Safeguarding Policy
The Adults’ Wellness Centre Safeguarding Adults Policy has been developed in accordance with relevant UK legislation and guidance, including the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and Kent & Medway Safeguarding Adults Procedures, alongside professional body safeguarding guidance.
Any concerns will be taken seriously and acted upon sensitively, professionally, and appropriately. This may include sharing information with, or making a referral to, Adult Social Care or other appropriate services where necessary to reduce risk or prevent harm.
The Adults’ Wellness Centre recognises that:
• Every adult has the right to live free from abuse and neglect
• Adults have the right to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion
• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
• Adults should be supported to make their own decisions wherever possible
• Working in partnership with individuals and other agencies is essential in promoting safety and wellbeing
We will seek to safeguard adults by:
• Valuing them
• Listening to them
• Respecting their rights, choices, and autonomy
• Providing a safe and supportive environment
• Providing high quality therapeutic and assessment services
• Recruiting professionals safely and ensuring appropriate checks are in place
• Maintaining clear professional boundaries and good clinical governance
• Sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, when it is lawful and appropriate to do so
Our responsibilities
We are rigorous and vigilant in protecting the individuals who use The Adults’ Wellness Centre from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and harm. We do this through careful recruitment and selection processes, appropriate DBS checks, and clear safeguarding procedures.
Individuals who may be at increased risk
The Adults’ Wellness Centre recognises that some adults may be more vulnerable to abuse or neglect, including adults with mental health difficulties, learning disabilities, neurodiversity, physical disabilities, or those experiencing significant life stressors, coercion, or exploitation. Barriers to recognising abuse can include communication difficulties, dependency on others, fear of consequences, or lack of access to support.
What is adult abuse?
Abuse is any behaviour, action, or inaction that causes harm, distress, or violates a person’s rights. Abuse can be perpetrated by partners, family members, carers, professionals, or others, and can occur in any setting and across all sections of society.
Abuse can take many forms, including:
• Physical abuse
• Emotional or psychological abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Financial or material abuse
• Neglect and acts of omission
• Domestic abuse
• Discriminatory abuse
• Organisational abuse
• Exploitation
• Self-neglect
Consent, capacity, and information sharing
We respect adults’ rights to make their own decisions and work in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Wherever possible, we will involve the adult and seek their consent before sharing information. However, there are situations where information may be shared without consent, for example where there is a serious risk of harm, a crime may have been committed, the person lacks capacity, or others may be at risk.
Person-Centred Safeguarding (Making Safeguarding Personal)
The Adults’ Wellness Centre believes that adults have the right to make their own choices, even when those choices involve some level of risk. Our role is not to take control away from people, but to work alongside them to understand what matters to them and what they want to achieve.
We take a person-centred approach to safeguarding, which means we involve individuals in decisions about their own safety wherever possible, respect their views, wishes, feelings, and beliefs, and aim to support their independence, dignity, and wellbeing.
Where someone has difficulty expressing their wishes or understanding their options, we will encourage appropriate support or advocacy in line with the Care Act 2014.
Our approach follows the Care Act safeguarding principles of empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership, and accountability.
Concerns and next steps
We are all responsible for safeguarding. Any concerns about an adult’s safety or wellbeing will be followed up and dealt with quickly and as sensitively as possible, with guidance from our Designated Safeguarding Lead and, where appropriate, in liaison with external agencies.
A fuller, more detailed Safeguarding Adults Policy is available for staff, clinicians, and on request.
This policy will be reviewed regularly and updated as needed