Our safeguarding teams support our staff to recognise signs of abuse, harm, neglect or maltreatment and how to respond to concerns to prevent and minimise this risk of this occurring.
Safeguarding adults means protecting a person’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. This applies to those aged 18 years and over.
Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. Safeguarding children and child protection guidance and legislation applies to all children up to the age of 18.
What is safeguarding adults?
The Care Act 2014 sets out statutory responsibility for the integration of care and support between health and local authorities. This came into force in April 2015.
Safeguarding adults means protecting a person’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. This applies to those aged 18 years and over.
The aims of safeguarding adults are:
- to prevent harm and reduce the risk of abuse or neglect to adults with care and support needs
- to safeguard individuals in a way that supports them in making choices and having control in how they choose to live their lives ‘Making Safeguarding Personal’
- to promote and outcomes approach in safeguarding that works for people resulting in the best experience possible
- to raise public awareness so that professionals, other staff and communities as a whole play their part in preventing, identifying and responding to abuse and neglect.
What is safeguarding children?
The Department for Education is responsible for child protection in England. It sets out policy, legislation and statutory guidance on how the child protection system should work.
Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Safeguarding children and child protection guidance and legislation applies to all children up to the age of 18.
Safeguarding children means:
- protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
- preventing harm to children’s health or development
- ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
- taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.
There are many categories of abuse including:
- physical abuse – e.g. shaking, scalding, being hit, slapped or punched
- psychological/emotional abuse – e.g. bullying, intimidation, threats of harm or controlling behaviour
- neglect – e.g. parents/carers/services not providing necessary food, clothing, shelter or medical care
- sexual abuse – e.g. indecent exposure, rape, sexual harassment, enticing a child into sexual activities
- financial or material abuse – e.g. misuse of someone’s money, possessions or property
- domestic abuse – e.g. can include some or all of the above and also includes so-called honour-based violence
- self-neglect – e.g. someone neglecting their own personal hygiene, health and surroundings
- discriminatory abuse – e.g. harassment because of race, gender, age, disability, sexuality or religion
- modern slavery – e.g. human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude
- organisational abuse – e.g. neglect and poor practice within a setting such as a care home or hospital, or in relation to care provided at home.
Who is responsible for safeguarding?
Safeguarding is everyone’s business.
While overall responsibility for the coordination of both safeguarding adults and children lies with the local authority (social services), a duty of care for safeguarding rests with all public services that have contact with the general public including our Trust.
Our Trust, via our safeguarding teams, works closely with local authorities and partner agencies to make sure our processes are compatible and effective.
Safeguarding and you – how to report concerns
If you are worried or want to talk to someone, contact your local authority social care services or access information through the Safeguarding Board/Partnership websites (see below).
Our Trust’s approach to safeguarding
As a Trust we aim to adopt the ‘Think Family‘ agenda into safeguarding which promotes the importance of a whole family approach.
This includes:
- a coordinated approach between adult and children’s services
- looking at the whole family within our services to understand family dynamics and the impact on each other when concerns arise
- tailoring care and responses with the family to meet their needs
- empowering families with the right support as a means of prevention.
About our safeguarding team
We take our safeguarding responsibilities very seriously and have dedicated named professionals and safeguarding teams. They work with our executive directors to promote an open and transparent service with our partner agencies.
We strive to ensure that adults and children who use our services receive safe care, are treated with dignity and respect and are supported with timely and appropriate interventions.
Links to local safeguarding boards and partnerships
Our Trust services are covered by five safeguarding adults boards/partnerships and eight safeguarding children partnerships.
Safeguarding adults boards and partnerships
Darlington Safeguarding Partnership
Tel: 01325 406111 (Out of hours Tel: 01642 524552)
Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership
Tel: 03000 267979
North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board
Tel: 01609 780780
Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board
Hartlepool: 01429 523390
Stockton: 01642 527764
Middlesbrough: 01642 065070
Redcar and Cleveland: 01642 065070
Out of hours: 01642 524552
York Safeguarding Adults Board
Tel: 01904 555111 (Out of hours tel: 01609 780780)
East Riding Safeguarding Adults Board
Tel: 01482 396940 (Out of hours: 01377 241273)
Safeguarding children partnerships
Darlington Safeguarding Partnership
Tel: 01325 406222 (Out of hours: 01642 524552)
Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership
Tel: 03000 267979
Hartlepool and Stockton on Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership
Tel: 01429 284284 or 01642 130080 (Out of hours tel: 01642 524552)
South Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership
Middlesbrough – 01642 726004
Redcar and Cleveland – 01642 130700
Out of hours: 01642 524552
North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership
Tel: 01609 780780
York Safeguarding Children Partnership
Tel: 01904 551900 (Out of hours tel: 01609 780780)
East Riding Safeguarding Children Partnership
Tel: 01482 395500 (Out of hours tel: 01482 393939)
