Practical Safeguarding Tips

Practical Safeguarding Tips

Until my husband and I applied to be foster carers 8 or 9 years ago, I had not heard the term safeguarding. Safeguarding is the process of making sure people are protected from being abused, neglected, or exploited and this can be vulnerable children, young people or adults.

This article is in collaboration with well-established law firm Wilson Browne which, among other services, provide help with applications to the Court of Protection which makes decisions for people who are unable to make decisions for themselves.

In this article, we are going to look at some practical safeguarding tips to help you keep people safe, whether you are a parent, carer, or work with vulnerable people to give you a good overview of what safeguarding entails.

• Someone to trust

One of the most important safeguarding aspects is that there are people around that you can trust and can come to with any problems or concerns. In practice this means being approachable and easy to talk to for the group that you are safeguarding and being available when needed.

• Teamwork

In a place of business, safeguarding should be something that is a shared responsibility. All staff need to have regular training and know how and where to record any concerns. Roles and responsibilities need to be clear and there needs to be systems in place and good communication between staff members with scheduled meetings. The policies need to be accessible to everyone and updated regularly.

• Support strategies

There needs to be a range of support systems and strategies in place to pick up and respond to any problems at an early stage and to ensure an appropriate response where needed. Peer support is a big part of this and so is the trust that staff is there to offer support and help.

• Keeping safe skills

It is also important for vulnerable people to learn essential skills about how to keep safe during different activities and keeping safe messages should be a part of the strategy to safeguard with visual aids, themed activities and events.

Collaborative Article.