Adult safeguarding

The Care Act 2014 states that adult safeguarding is a core function of every local authority's care and support system. Sections 42-46 of The Care Act 2014 sets out the statutory framework for safeguarding adults. Adult Safeguarding can be defined as protecting a person's right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.

This applies where a local authority has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult in its area (whether or not ordinarily resident there):

• has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs),
• is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
• as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

The Modern Slavery Transparency Statement sets out the actions we will take to understand potential risks of modern slavery and ensure that there is no slavery or human trafficking either on our own businesses or within our supply chains.

Adult Safeguarding has the highest priority across all organisations. All partner organisations acknowledge the priority of safeguarding adults at risk and it is reflected across all organisational corporate priorities.

In carrying out any care and support functions the local authority and its partner agencies should ensure that the person is and remains protected from abuse or neglect. This is not confined only to safeguarding issues but should be a general principle applied in every case.

The statutory safeguarding duties for the local authority are to lead a multi-agency local adult safeguarding system that seeks to prevent abuse and neglect and stop it quickly when it happens. They are to make enquiries, or request others to make them when they think an adult with care and support needs may be at risk of abuse or neglect and they need to find out what action may be needed. Safeguarding is the responsibility of all agencies.

All actions within adult safeguarding should encompass the principle of "no decision about me without me". This means that the adult, their families and carers are working together to find the right solutions to keep the person safe and to support them to make informed choices.

The forms of abuse covered within section 42 of The Care Act 2014 are:

• domestic abuse
• financial or material abuse
• neglect and acts of omission
• organisational abuse
• physical abuse
• psychological abuse
• sexual abuse
• self-neglect
• discriminatory abuse
• modern slavery