4. Adult Safeguarding Procedures

4.1 Context

The main objective of adult safeguarding procedures is to provide guidance to enable adults to be kept safe from abuse or neglect and immediate action to be taken where required in order to achieve this.

The procedures are a means for staff to combine principles of protection and prevention with individuals’ self-determination, respecting their views, wishes and preferences in accordance with Making Safeguarding Personal.

They are a framework for managing safeguarding interventions that are fair and just, through strong multi-agency partnerships that provide timely and effective prevention of and responses to abuse and neglect.

All organisations who work with or support adults experiencing, or who are at risk of, abuse and neglect may be called upon to lead or contribute to a safeguarding concern and need to be prepared to take on this responsibility.

Guidance is often criticised for over‐standardising practice and undervaluing the skills required when applying policies in diverse circumstances. The key focus is on using professional skills to gain a real understanding of what the adults want to achieve and what action is required to help them to achieve it.