Safeguarding

Safeguarding vulnerable people from abuse should be at the heart of all housing, support and care services. Regulations and quality standards govern what we do in this area, while we should also make sure that clients understand abuse and know how to raise the alarm.

The Quality Assessment Framework (QAF) and Care Quality Commission are both clear that support and care organisations need to safeguard vulnerable people. Safeguarding is all the preventative measures that we take to stop somebody being abused. It is everybody’s responsibility. Protection, on the other hand, is a statutory responsibility (resting with social services) to stop or limit abuse once it’s already taken place.

Government's new plans for safeguarding

The Coalition Government halted the Vetting and Barring Scheme in June 2010 and has now announced its plans to overhaul how organisations ensure their staff and volunteers are safe to work with vulnerable people.

The key proposals are:

Fewer people will have to be vetted: only those working closely and regularly with children and vulnerable adults.
CRB checks will become portable and allow for online status checks.
Employers will have greater responsibility to decide safer recruitment processes.
Barring decisions will remain.
It will still be an offence for a barred person to work in regulated activity and for an organisation knowingly to employ a barred person in a regulated activity.
Volunteers will not be discouraged from their work because of unnecessary checks.

Download briefing (pdf)