Safeguarding Adults Procedures

18 Raising a Concern A concern will be raised when there is reason to believe an adult at risk may have been, is, or might be the subject of harm, abuse or neglect by any other person or persons. Self-neglect can be reported as a Section 42(1) concern but may well not be dealt with via a Section 42(2) enquiry - see Appendix 2 and separate Guidance issued by the SABs. The local authority will determine if the concern requires a Section 42(2) enquiry and if not, what other actions may be taken. It is acknowledged that the ways in which the local authority receive this information are varied and, for example, may come from a third-party source where no action has been taken. Doing nothing is not an option. Actions to be taken when harm is directly observed or disclosed by the adult When harm is seen, the observer will take the steps necessary to make the adult safe and then urgent steps taken to report to the Local Authority. If a crime appears to have been committed, then the Police should also be contacted. It is vital to listen carefully to what the person is saying, reassure them they will be involved in decisions about what will happen and get as clear a picture as possible but avoid asking too many questions at this stage. In all circumstances staff must be assured the adult is safe from harm or any further harm. This may mean contacting any/ all the emergency services.  Accept what the person is saying – do not question the person or get them to justify what they are saying – reassure the person that you take what they have said seriously.  Do not ‘interview’ the person; just listen carefully and calmly to what they are saying. If the person wants to give you lots of information, let them. Try to remember what the person is saying in their own words so that you can make a record.  You can ask questions to establish the basic facts but try to avoid asking the same questions more than once or asking the person to repeat what they have said - this can make them feel they are not being believed.  Don’t promise the person or others that you’ll keep what they tell you confidential or “secret”. Explain that you will need to tell another person, but you’ll only tell people who need to know so that they can help.  Reassure the person that they will be involved in decisions about what will happen.  Do not be judgemental or jump to conclusions.  If the person has specific communication needs, provide support and information in a way that is most appropriate to them.  There must be an assumption that the adult has capacity. Where there is doubt it may be necessary to undertake a full capacity assessment including issues of duress and coercion. Careful consideration will need to be given regarding who else needs to know about the concern. The concern should not be discussed with the person alleged to have caused harm. Making a Written Record As soon as possible on the same day, the referrer of the safeguarding concern should make a chronological written record of what you have seen, been told or have concerns about. Try to make sure anyone else who saw or heard anything relating to the concern also makes a written record. The written record will need to include:  the date and time of the disclosure, or when you were told about or witnessed the incident/s,  who was involved, any other witnesses including service-users and other staff,  exactly what happened or what you were told, in the person’s own words, keeping it factual and not interpreting what you saw or were told, Detailed Guidance on Progressing Safeguarding Concerns