Safeguarding Policy

Safeguarding Policy

 

Objectives

The aims of this Safeguarding Policy are:

• To prevent the abuse of our service users, clients and the independent carers we work with.
• To set out the safeguarding principles we follow in our business.
• To provide information to help our clients, service users and independent carers understand the different types of abuse and some of the common indicators of abuse or neglect.
• To explain how you can report safeguarding issues to us and to explain how we will investigate your report, including the actions we might take as a result.

 

Principles

The Live In Care Company upholds the following safeguarding principles:

• Every person has a right to live a life free from abuse, neglect and fear.
• All reports of abuse will be treated seriously.
• We maintain robust procedures to investigate and respond to allegations of abuse or neglect.

 

Identifying abuse

In this Policy, ‘abuse’ means the abuse or neglect of a person. Abuse can be physical, psychological, sexual, neglect, discriminatory, organisational and/or financial.

Carers can play an important role in preventing and detecting abuse and neglect of the people they care for.  The vast majority of carers are dedicated to acting in the best interests of the service users. There are times, however, when carers may themselves experience abuse from service users or clients (who are often family members of service users). Risk of harm to service users may also arise because of carer stress, tiredness, or lack of information, skills or support. There may be times when the harm caused is deliberate.

Abuse may come to light where:

• Someone discloses the abuse.
• The abuse is witnessed.
• Changes in behaviour are noticed. For example, a service user becoming more fearful.
• Physical indicators of abuse are identified. For example, malnutrition or unusual bruising.

 

Reporting abuse

If you are a service user (i.e. the person receiving the care services), a client (i.e. the person who has instructed us to introduce you to an independent carer who provides live in care services to the service user), or any other interested party (such as a family member) then please let us know immediately if you see, suspect or suffer from abuse in the context of the care services. This includes abuse by an independent carer, the person acting as a substitute for the carer, or abuse by a member of The Live In Care Company staff. In case of emergency, you should consider contacting the emergency services.

If you are an independent carer, please let us know immediately if you see, suspect or suffer from abuse in the context of the services you are providing to a service user. This includes actual or suspected abuse from another carer, the service user, the client or a third party who is present whilst you provide your care services. If you witness abuse and the service user is in immediate danger, please contact emergency services in the first instance and then report the matter to us.

You can report abuse to us confidentiality by email to safeguarding@theliveincarecompany.co.uk. You can also speak to us on 011844 92373.

You should also consider whether to report the abuse to the local authority’s adult safeguarding team.

 

Responding to reports of abuse

If a member of staff for The Live In Care Company receives a report of abuse, they are trained to:

• Stay calm and listen.
• Be objective.
• Take the report seriously.
• Make a written record of what they have been told.
• Preserve any evidence we might hold as an organisation.

 

If a member of staff of The Live In Care Company receives a report of abuse, they are trained not to:

• Promise to keep secrets.
• Ask investigative questions or make judgmental comments.
• Use leading questions.
• Destroy any evidence we might hold as an organisation.

 

Following receipt of an allegation of abuse, we will:

• Make a confidential written note of the allegation.
• In case of an emergency, contract the emergency services.
• Appoint a suitably senior member of the team to investigate the report.
• Report the matter to the appropriate agencies and cooperate with their investigations into the alleged abuse.
• Without undue delay, consider and implement actions which are within our control to protect the person who has been the target of the abuse and to prevent further abuse.

 

DBS checks

The Live In Care Company requires clear DBS checks from all independent carers before they are eligible to be introduced to clients or service users.

 

Responsibility for this Policy

The member of staff at The Live In Care Company who is responsible for this Policy is Luca Rado, Director.

 

Questions about this Policy

If you have any questions relating to this policy, you can contact us at safeguarding@theliveincarecompany.co.uk.

 

This Policy was last updated on 13 October 2022.