Safeguarding Policy

 

Extra Help recognises that in working with our clients we may also come into contact with client’s children and young relatives. This policy sets out how we will work in conjunction with other agencies to recognise and manage suspicious and/or allegations of abuse or neglect.

Our Principles

Extra Help is committed to the following principles in all aspects of safeguarding:

Empowerment – taking a person-centred approach, whereby our clients feel involved and informed

Protection – responding quickly to allegations of abuse and offering support to allow clients to take action

Partnership – ensuring information is shared appropriately and assisting the relevant authorities to ensure outcomes are appropriate

Accountability – ensuring Extra Help maintains a clear role

Extra Help will most likely be involved in the role of ‘alerter’ when allegations of abuse are disclosed or suspected but may also be required to work alongside clients as requested by the relevant authorities as part of a planned approach to prevent further abuse. Extra Help is committed to ensuring that when allegations of abuse are disclosed they are acted upon quickly and effectively.

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding is the term that describes the function of protecting adults and children from abuse or neglect. Safeguarding relates to the need to protect certain people who may be vulnerable for a variety of circumstances. The potential victims may be at risk of abuse or neglect due to the actions (or lack of action) or another person. In these cases it is it is critical that services work together to identify those at risk and put in place interventions to protect people and help prevent any abuse or neglect.

What is abuse?

Abuse is a violation of an individual’s rights by another person or persons. Abuse may consist of a single act or repeated acts. It may be physical, financial, verbal or psychological or an act of neglect or omission to act. It may occur when an adult at risk is persuaded to enter into a financial or sexual transaction to which s/he has not consented, or does not have the capacity to consent. Abuse can occur in any relationship and may result in significant harm to, or exploitation of, the victim.

Safeguarding Adults

Extra Help will instruct their self-employed home helpers in the following key objectives:

• The identification of possible ‘at risk’ clients
• Awareness of types of abuse
• Extra Help’s safeguarding policy
• Awareness of disclosure management

Alerter Role

Anyone who comes in contact with a vulnerable adult is considered to be an ‘alerter’. An ‘alerter’ does not investigate allegations of abuse but must report their concerns or any disclosures to Extra Help. This must be in a written format free and clearly legible. This may be written on an incident report form but in all cases must be submitted on the same day as the incident. Extra Help will then contact the relevant authorities if they feel a client is in immediate danger of harm or social services in all other cases.

Extra Help will inform its self-employed home helpers to:

• Recognise and report abuse
• Ensure safely of its clients
• Preserve evidence
• Hand write a report

Safeguarding children and young people

Extra Help provides a Mother’s Help service, all of our home helpers hold an enhanced DBS check, and adhere to Ofsted regulations.

Extra Help will instruct their self-employed home helpers in the following key objectives

• The documentation of their concerns
• Who to inform
• What to do if they have any concerns for the child’s immediate safely

Policy Implementation

This is the policy statement of Extra Help.

The ultimate responsibility for this policy is that of the local franchise owner

Everyday responsibility for ensuring this policy is put into practice is delegated to the home helper who visits the client.