Raising a Safeguarding Concern

What is an adult safeguarding concern? (This was previously referred to as raising an alert)

An adult safeguarding concern relates to an adult who has or appears to have care and support needs, that they may be subject to, or may be at risk of, abuse and neglect and may be unable to protect themselves against this.

A concern may be raised by anyone, and can be:

An active disclosure of abuse by the adult, where the adult tells a member of staff that they are experiencing abuse and/or neglect;
A passive disclosure of abuse where someone has noticed signs of abuse or neglect, for example clinical staff who notice unexplained injuries;
An allegation of abuse by a third party, for example a family/friend or neighbour who have observed abuse or neglect or have been told of it by the adult;
A concern raised by staff or volunteers, others using the service, a carer or a member of the public;
An observation of the behaviour of the adult at risk;
An observation of the behaviour of another;
Patterns of concerns or risks that emerge through reviews, audits and complaints or regulatory inspections or monitoring visits (JCC, HCS, JMAPPA or others etc.).

Concerns can be raised in person, by telephone, email or letter. It is expected that multiagency partners reporting a concern do so by filling out a concerns form. The Raising Concerns, Complaints Procedure policy can be found on Safeguarding Partnership Board website:

To report concerns (as a member of the public) contact SPOR on:

Tel: 01534 444440

Email: SPOR@health.gov.je

Address: Single Point of Referral, Health and Community Services, Eagle House, 2 Don Road, St Helier, Jersey, JE2 4QD

If a crime has been committed, please call the States of Jersey Police on: 01534 612612. For emergency assistance please call 999.

If a crime has taken place the Police should be notified. They will make their own enquiries and take immediate protective measures. The Police may need to preserve evidence, therefore staff (and others) must take direct advice from the Police and apply a common-sense approach when dealing with the person or the environment ensuring any evidence is preserved.

The States of Jersey Police have launched a new online reporting mechanism which allows anyone to report various concerns which are not considered an immediate emergency. Please see States of Jersey Police to find out more.