Safeguarding Adults

Safeguarding adults relates to the protection of adults who may be at risk of harm in order to prevent them from suffering abuse or neglect. Abuse can happen anywhere and it can be intended and unintended. Safeguarding adults is ‘everybody’s business’ and it includes measures to prevent abuse and to protect people's health, wellbeing and rights. It also includes enabling adults to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.

What is abuse?

Abuse is mistreatment by any other person or persons that violates a person's human and civil rights. The abuse can vary from treating someone with disrespect in a way which significantly affects the person's quality of life, to causing actual physical suffering

Who is at risk?

The Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 states that an "adult at risk", is an adult who is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs), and as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it

Deprivation of liberty Safeguards (DoLs) and Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS)

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provided a legal framework in the form of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding (DoLS), to protect vulnerable people, who may become, or are being deprived of their liberty in a care home or hospital setting (since 2014 in supported living). In 2023 - 25 the current DoLs framework will be replaced by a new legal framework the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS). The Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act 2019 (the MC(A)A 2019) introduced the Liberty Protection Safeguards, and the new framework will protect vulnerable individuals 16+, in a wider range of care settings. Until these changes come in, current arrangements under the DoLs framework remain in place.

Lasting power of attorney, court of protection and appointees

If a person lacks capacity to make certain decisions in relation to financial or welfare matters, there are a number of options for that individual to have support in the decision making process

MAPPA

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) is a process through which the Police, Probation and Prison Service work together with other agencies to manage the risks posed by violent and sexual offenders living in the community

Escalating concerns

Escalating concerns arise where there are accumulating issues relating to the operation of, or quality of care provided in, a registered care home providing services to adults

The Wales safeguarding procedures for children and adults at risk of abuse and neglect

Click here for the National Wales Safeguarding Procedures. They detail the essential roles and responsibilities for practitioners to ensure that they safeguard children and adults who are at risk of abuse and neglect

Falls

Falls have featured in several of the Gwent Safeguarding Boards Adult Practice Reviews in recent years. Often falls can be prevented and are not an inevitable part of growing older.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Link to Aneurin Bevan University Health Boards’ Melo website, developed to promote the mental wellbeing of people living and working in Gwent