Principles of safeguarding in health and social work
In this essay using the case study provided I will be evaluating the extent to which Andrew is at risk and in what way practitioners and agencies should be involved in safeguarding Andrew.
Andrew is someone who is suffering from autism. Autism is a developmental disability and is a condition which affects people for the rest of their life. It affects how people see the world and blend with others.
If you suffer from autism, unfortunately, it is one of those conditions which stays with you for life. It is not a disease or illness but it cannot be cured, It is also known as a mental disorder.
Autistic people see the world and feel overwhelmed which causes them anxiety. Many autistic people suffer from many other problems along with their autism such as mental health issues, disabilities and many other conditions. So each autistic person is unique and would need different levels of support, as each person is affected differently by autism due to it being a spectrum condition.
Many autistic people have problems with relating to others, some even their own families and cant involve themselves in family situations due to their autism. Social life, work and school life are also very difficult for them.
It is clear that Andrew has autism and this is the cause of many of the problems he faces and the way in which he behaves.
Evidently, Andrew is suffering from many types of abuse. Firstly, the case study it is clear that Andrew is suffering from financial abuse. This is clear as he is having to resort to stealing from people which may well be for any debts owed or money owed to the previous 2 tenancies not to mention the fact that people are taking advantage of the fact he has autism and stealing valuables from him, so the theft of money or possessions is one type of financial abuse. One indicator of financial abuse is disparity between the persons living conditions and their financial resources, it is clear Andrew does have money as he receives Disability Living Allowance, however, the way in which he lives In a hostel and doesn't wash himself shows self-neglect within himself, this could also suggest someone may be taking the money from him.
The case study stated that Andrew has been a victim of financial abuse. The action to be taken in this case are the agencies are to be contacted, for this type of abuse the agencies are the police and health and social care. The police because Andrew may owe money which is why he is resorting to stealing or it could be because he has no income he can’t afford to pay his debts in which case he is being physically abused. He has left 2 tenancies may be due to his financial position and is now in a short stay hostel. His health and social care agency or direct social worker must be informed so that they are able to aid him with accommodation and necessities for health and wellbeing.
Secondly, there are many indicators of physical abuse. This is evident because in the case study it states that Andrew has attended Accident and Emergency on a number of occasions following assaults which shows the abuse must have been to more than the extent of a graze or a cut that he had to seek medical help at the hospital. He is vulnerable as he has had his mobile phone taken and has not only been verbally threatened but also physically.
There is evidence of actual physical abuse and the action to be taken in this case is the designated authority should be contacted, which would be the police as they deal with this and they should also collaborate with MAPPA, as they can provide reassurance of safety and provide precautions in order to prevent any further physical abuse from happening as they are a multi-agency public protection arrangements, making the police prison and probation services to come together to work . Also Andrews direct social worker and agency should be informed of this matter so that they are able to help in anyway of comfort and are aware of the current situation Andrew is in.
Thirdly, there are signs of emotional abuse as he is being pushed to socially isolate himself and is now scared to go out. He has received threatening texts illustrating that he will be assaulted and is being harassed by this person or people on Facebook that he will be harmed, so along with everything he is being cyberbullied. The indicators of emotional abuse are aggressive behaviour and it is clear that Andrew has been behaving aggressively as it says he has thrown stones and also stolen money. Another indicator is low self-esteem, it is clear Andrew has a extremely low self-esteem as he is unable to even go out of the house and cannot even live by himself due to it.
There is obvious evidence of emotional abuse, this is known as the case study states the threatening messages Andrew is receiving. The action to be taken in this case is first, the incidents should be reported to the police to ensure safety and secondly, their direct social worker and health and social care agency, in order to provide reassurance to Andrew.
Neglect by others and self-neglect is something which is also evident in Andrew's case. It is clear Andrew has been neglected by his own family as he has grown up in the child care services and has lived in residential care instead of in his family home with his family. This could be the main cause of his behaviour at his current stage, this also explains why his relationship with his family is difficult as he may not relate with them as you would with your family as he hasn't had that connection with them. He also may have some hate and anger inside him about how they left him to be dealt with by the children services rather than bringing him up themselves in their family home. Self-neglect on the other hand is something only Andrew can be blamed for. Neglecting to look after your personal hygiene, health or surroundings is one type of self-neglect. It is clear Andrew has been neglecting himself, indicators of self-neglect are poor personal hygiene, unkept appearance, both of which it is clear Andrew has. He has very poor personal hygiene as in the case study it states he has been having issues with his personal hygiene and this would lead him to look like he has an unkept appearance. Other indicators of self-neglect are lack of essential shelter and living in squalid or unsanitary conditions, Andrew lives in a short stay hostel, this is not satisfactory shelter for a person, it is short-term and short stay hostels are known for being dirty and very unsanitary as most of the time the people living there do not shower or have any knowledge of personal hygiene. The action to be taken in this case is Andrews direct social worker and health and social care agency to accommodate him and also be prompting him to improve his hygiene and should show him ways In which he can, as he may not even realise his personal hygiene is a problem.
It is mentioned in the case study that Andrew has learning difficulties which have not yet been officially diagnosed therefore this shows the neglect on the part of children services as they have not served Andrew very well by not getting a psychiatrist to diagnose Andrew. With Andrew going undiagnosed this blame or rather responsibility falls on two services both the child and adult services as they have not had him assessed, due to Andrew growing up in the care of children’s services it is their responsibility to have him assessed and make sure they are providing any care or services he needs. The main reason for this neglect is that there is no visual evidence of their being any real adult services in comparison to the clear children services, this shows that the correct services have failed Andrew and it is clear the transition process was a failure from child services to adult services.
Safeguarding is the action or actions that are taken in order to encourage the welfare of individuals and to protect them from harm. There are many policies and guidelines relating to safeguarding, however, there are six main principles of safeguarding, these are empowerment, protection, prevention, proportionality, partnerships and accountability. Empowerment, so ensuring that individuals are being encouraged and supported in their own decisions and give informed consent. Protection, protecting and representing those in most need of it. Prevention, so before any situation occurs taking action to prevent it. Proportionality, in accordance with the risk at hand, the least intrusive response. Partnerships, solutions which are local and are done through communities and services working together. Along with services the communities had to do their part in reporting, detecting, and preventing neglect and abuse. Lastly, accountability, so being completely transparent and accountable for safeguarding practice.
There are also many legislations relating to safeguarding. The Mental Capacity Act in 2005, the Safe Guarding Vulnerable Groups Act in 2006, the Care Act in 2014 and the Disability Act (Autism) are just a few of the many acts and legislation which have been derived from safeguarding. One I will explain in detail is the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) this involves anyone who has anything to do with the support, care and treatment of individuals living in England and Wales, aged 16 and over and who are not able to make all of or some of their decision for themselves. This act is made in order to protect and give the power back to vulnerable individuals who lack the capability. However, the MCA gives support to those who have the capability and make the decision to plan for their future. So this applies to everyone who is aged over 18. This act is made in order to empower those health and social care professionals to assess capacity themselves rather than relying on expert testing. The MCA has five statuary principles which are vital and mark, all acts and decisions taken in relating to the Act must underpin this. These principles are a presumption of capacity, individuals being supported in their decisions, unwise decisions, best interests and less restrictive option. This Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (SVGA) 2006 was passed to help avoid harm, or risk of harm, by preventing people who are deemed unsuitable to work with children and vulnerable adults from gaining access to them through their work. The Independent Safeguarding Authority was established as a result of this Act.
The Care Act in 2014 gives the duty of promoting the wellbeing of individuals when carrying out care and support functions to the local authorities. The ‘physical and mental health and emotional well-being, the protection from abuse and neglect, the control by the individual over day-to-day life and the participation in work, education, training or recreation’ are just some of the things which define the term wellbeing. Evidently, there have been many positives and the impact has been very successful in the key requirements for safeguarding. Many acts have been implemented due to this, this makes it even more effective as now there's a punishment if any of these safeguarding requirements are not met or broken. This makes it better and more helpful for vulnerable individuals as there is less risk of them being exploited as they are protected by these acts and legislation.
The likelihood of abuse can be reduced in health and social care settings in a numerous amount of ways. The first way which should be the most obvious is that making sure that any workers get training on the different types of abuse and how to handle different situations or in general what to do. Training is vital in these particular aspects which is why the more training there is the better the understanding which will lead to a better outcome.
Also, there should be the use of services in order to facilitate identification, for example, the: Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is a service which was established in 2012 and the purpose it has is to avoid unsuitable individuals from working with vulnerable groups. This helps as then you know who may pose a risk and who may not.
Staff should be well aware of the key information in order to help them to help reduce abuse. They should know what types of adults are at risk more than others, for example, the vulnerable group would consist of adults that are: homeless, have physical or mental disabilities, learning difficulties, sensory impairment and detained in lawful custody. Where one individual is reliant on the other individual, It may possibly lead to abuse, there should be all-round support and those giving support should know the safeguarding principles.
Andrew is an adult who is at risk as he has learning difficulties, is homeless and has autism. To him, the safeguarding duties apply to, as the care acts state it applies to anyone who requires care and support, is experiencing or at the risk of abuse/neglect and are unable to protect themselves from it.
There are many implemented Acts, principles and legislation, but they are only of any use if they are followed and acted upon. As well as this there should be the promotion of inter-agency collaboration working together to get one outcome and promote empowerment and choice.
The importance of an accessible complaints procedure is vital. They are a type of feedback from people such as our self who's opinion matter in order to better something.
Having this procedure in place allows the social care organisation to examine the feedback and improve its mechanisms. People should be comfortable with making complaints without fear but with the courage of improvement. This means to inform people who have made complaints that the issue is being resolved and what will come of it.
Bibliography:
Autism – NAS. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/asd.aspx
Dignity in care – Key legislation: Legislation protecting vulnerable people from abuse. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide15/legislation/otherlegislation/vulnerablepeoplelegislation.asp
Safeguarding adults: Types and indicators of abuse | SCIE. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.scie.org.uk/safeguarding/adults/introduction/types-and-indicators-of-abuse
Safeguarding children. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/safeguarding/