with others.  Anyone can carry out abuse or neglect, including:

  • partners and other family members

  • neighbours

  • friends

  • acquaintances

  • local residents

  • people who deliberately exploit adults they perceive as vulnerable

  • paid staff, professionals and volunteers

  • strangers