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Purpose

‘ADULT AT RISK’

An ‘adult at risk’, is someone aged eighteen or over, who is or may be eligible for community care services and whose independence and well-being would be at risk if they did not receive appropriate health and social care support. The welfare of adults at risk is a key concern of Durham Area Disability Leisure Group and we aim to provide an environment within which all Adults at risk are safe and secure.

Policy Statement

Durham Area Disability Leisure Group seeks to safeguard and protect adults at risk from all forms of abuse and neglect. We will also ensure prompt action is taken should we discover any form of abuse or neglect. Additionally we have a duty to our colleagues and ourselves to ensure that we do not place each other or ourselves in vulnerable situations.

Procedures

This policy operates alongside the following

  • Durham Area Disability Leisure Group is guided by the County Durham Adult Safeguarding Board procedures.
  • Durham Area Disability Leisure Group follows monitoring and recording procedures which ensure that all information recorded is brief, factual and without interpretation, opinion or recommendation
  • Durham Area Disability Leisure Group ensures that all Independent Safeguarding Authority requirements including Disclosure and Barring Service (December 2012).

Role of Responsible/Designated Person/s

Whilst all trustees, committee members, employees and volunteers must work co-operatively, a co-ordinating responsibility rests with the responsible person Pamela Norman or in his/her absence a designated person Colleen Kirton.

The duties of the responsible and designated persons are:

  1. To ensure that all trustees, committee members, staff and volunteers are aware of the requirement to report any suspicion of abuse to the responsible or designated person.
  2. To report all cases of suspected abuse to Social Care Direct or the Police.

The name and contact details of the responsible and designated persons will be available from Lesley Clelland 07592 366454

Training

All trustees, committee members, employees and volunteers will receive training where appropriate so that they are better able to recognise signs of abuse, and are clear about what action they must take. The responsible and designated persons will receive training to assist in managing the Safeguarding and Adult at Risk Protection policy and procedures.

Definitions of Abuse

Abuse is behaviour towards a person that deliberately or unintentionally causes harm. It is a disregard of a person’s human rights and in the worst cases can endanger life.

Abuse can be physical, sexual, financial, psychological, institutional, neglectful or discriminatory.

  • Physical Abuse

The intentional, non accidental use of physical force that aims to hurt, injure or destroy that person.

  • Emotional Abuse

The persistent emotional ill treatment of a person such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the person’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to the person that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of another person. It may involve causing a person frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of them.

  • Sexual Abuse

The involvement of dependent, developmentally immature, adults at risk in sexual activities they do not truly comprehend, or to which they are unable to give informed consent, or that violate the social taboos of family roles.

  • Neglect

When chronic inattention is given to a adult by their primary carers or care givers in the areas of medical, educational, simulative, environmental, nutritional, physical or emotional needs.

Responding to Disclosure – Advice for Committee Members, Employees and Volunteers

When an adult at risk discloses abuse to any trustee, committee, employee or volunteer, the person concerned must inform the adult at risk that it may be necessary to share the information with someone else in order that further harm is prevented.

Keeping this confidential when someone has been informed of an alleged abusive situation is not an option.

You can only promise to act in what you know to be in the best interests of the adult at risk, and that you will keep them informed of what is happening.

Listen carefully to what the adult at risk is saying.

Take seriously that the adult at risk is saying.

Do not ask detailed questions or press the adult at risk for more information as this will prejudice any investigation.

Do not make judgements or say anything about the alleged abuser.

Write down carefully what the adult at risk states as soon as possible including date, time, location and sign your record.

Any information shared with Durham Area Disability Leisure Group, or known to Durham Area Disability Leisure Group is confidential and will not be discussed with anyone not directly involved in the investigation.

Keep the adult at risk informed of any actions you are preparing to take.

Make sure the adult at risk is safe and supported whilst under your supervision.

Inform the Responsible/Designated Person of the disclosure at the earliest opportunity. They will make a referral to either Social Care Direct and/or the Police.

In the event of the Responsible/Designated person being unavailable, a management committee member, employee or volunteer must report the disclosure to Social Care Direct, or the Police.

The welfare of the adult at risk is paramount

This policy was approved by the Durham Area Disability Leisure Group Trustees

Date…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Signed…………………………………………………………………………………………….. (Chair)

This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis

Guidelines for completing a cause for concern report

In any case where an allegation is made, or someone has concerns, a record should be made. In the event that the allegation is investigated by the Police or Social Services, this record will become vital evidence that will be used in any subsequent court action. It is important therefore that full and accurate details are recorded of all facts and actions, as and when they occur.

The following points will help you complete the report.

  1. Ensure that the personal details of the adult at risk are entered accurately.
  2. The person making the report must be identified.
  3. In completing the details of the incident/suspicion the following need to be recorded.

a)Is the person making the report expressing their own views, or passing on those of somebody else? Record the details.

b)What has prompted the concerns? Include dates, times, etc of any specific incident

c)Any physical signs? (Where a worker or volunteer observes injuries to a person such as bruising, for example. Also consider indirect or behavioural signs.)

d)Has the adult at risk been spoken to? If so what was said?

e)Have the primary carers been contacted? If so what was said?

f)Has anybody been alleged to be the abuser? If so record details.

g)Has anyone else been consulted? If so record details.

  1. Remember to record actions taken, persons contacted, decisions made, and instructions given or received. Each entry should be timed and initialled.
  1. Deal only with the facts. Do not express personal opinions or suppositions.
  1. Treat all information received and records made as highly confidential. This information should only be released to those who have a genuine reason to access it.

Durham Area Disability Leisure Group / November 2012