No Secrets
In the lead up to Sitra's major national conference on safeguarding issues, Adam Knight-Markiegi looks at the No Secrets consultation.
Revealing the secrets
A major consultation has taken place on No Secrets, which has now been summarised in a new report (Safeguarding adults: Report on the consultation on the review of No Secrets, July 2009, Department of Health). Some 12,000 people took part in the consultation, including 3,000 members of the public and probably many of you reading this article. Here we pull out the key points for the housing sector.
No Secrets, the guide on multi agency work to protect vulnerable adults from abuse, is currently being updated. The original was published in 2000 and has been the definitive guide for anyone working in safeguarding and adult protection. The review has been prompted by a number of incidents of abuse in people?s homes, worries that the existing system is not working and a call from some quarters for greater legal powers.
The key messages from service users are:
- Safeguarding must be built on empowerment so it does not erode other qualities of life, such as self-determination and the right to family life
- People want help with options, information and support but they want to retain control and make their own choices. This sits well with the personalisation agenda
- Adults want a system appropriate to them, rather than one that has been set up to safeguard children
- The participation or representation of those who lack capacity is also important.
Who is vulnerable?
The definition of 'vulnerable adult' has been hotly debated. The current one is anybody aged 18 or above:
"who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation."
Most consultees wanted this definition changed, with much support for the new term 'person at risk'. This will help housing support providers, too, as the definition is currently a grey area. The legal definition in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 includes people who require support, assistance, advice or counselling due to particular needs of age, any form of disability or physical or mental problem, as well as those on probation or in receipt of healthcare. However, this potentially excludes homeless people, refugees and people experiencing domestic violence.
Other definitions of vulnerability exist beyond the safeguarding arena, such as in relation to homelessness and housing rights. Here it extends to adults who have lived in care as children and those who have been affected by violence if this makes them less able to fend for themselves than others.
We are seeking clarification on the definition of ?vulnerable adult? from Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), and will keep you updated.
A bigger role for housing
Housing providers wanted to play a part in safeguarding and were seeking leadership from within the housing sector, particularly from the Tenant Service Authority (TSA), Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the CLG. They wanted to know what duty of care meant for them.
There was recognition that the Quality Assessment Framework (QAF) has raised awareness of safeguarding, and the revised QAF strengthens providers' responsibilities towards safeguarding and protection. Some even called for the QAF or equivalent to be extended to care homes. Housing respondents were very clear that they wanted national safeguarding procedures. This would overcome problems where providers work across local authority boundaries and have to follow different procedures in each area.
Some good work on prevention has already been done by housing providers. For example, some use risk indicators, isolation, alcohol or substance misuse, mental illness while others have developed strategies to keep people safe and prevent abuse. There is also an emphasis on equipping clients with the information and plans to safeguard themselves, which is supported by the QAF.
Other parts of the review look at possible changes to law and focuses on the views of different sectors.
What next?
The Government is now taking onboard the wide ranging views from the consultation and plans to publish its response in the autumn.
