Here at The Sefton Autism Support Hub, we take safeguarding seriously and investigate thing thoroughly. Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of vulnerable adults/ children and protect them from harm. Safeguarding means: protecting vulnerable adults/ children from abuse and maltreatment. preventing harm to vulnerable adults’ health or development. ensuring vulnerable adults to grow up with the provision of safe and effective care. A vulnerable adult is defined as an individual age 18 or older who has the functional, mental, or physical inability to care for themselves.

 

Safeguarding our adults is about the safety and well-being of all our service users/ Members but providing additional measures for those least able to protect themselves from harm or abuse. Safeguarding adults is a fundamental part of patient safety and wellbeing and the outcomes expected of the NHS.

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That amounts to “abuse or neglect”?

The Care Act 2014 Statutory Guidance defines “abuse and neglect” as:

• Physical abuse i.e. assault, hitting, slapping, pushing, misuse of medication, unlawful restraint, and inappropriate physical sanctions

• Sexual abuse i.e. any form of sexual assault or harassment

• Psychological abuse i.e. threats of harm or abandonment, preventing contact with others, isolation, bullying, harassment, humiliation, intimidation, control, coercion, verbal abuse

• Domestic violence, including psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse.

• Financial abuse i.e. theft, fraud, internet scams, the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits

• Modern slavery i.e. slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude

• Discrimination i.e. harassment, ill-treatment due to race, sex, gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion

• Organisational i.e. neglect, poor-practice within a care setting, institution, or the adult’s own home

 

Who might need information and advice?

Our Community Care Team advise:

• Family members

• Carers

• Service users

• Friends and neighbours of the adult with care and support needs

 

What type of enquiries can we help with?

We can advise and help if:

• You are a relative or carer who has been told by Social Services that they have reason to believe that there has been neglect, harm or abuse to an adult in your care and that a safeguarding investigation has been commenced.

• You represent, or are, the individual who is being abused or exploited; or

• You are a relative, carer or friend who is worried about what another person is doing or not doing to an adult with care and support needs

 

How to raise a safeguarding concern

If you think you or someone you know is being abused or neglected you should tell someone you trust. This could be a friend, a service user Volunteer Support worker, a family member, a social worker, a doctor or healthcare professional, a police officer or someone else that you trust. Ask them to help you report it.

 

Supporting people when concerns are raised about abuse or neglect can be very difficult and distressing for everyone involved. Deciding what’s the right thing to do can be stressful, particularly if the person you are concerned about is reluctant to accept support. If you are not sure what to do you can always seek advice.

 

 

If you need help with a safeguarding investigation or need assistance with taking steps to protect a potentially vulnerable adult, contact our safeguarding officer/ Lead.

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📞 07518 959185 -📧 info.autism.southport@gmail.com

 

 

We used the 4 Cs of Safeguarding method.  

• Compliments

• Comments

• Concerns

• Complaints

 

Our Disciplinary Procedure

Volunteers don't usually get rights in other places of work but here at Sefton Autism Support Hub we believe our volunteers should be given the chances and the opportunity to do something in life! We believe our volunteers should be given 3 chances. We use the 3 stages of discipline plan. 

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1. Verbal warning

2. Written Warning 

3. suspended or sacked (depending on the situation) 

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If suspended, we arrange a meeting with the Management team & Steering committee and some of our partners the have an involvement in the hubs running to deciduous the outcome and decide a plan of action.

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we uselessly resolve the outcome and decide a plan of action. we uselessly monitor the volunteer for a period until they are back on track.

 

The Disclosure and Barring Service

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps us make a safer recruitment decision and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable group. The DBS decides whether it is suitable for a person to be placed on or removed from a barred list. Here at The Sefton Autism Support Hub we DBS check/ background checks most of our volunteers if they are working closely with our service users

 

 

Can volunteers get free DBS checks?

Volunteers may need to pay for the administration fee of their own online DBS checks, however the DBS will not charge a fee. If you are applying to work for a charity in a paid capacity, you may need to pay for your own DBS check. There is also no DBS fee for the charity getting the volunteer DBS checks done.

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Contact our safeguarding officer Georgia Foot

📧 info.autism.southport@gmail.com

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