Safeguarding is a large and complex topic. Sometimes the language used regarding safeguarding can be confusing and difficult to understand. Here we have given you simple explanations to common safeguarding words and phrases.
Common Acronyms
ACE – Adverse Childhood Experiences
ADASS – Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
ASC – Autistic Spectrum Conditions
CQC – Care Quality Commission
CSE – Child Sexual Exploitation
CSP – Community Safety Partnership
DA – Domestic Abuse
DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service
DHR – Domestic homicide Review
DoLS – Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
DSP – Designated Senior Person
DV - Domestic Violence
EI – Early Intervention
FGM – Female Genital Mutilation
FMU – Forced Marriage Unit
IDVA - Independent Domestic Violence Advisor
IMCA – Independent Mental Capacity Advocate
IMHA – Independent Mental Health Advocate
LA – Local Authority
LAC – Looked-After Child
LPA – Lasting Power of Attorney
MAPPA – Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements
MARAC - Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference
MASH – Multi Agency Safeguarding Hubs
MCA – Mental Capacity Act 2005
MSP – Making Safeguarding Personal
OPG – Office of the Public Guardian
PALS – Patient Advice and Liaison Service
PIPOT – People In Positions Of Trust
PoT – Position of Trust
SAB – Safeguarding Adults Board
S42 Enquiry – An enquiry is the action taken or instigated by the local authority in response to a concern that abuse or neglect may be taking place.
SAR – Safeguarding Adults Review
SI – Serious Incident
TAF – Team around the family
A
Abuse - Abuse is the breaching of someone’s human and civil rights by another person or people. It may be a repeated or single act; it can be unintentional or deliberate and can take place in any relationship or setting. It includes: physical harm, sexual abuse, emotional and psychological harm, neglect, financial or material abuse, and harm caused by poor care or practice or both in institutions such as care homes. It may result in significant harm to, or exploitation of, the person being abused.
Adult at risk - Anyone aged 18 years or over who may be unable to take care of themselves due to age-related frailty, visual or hearing impairment, severe physical disability, learning disability, mental health problem, substance misuse or because they are providing care for someone else and therefore may be at risk of harm and serious exploitation.
Alleged perpetrator(s) or Person/ organisation alleged to have caused harm or risk - Anyone who has been accused of abusing or neglecting an adult at risk, where this has not yet been proved.
Alleged victim(s) - Adult at risk, who may have been abused, harmed or neglected by someone else, where it has not yet been proved that they are a victim.
Assessment – An assessment is conducted in the workplace or care environment to ensure that the needs of adults are met competently.
Advocacy – Advocacy refers to speaking or acting on someone else’s behalf, in their best interests. For instance, an adult with learning difficulties may rely on an advocate to help them to put across their wishes or feelings on a certain subject.
ADASS – Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. ADASS was set up to help, advise, and advocate for adults that require social services support.
B
Barred List – The barred list is a register of people’s names and details who are banned from working in contact with adults at risk or children. The barred list is held and maintained by the DBS and is revealed when an Enhanced with barred list DBS check is carried out.
Basic DBS check – The lowest level of DBS check, which searches an individual’s criminal record and returns details of unspent convictions only. Any individual can request a basic DBS check for themselves, without going through a business or organisation.
Best Interests Decision – The result of a process of deciding whether an action is in the best interests of an individual that lacks the mental capability to decide for themselves, according to the criteria set out in the Care Act 2014. The best interest decision considers present or past wishes of the individual, lasting power of attorney, or input from relatives, carers, or other advocates.
C
Carer – Refers to a person who looks after an adult. The role of a carer is either a paid position, an official voluntary role, or undertaken by a relative or friend.
Child Abuse – A term used to describe violent, abusive, or threatening behaviour or neglect towards any person under the age of 16.
Care Act 2014 – The Care Act aims to ensure the wellbeing of people in need of care and support services. It also aims to bring about the personalisation of care services, putting the person at the centre of the process.
Community Safety – A term used to describe all of the available services in a local community that help to improve health and safety. Some of the main focuses of community safety is to reduce anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse.
Clinical Governance – An NHS framework designed to make sure that high standards of care are delivered across the board.
Commissioners - People who purchase services, often from voluntary and independent sector organisations, to provide health and care services.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) - Independent regulator of health and care services in England. CQC inspects providers such as hospitals, dentists and care homes to ensure the care they provide meets government quality and safety standards.
D
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) - Rules that ensure special protection is given to people who cannot make a decision (‘lack capacity’) to consent to care or treatment (or both) that will be given in a care home or hospital and stops them doing what they want to do (‘deprives them of their liberty’). The hospital or care home has to get special permission to give the care or treatment and must make decisions that are in the person’s ‘best interests’.
DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service. Set up in 2012 to replace the CRB (criminal records bureau), the DBS is in charge of overseeing and processing applications to search individual’s criminal records. The result of a DBS check helps employers and organisations to decide whether people are fit for the role in question, especially if it involves working in contact with groups of people who may be more at risk. A DBS check can be applied for online through this website.
Domestic Abuse – A term used to describe violent, abusive, or threatening acts or behaviour towards any person over the age of 16.
E
Enhanced DBS check – The highest level of DBS check, which can be requested alone or with details of the DBS barred list too. An enhanced DBS check reveals spent and unspent conviction, cautions, warnings, reprimands, and any relevant police notes that are kept on file. The type of jobs that require enhanced DBS checks are teachers, doctors, nurses, and care workers.
G
GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation. GDPR is an EU and EEA law that protects individuals from intrusive data collection or use by organisations. It is relevant to safeguarding as sensitive data may be kept on people at risk and is managed in accordance with GDPR guidance.
H
Health and Wellbeing Board - Forums that bring together key health and social care leaders to work in a more joined-up way to reduce health inequality and improve local wellbeing. They will listen to local community needs, agree priorities and encourage health and social care commissioners to work better together to meet local needs.
Healthwatch - Is the independent consumer champion created to gather and represent the views of the public. Healthwatch plays a role at both national and local level and makes sure that the views of the public and people who use services are taken into account.
Harm – Harm refers to any situation or action that can potentially damage or compromise an individual’s physical, emotional, social, or intellectual security or development.
I
ICS - Integrated care systems (ICSs) are partnerships that bring together NHS organisations, local authorities and others to take collective responsibility for planning services, improving health and reducing inequalities across geographical areas.
M
Mental Capacity Act (MCA 2005) - A law that supports and protects people who may be unable to make some decisions for themselves (people who ‘lack capacity’) because of a physical or mental disability or ill-health. It includes a test professionals can perform to tell whether someone can make decisions or not. It covers how to act and make decisions on behalf of people who ‘lack capacity’. It is often used for decisions about health care, where to live and what to do with money.
N
NHS – National Health Service. The NHS provides healthcare to residents of the United Kingdom and accessible to all and free at the point of entry.
P
Partner Agencies - Organisations that are members of the Safeguarding Adults Board.
Public Interest – A term used to describe whether an action is justified as being beneficial for the public to find out about it or to experience it. In other words whether the action can be considered to have been taken in the “public interest”. The news media follows guidelines that decide whether releasing sensitive information is in the public interest.
R
Radicalisation – Describes the process of an individual being drawn into a radical and extreme belief system that condones violent or threatening behaviour to achieve a group’s stated cause. For example, a radicalising influence may try to recruit people from at risk groups to a hate-fuelled ideology that encourages acts of terrorism. To prevent radicalisation the UK government introduced the PREVENT strategy in 2007 which sets out to stop people being recruited to become a terrorist or support terrorism.
S
Safeguarding – A term that covers all and any activities related to protecting an individual’s right to safety and security.
Safeguarding Adults - All work that enables adults at risk to retain independence, wellbeing, choice and to stay safe from abuse and neglect.
Safeguarding Adults Review - An SAB must arrange a Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) when an adult in its area dies as a result of abuse or neglect, whether known or suspected, and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult. SABs must also arrange an SAR if an adult has not died but the SAB knows or suspects that the adult has experienced serious abuse or neglect.
Safeguarding Concern (Adult) - A Safeguarding Concern is when the local authority is first told that an adult at risk may have been abused, is being abused, or might become a victim of abuse. Anyone can raise a Concern: professionals, family members, adults at risk and members of the public. Often a Concern is raised because of a feeling of anxiety or worry for an adult at risk. This feeling can arise because the adult at risk has told you what they are experiencing, you have seen abuse or something risky happening, or you have seen other signs and symptoms such as bruises.
Safeguarding Enquiry – Also known as a “section 42 enquiry” after section 42 of the Care Act 2014. An enquiry is the action taken or instigated by the local authority in response to a concern that abuse or neglect may be taking place.
Service providers - Organisations that deliver health and/or social care services.
Service user - A person who is a customer or user of a service particularly used in relation to those using social care services.
Standard DBS Check – A mid-level DBS check that provides details on spent and unspent conviction, warnings, reprimands and cautions. A standard DBS check must be requested on behalf of an individual by an organisation and can be applied for online.
U
Unpaid Carer - Family, friends or neighbours who provide unpaid support and care to another person. This does not include those providing care and support as a paid member of staff or as a volunteer.
V
Vital Interests – A term to describe the sharing and dissemination of private data and information when it is imperative to protect an individual or group from serious harm, distress, or threat to their lives.