Prevention

Preventative safeguarding includes a range of actions and measures such as practical help, care, support and interventions designed to promote the safety, well-being and rights of adults which reduce the likelihood of, or opportunities for harm to occur. Effective preventative safeguarding requires partnership working. This means individuals, professionals and agencies working together to recognise the potential for, and to prevent, harm.

Partners should embrace strategies that support action before harm can occur. Where abuse or neglect has occurred, steps should be taken to prevent it from reoccurring wherever possible, doing so within relevant parameters but sharing intelligence to support a holistic partnership approach to prevention. The prevention of abuse should occur in the context of person-centred support and personalisation, with individuals empowered to make choices and be supported to manage risks for themselves.

Regular workforce training, competency building and staff development (for working effectively with people at risk) also play a significant part in preventing the escalation of abuse. Effective ways to safeguard adults from abuse include enabling people to take measures to self-protect and safeguard themselves; for some people this may involve their own support networks, or support or care services, depending on their individual circumstances.

Prevention in action includes:

• People being informed of their rights to be free from abuse and supported to exercise these rights, including having access to advocacy (and training – as offered by the SPB for the public to access);
• A well-trained workforce operating in a culture of zero tolerance of abuse;
• A sound framework for confidentiality and information sharing across agencies;
• Needs and risk assessments to inform people's choices;
• A range of options for support to keep safe from abuse tailored to people's individual needs;
• Services that prioritise both safeguarding and independence;
• Public awareness of the issues.

Effective prevention is not about seeing risk in a purely negative context as something that needs to be removed, nor is it about being overly protective or risk averse – people should be empowered to make choices and supported to both take and manage risks in their everyday lives.

People can reduce potential risks by:

• Recognising potential (negative) risks to themselves and considering how they wish to reduce the risks of being harmed or exploited, and the range of options that are available;
• Identifying what strengths, skills, support and networks that could be built upon or used to avoid potentially abusive situations;
• Being aware of what to do if an abusive situation arises - how to report abuse, and how to get help from their support network or professionals.

Prevention should be discussed at every stage of safeguarding and is especially important at the closure stage (which can happen at any time) when working with people on resilience and recovery. Discussions between staff and adults, their personal network and the wider community (if appropriate) help build up resilience as part of the recovery process. Where support is needed to prevent abuse, this needs to be identified and put into safeguarding planning and in ongoing support planning post closure of the safeguarding episode.

1. Information and Advice

All agencies should be able to signpost people to access information and advice relating to safeguarding. Information and advice are critical to preventing or delaying the need for services and, in relation to safeguarding, can be the first step to responding to a concern.

Information and advice should include:

• How to raise concerns about the safety or well-being of an adult who has needs for care and support needs;
• Awareness of different types of abuse and neglect;
• How people can keep safe, and how to support people to keep safe;
• How to access the multiagency safeguarding procedures;
• How to report a crime.

Information may be generalised; however, advice may need to be tailored to the person seeking it, recognising people may need different media through which to communicate. Advice and information should, where possible, be provided in the manner preferred by the person and in a way to help them understand the information being conveyed. Reasonable adjustments should be made to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to information and advice. Reasonable adjustments could include the provision of information in accessible formats or with communication support.

Organisations have a number of direct opportunities to provide information, or signpost people to additional help and advice, particularly for the purposes of prevention and safeguarding:

• At first or ongoing points of contact;
• During or following an adult safeguarding enquiry;
• Safeguarding planning;
• Risk management;
• Through complaints and feedback about a service which identifies a safeguarding concern.