Page 3 - Teeswide Inter Agency Safeguarding Adults Policy V4

Safeguarding is ‘everyone’s business’

The Care Act 2014 requires that Safeguarding Adults Boards assure themselves that local safeguarding
arrangements are in place across their locality and that their partners act appropriately to help and
protect adults from abuse and neglect. Whilst protecting adults at risk of abuse or harm will always be
the main priority of the Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board, the Board recognises the importance of
raising awareness in order to prevent abuse and neglect and that partners share collective responsibility
for ensuring that all efforts to keep people safe are effective and well-coordinated. In this, the role of
every Board member is crucial in ensuring that the Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board is able to meet
its statutory duties by promoting the Teeswide Inter-Agency Safeguarding Policy, and when necessary
holding their own organisations to account.
Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) means that the safeguarding process should be person-led and
outcome-focussed, enhancing the individual’s involvement and choice and control together with seeking
to improve quality of life, wellbeing and safety.
Everyone has a responsibility to take a ‘Think Family’ approach. ‘Think Family’ is an approach that
requires all agencies to consider the needs of the whole family from working with individual members of
it, making sure that support provided by children’s, adults and family services is coordinated and takes
account of how individual problems effect the whole family.

2. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline the principles and definitions that underpin safeguarding work and
to describe the statutory duties set out under the Care Act 2014. The policy is supported by the
Teeswide Inter-Agency Procedures and the individual policy and procedural guidance of each partner
agency.

3. Scope

This policy sets out the Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board’s responsibilities under the Care Act 2014
to protect adults from abuse or neglect. The safeguarding duties apply to any adult who:
 has needs for care and support (whether or not the Local Authority is meeting any of those needs)
and;
 is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
 as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or
the experience of abuse or neglect.

The adult experiencing, or at risk of abuse or neglect will hereafter be referred to as the adult throughout
this policy document.

For the purposes of this policy an adult is a person, aged 18 years and over who is at a greater risk of
suffering abuse or neglect because of physical, mental, sensory, learning or cognitive illnesses or
disabilities; and substance misuse or brain injury, and includes:
 those who purchase their care through personal budgets
 those whose care is funded by Local Authorities and/or health services
 those who fund their own care
 informal carers, family and friends who provide care on an unpaid basis
 adults who are in prison or living in approved premises on licence
 those aged between 18 and 25 years and in receipt of children’s services.

Assessments of informal carers and the adult they care for must include consideration of both their
wellbeing and includes protection from abuse and neglect.
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1 Care Act 2014, Section 1, wellbeing
Ensuring our safeguarding arrangements act to help and protect adults
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