What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding refers to the multi-agency procedures for protecting children, young people or adults from abuse or neglect.

If you are a child, young person or an adult are over the age of 18 with care and support needs – and you feel you, or someone you care about, are being abused, or are at risk of abuse from another person, you can seek help from the places listed in our concerned page or use the link in the top right-hand corner of this page.

There are also occasions when you may need to report your concern without the permission of the child or adult involved, for example, if is in their urgent interest, or other people are also at risk, or the person is unable to consent because of coercion or duress.

Dealing with allegations or concerns about abuse can be very difficult and distressing for everyone involved. Deciding what is the right thing to do can be stressful, particularly if the person you are concerned about is reluctant to accept support.

If you are not sure what to do always seek advice.

Wherever possible practitioners will involve the person at risk in decisions about reporting a safeguarding concern.

Sometimes this may not be possible and sometimes they may need to act in the persons ‘best interests’ because they do not have the mental capacity to decide everything for themselves.