Safeguarding in Health and Social Care Essay Sample

The main aim of safeguarding is to protect people from harm. A person can be at risk of harm if they are vulnerable due to a mental illness or disability, unable to make decisions for themselves, or able to do so but are unable to understand the consequences of those decisions. This can be due to the abuse of alcohol or drugs, or because they have been harmed in some way by another person.

The person may also be at risk if they lack the capacity to consent to treatment, or if they have lost capacity following an accident or neglect. The law protects people who lack capacity due to mental illness and/or disability from being forced into treatment without their consent.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is a duty for all health and social care professionals. It is a team effort, with all professionals working to safeguard people from harm.

Safeguarding is about:

• identifying the risk of harm to the person or group, and planning how to reduce or remove that risk
• ensuring that the person is protected from harm if they do become at risk of harm (for example, ensuring they are not harmed in any way)
• making sure people know what steps are being taken to protect them from harm

To safeguard someone involves assessing their situation and identifying any gaps in their care. Safeguarding should be done in a timely way so that those at risk can be protected. There should be an ongoing relationship between safeguarding and the person’s care and treatment.

Thus, in the essay sample, we are going to discuss the role of safeguarding in the health and social care sector and how it is important, safeguarding laws related to what is safeguarding adults within the organization means,s and safeguarding principles and policies in the UK.

Role of Safeguarding in Health and Social Care

The role of safeguarding in health and social care is to:

• ensure the safety of people at risk of harm, and prevent them from being harmed
• work with people at risk of harm to try to improve their lives so they are no longer at risk
• Work to safeguard people can be done by a wide range of professionals. These include:

Safeguarding should be done in partnership with the person who is at risk. This can take many forms, including:

• working with the person to identify ways of reducing their risk of harm
• working with other professionals such as health care staff or social workers, or other agencies such as police, fire and rescue services, or housing services
• working with the person’s family and friends to support them
• working with the person’s care and treatment team

Safeguard unsafe adults and children must be responsible for health and social care organizations to create their lives free from any intolerant activities. Generally, anyone could be vulnerable at some point in life and need safeguarding. Primarily, safeguarding can be considered as the method to fight against the serious issues in society related to abusing, neglecting, or harming a person in every sense.

In health and social care, abuse can be physical abuse, domestic abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse or discriminatory abuse should be well treated. However, neglect is a very common issue in societies when it comes to children. The role of safeguarding takes a step in when infants do not care and are treated well whether intentionally or otherwise. Safeguarding is looking out to stop people to take advantage of children or any helpless individual.

When basic human rights are concerned, the children are safeguarded by receiving special care and support from health and social care workers in the UK.

Importance of Safeguarding children, young adults, and vulnerable people

Since children and vulnerable people have abilities to keep themselves safe, thus, it is significant for others to ensure care and support happen. As a result, it is a foremost role for those who are around these groups to be aware of what safeguarding is and how it plays a major role to make them feel safe.

Let’s understand safeguarding importance from examples of safeguarding in care homes. Consider a care home for elderly people. In this service, staff members look after those people who are with an insufficient level of health, quality of life, and decision-making abilities. Thus, as the carers, it is the major responsibility for them to ensure that relatives of elder person should not take advantage and prevent an elder person from any kind of physical abuse.

Physical abuse is considered the major cause of harm in most cases of elderly people. Thus, safeguarding prevents and protects them from this. The safety of whistleblowers against an elder person should also become under the safeguarding practices of the health and social care services.

Safeguarding Laws in the health and social care UK

Safeguarding is a legal requirement for all health and social care professionals. The law also protects people from harm who lack capacity because of mental illness or disability. Safeguarding is an ongoing process, involving the protection of everyone at risk from harm. Safeguarding should be based on an understanding of the person’s needs and circumstances, and the risks that could affect them. There are a number of laws in place to safeguard people. These include:

The Children Act 1989

The Act covers the rights of children, and their families, to ensure their safety and wellbeing. It sets out the duties of professionals to safeguard children. This is a piece of legislation to safeguard children and young people. It covers many aspects of children’s lives, including:

• the protection of children from physical and sexual abuse
• the prevention of child cruelty

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 

The Act covers the duties of professionals in the health and social care sector, including those working in social care, to safeguard children and young people. This is a piece of legislation to safeguard children and young people.

The Care Act 2014 

Care Act 2014 is aimed at improving the lives of people with learning disabilities and adults with mental health problems. It sets out how professionals must safeguard adults and children with a learning disability or mental health problem.

It also sets out how professionals should safeguard people who have a learning disability or mental health problem if they are at risk of harm. The Act covers many aspects of safeguarding people with a learning disability and adults with a mental health problem, including:

• ensuring people have positive experiences in care and treatment
• ensuring people have access to information about their care and treatment
• ensuring that the person is treated fairly, as well as being protected from harm

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 is an Act of Parliament that covers the welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk. It sets out how safeguarding is done in the UK. The Act covers many aspects of safeguarding people at risk, including:

• where a person at risk is present
• where a person at risk is not present
• safeguarding children or young people who are subject to abuse or neglect
• ensuring that professionals are aware of the needs and rights of people with a learning disability or mental health problem.

Principles of Safeguarding

The principles of safeguarding create the key aspects of understanding how safeguarding works in health and social care and reminds the human rights to every individual. The core principles of safeguarding are listed below:

Empowerment: The person with a learning disability or mental health problem should be able to make decisions about their own lives. They should be able to make informed decisions about the care and treatment they receive and have control over their circumstances, including where they live.

Prevention: The person with a learning disability or mental health problem should be protected from harm and have their rights respected. They should not be treated unfairly. A person with a learning disability or mental health problem should be protected from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Proportionality: The person with a learning disability or mental health problem should be treated fairly. They should not be over-or under-treated. The person with a learning disability or mental health problem should not be discriminated against on the grounds of age, race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Partnership: The person with a learning disability or mental health problem should be involved in the decisions that affect their lives. The person with a learning disability or mental health problem should have the opportunity to learn from and support each other.

Accountability: The person with a learning disability or mental health problem should be able to hold their professional and service user representatives to account. The person with a learning disability or mental health problem should have access to independent and impartial advice and support when they need it.

Conclusion

Vulnerable adults and children must be safeguarded by health and social care services after understanding their roles and responsibilities. There is much importance of protecting the individuals who feel unsafe in their environment by making sure to aware of their basic human rights established under the legislation of the UK. Safeguarding policies and laws must be followed by the healthcare organizations not only for their care home patients but also for their workers working for them.

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