The introduction of the Care Act of 2014 has put a series of principles in place on how to best safeguard adults under the care of local authorities in sheltered or social housing, private care homes and in hospitals, for example.
Each care worker needs to be trained on how to put these principles into practice and it is also important that regular training that takes place for care workers to cover any new legislation that has come into force and any changes in best practice ways to work. Carers work in a position of trust both of the individual that they are looking after and their families. If you are looking for someone to help with an elderly family member or perhaps a vulnerable adult you may wish to consider a live in care London agency, such as
https://www.guardiancarers.co.uk/services/live-in-care
DBS
Making sure that all care staff have a basic DBS in place is obviously the first step when a new care worker joins your team. Basic DBS Checks available from online providers help endorse how important client care and support is to safeguard the adults in your company’s care
Top 5 tips
1. Have a training plan which is accessible to everyone to review and attend. Consider having a glossary of safeguarding terms on permanent display in staff areas to reduce the chances of misinterpretation over language choice. Too many acronyms can be confusing if a care worker hasn’t come across them before.
2. Ensure that all care workers know when to report a concern and who to raise this alert with. Have simple systems in place which everyone can follow without any difficulty. Provide a paper record book to track each situation and monitor this so that everyone concerned knows what’s happened and what action is being taken.
3. Make sure that everyone has an appropriate level of training for the role they carry out. Consider whether inviting community workers, family and maintenance staff to a safeguarding talk would be beneficial.
4. Have details on file of all the different professionals, such as housing staff, who work with each individual to safeguard them. Having a telephone number and email address on hand can save time and reduce stress levels in the case of an emergency.
5. Make certain that the adults in your care are aware of how to help safeguard themselves. Something as simple as asking for proof of identity when someone comes to the door could make all the difference.
