Safeguarding in Health and Social Care
The booklet must:
Ai Describe in your own words what is meant by the following types of abuse:
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is the use of physical force that may result in bodily injury,physical pain or impairment.physical abuse may include but is not limited to such acts of violence as striking ( with or without an object) hitting,beating,pushing,shoving,shaking,slapping,kicking,pinching and burning.
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse is any sort of non consensual sexual contact,sexual abuse can happen to men or women of any age.
Emotional/psychological abuse
Any act, including confinement, isolation, verbal assult,humiliation intimidation or any other treatment which may diminish the sence of identity,dignity and self worth.
Financial abuse
Misuse of a persons money, property or assets through theft or fraud
Institutional abuse
Mistreatment of people brought about by poor or inadequate care or support, or systematic poor practice that affects the whole care setting . it occurs when the individuals wishes and needs are sacrified for the smooth running of a group,service or organisation.
Aii Identify signs and symptoms of the different types of abuse Abuse can show as physical effects and symptoms.these are likly to be accompanied by emotional signs and changes in behaviour,but this is not alway the case. Signs of physical abuse
Frequent or regular falls or injuries
Pepperpot bruising – small bruises,usually on the chest,caused by poking with a finger or pulling clothes tightlyFingermarks – often on arms or shouldersBruising in areas not normally bruised such as the inside of thighs and arms
Sighns of sexual
Unusal sexual behaviourBlood or marks no underclothesRecurrent gentital/ urinary infectionsComplaints of soreness or infections in the genital/ anal area
Frequent complaints of abdominal pain
Change in behaviour
Sighns of emotional
Loss of interest in appearanceLoss of confidenceBecoming afraid of making decisionsChange in behaviour
Sighns of financial
Sudden change in attitude to financial mattersSleeping problemsFeeling depressed or hopeless
Any behaviour changes could indicate that the service user is a victim of some form of abuse, but remember that they are only an indicator and will need to be linked to other factors to arrive at a complete picture
Aiii Explain the correct actions to take if you suspect an individual is being abused Report your concerns to your line manager/ supervisor.
Aiv Explain the correct actions to take if an individual tells you they are being abused If a client tells you they are being abused,you should stop what you re doing and listen carefully to them.all conversations should be treated with confidence and information only passed on to those who need to know.even if the person speaks in strictest of confidence,line managers must still be informed and the discussion written down.never agree with the client that you wont tell someone who can do something about it. Av Identify how to ensure that any evidence of abuse is kept safe There may be situations where you have evidence of abuse,either because you have witnessed it happening or because you have other evidence such as bank slips, forged pension books,ect.
In this situation must be reported immediately to your supervisor,or the person identified in the procedures followed by your workplace for cases of suspected abuse.you make sure that you provide all the evidence in detail with full information about how you found the evidence and how and where you have recorded it.if you have witnessed,or intervened in,an act of abuse that may constitute a criminal offence, you must not remove any possible evidence until the police have examined the scene. Avi Identify the national policies that set out requirements for safeguarding individuals Safeguarding vulnerable groups act 2006
- No secrets act 2000
- Care standards act 2000
- Avii Identify the local and organisational systems for safeguarding
- Safe guarding vulnerable groups act 2006 cqc
- Criminal records bureau human rights act 1998
Aviii Explain the roles of different agencies and professionals that are involved in safeguarding individuals Police,- criminal(assult ,fraud, theft domestic violence)
Council, – to protect people using their service – make sure they re safe extend help where needed to support those experiencing abuseand neglect in their own homes Social workers – to investigate actual or suspected abuse or neglect Crb-to check an individuals past to see if they have any criminal convictions Gp,a&e staff,nurses,medical professionals – they can diagnose treat and examine and record any evidence Cqc – to regulate and inspect care providers
Aix Identify sources of advice, support and information to help social care workers understand their own role in safeguarding Health authorities, local authority social services
- My manager, colleagues
- My companys policies and procedures on safeguarding
- The internet
- Cqc
- Independent safeguarding authority
- Books
- Training and advise from training
204 Task B Research and Account
Identify two reports on serious failures to protect individuals from abuse. Write an account that describes the unsafe practices in the reviews. Suggested word count: 400 words
204 Task C – Short Answer Questions
Ci Explain what a social care worker must do if they become aware of unsafe practice. They must report the matter to their line manager or senior using the whistle blowing policy keeping a recorded document of times,places and events of unsafe practise and any other evidence they are able to obtain. If the unsafe practice is by the manager then must report to a higher member within the company so the matter can be resolved.
Cii Describe what a social care worker must do if unsafe practice is reported but nothing is done to ensure it is corrected. if a care worker reported unsafe practise and nothing is done to correct it the social care worker needs to keep recorded documentationof the person who they reported it to, keep reporting it and keep recording it and keeping recorded documentation as evidence and advise the person performing unsafe practise of what they are doing wrong and work to the best practice you know. If still nothing is done to correct the unsafe practice the social care worker can contact cqc and advise them on the unsafe practice.
Ciii Describe three factors that may make individuals more vulnerable to abuse than others. Factor 1; physical disability – physical disabilitynof any form can make individuals more vulnerable to abuse as they often are unable to speak out about who is abusing them or what type of abuse is occurring and makes them vulnerable to abusive attacks. Factor 2; age – age of all types can have an effect both young and old are more vulnerable to abuse. Old people are more vulnerable to financial abuse if they are not in control of their own finances along with physical and mental abuse children are vulnerable to grooming ,sexual, physical,mental and emotional abuse. Factor 3; mental illness – mental illness makes people vulnerable as they may be unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves from significant harm and exploitation
Civ Explain how adopting a person centred approach which offers choices and upholds rights can empower an individual and help to reduce the likelihood of abuse. Treating individual with respect, supporting individuals rights to control their lives and make informed choices, promoting individual views, helping individual service users and care workers to make complaint and maintaining confidentialty encourage service users to comment and attend in the meeting.those practices help individuals to aquire their self esteem and recognize their values, rights, and powers what protect them being abused.
Cv Explain how encouraging and promoting active participation can help to reduce the likelihood of abuse. Encouraging active participation builds self esteem,and the person will refuse to tolerate abuse and will be inclined to report it, theyre also around other people which will help build friendships in which they can share things they may tell one of them if abuse may happen and one of them may pass it on to help. Cvi Explain how an effective and easy to use complaints procedure can help to reduce the likelihood of abuse. If it is easy to access the complaints procedure,and anyone willing to complain has no difficulty in doing so, then it makes it harder for abuse to go unreported,and hence less likely to take place . if a victim has difficulty complaining then someone who might abuse them is more likely to do so, as they would be more confident that the victim would not be able to do anything about it.
