Safeguarding Service Users from Abuse or Harm Policy
Last Updated: April 2024
Policy Statement
This policy demonstrates how Cappella Chaplaincy (the Company), protects it’s clients from abuse or harm in line with its legal requirements and best safeguarding practice guidance.
More specifically, it also reflects the local Safeguard Authority policies and procedures.
The Company shares and is committed to the vision of the local Safeguarding Authority, which is to empower and protect adults who are at risk of abuse and neglect, as defined in legislation and statutory guidance.
Policy Aims
The central aim of this safeguarding policy is to set out for all relevant parties the:
1. Principles and values underlying Cappella Chaplaincy’s approach to the safeguarding of its clients
2. Ways in which the company does this
3. Steps taken to avoid abuse/harm taking place
4. Actions taken to deal with abuse/harm if it occurs.
The Company works on the principle that it is the right of clients to be kept safe from all forms of abuse/harm. Being and feeling safe will contribute a great deal to their well-being and quality of life. It therefore recognises that it must always protect its clients and identify and deal with specific instances of abuse/harm if they occur, following the required procedures and best practice guidance.
The Company is always aiming for the very best quality of care and will not be satisfied with anything that falls short of this. It takes every possible action to prevent abuse/harm and associated risks and to deal with the issues as promptly and effectively as possible when they arise.
Abuse is an offence and if known or reported, it must be reported immediately to the Director of the Company, safeguarding lead.
Defining Abuse
The Company works to definitions of abuse that have been developed nationally, it recognises that abuse/harm of clients may take many forms including:
1. Actual physical abuse/harm
2. Social abuse, including bullying, cyber-bullying, harassment and personal exploitation
3. Social isolation/scapegoating/ostracism/stigmatisation
4. Financial or material exploitation/abuse/harm
5. Psychological or emotional abuse/harm
6. Sexual abuse/harm/exploitation
7. Neglect and acts of omission
8. Discriminatory abuse/harm
9. Self-harm, including self-neglect
10. Inhuman or degrading treatment
11. Inappropriate or excessive restraint and restrictions on movement and activities
12. Organisational abuse/harm.
The Role and Accountability of Staff in Relation to Abuse
The Company insists that all its staff have a responsibility to:
1. provide clients with the best possible support.
2. desist from any abusive/harmful action in relation to clients.
3. report anything that they are informed about which is or might be abusive/harmful to clients or others.
4. co-operate in every possible way in any investigation into any alleged abuse
5. participate in training activities relating to abuse/harm and protection from harm
The Company requires its chaplains to take responsibility for:
1. encouraging a culture and ethos that is hostile to any sort of abuse/harm
2. operating personnel policies which identify, appropriately deal with and if necessary exclude from practice potential or actual abusers
3. report any evidence of abuse/harm speedily and sympathetically
4. implementing improvements to procedures if an investigation into abuse/harm reveals deficiencies in the way in which the service operates
5. Director to collaborate with all other relevant agencies in combating abuse/harm and improving the safeguarding and protection of clients
6. Director to liaise with the relevant safeguarding lead for the employer where applicable
Recruitment
The Company takes great care in the recruitment of staff, in carrying out all possible checks on recruits to ensure that they are of a high standard and co-operates in all initiatives regarding the sharing of information on chaplains who are found to be unsuitable to work with people at risk. New chaplains contracted and are in regulated activity have been checked against DBS criminal records and barred lists in line with the current requirements.
Identifying Actual or Possible Abuse
The Company aims to identify any instances of actual or possible abuse/harm involving our clients by all possible means including:
1. fostering an open and trusting communication structure so that chaplains and clients feel able to discuss their concerns with someone authorised to take action
2. ensuring that chaplains and clients know whom they may turn to for advice and action if they become aware or suspect that abuse/harm is occurring
3. encouraging chaplains to recognise that a commitment to the highest possible standards of care must, when necessary, overrule loyalty to clients, individually or corporately
4. making it clear to staff that failing to report incidents or suspicions of abuse is itself abusive and may lead to disciplinary or criminal proceedings
What is abuse?
Abuse can be something that is done to a person, or omitted from being done. Abuse may consist of single or repeated acts and can be carried out by anyone, in any setting and on line. It may result in significant harm to or exploitation of, the individual.
Abuse can include one or more of the following:
· Physical Abuse: This includes hitting, pinching, deliberately giving too much medication or physically restraining someone in an inappropriate way – for example, being locked in or force-fed.
· Financial Abuse: This includes taking another person’s money or possessions – for example, having money or property stolen, being pressured into giving people money or changing a will, misuse of benefits, not being allowed access to money.
· Sexual Abuse: This includes any sexual act to which the vulnerable adult has not consented and may not understand. For example, being touched or kissed when it is not wanted, being made to touch or kiss someone else, being raped, being made to listen to sexual comments or forced to look at sexual acts or materials.
· Psychological Abuse: This can happen where someone is isolated, verbally abused or threatened.
· Discrimination: This includes racism, sexism or acts based on a person’s disability, age or sexual orientation. It also includes other forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment such as disability hate crime.
· Organisational: Neglect and poor care practice within a care setting such as a hospital or care home or in relation to care provided in someone’s own home ranging from one off incidents to ongoing ill-treatment. It can be neglect or poor practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within a care setting.
· Neglect and Acts of Omission: This includes ignoring or withholding physical or medical care needs. Examples are failing to provide appropriate food, shelter, heating, clothing, medical care, hygiene, personal care; inappropriate use of medication or over-medication.
· Self-neglect: Self-neglect covers a wide range of behaviour including neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings and behaviour such as hoarding.
· Abuse of Individual Rights/discriminatory abuse/racial abuse: Abuse of individual rights is a violation of human and civil rights by any other person or persons. Discriminatory abuse consists of abusive or derisive attitudes or behaviour based on a person’s sex, sexuality, ethnic origin, race, culture, age, disability or any other discriminatory abuse – this includes hate crime. Forced marriage is also an abuse of human rights and falls within the definition of adult abuse. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued draft guidance entitled ‘Young people and vulnerable adults facing forced marriage – practice guidance for social workers’. Read more at www.fco.gov.uk/forcedmarriage
· Professional Abuse: Professional abuse is the misuse of therapeutic power and abuse of trust by professionals, the failure of professionals to act on suspected abuse/crimes, poor care practice or neglect in services, resource shortfalls or service pressures that lead to service failure and culpability as a result of poor management systems/structures. Examples of behaviour: entering into a sexual relationship with a patient/client.
· Domestic Abuse: The government defines domestic violence and abuse as ‘any incidents or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over, who are or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. The abuse can encompass, but is not limited to psychological, sexual, financial or emotional abuse’. In addition the Serious Crime Act 2015 includes a new offence of coercive and controlling behaviour which can impose a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment, a fine or both.
· Modern Slavery: Encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude of the adult at risk.
· Hate and Mate Crime: Hate crime is where a crime is committed against a person specifically because of their gender, ethnicity, disability, religious belief or sexual orientation. If an adult at risk is specifically targeted as a victim of crime this is a hate crime.
· Mate Crime is where someone befriends an adult at risk with the intention of exploiting or abusing them. The person often believes they are their ‘friend’ but will go on to be abused e.g. financially, physically or psychologically.
· Forced Marriage: Forced Marriage is where one or both people do not or cannot consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used to make sure the marriage takes place. Under The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 Forced Marriage is now a criminal offence to force someone to marry; therefore, the Police must always be contacted as quickly as possible.
· Honour Based Violence: Honour Based Violence is a crime; therefore, if it is suspected or the person discloses abuse, the Police must always be contacted as quickly as possible. Honour Based Violence (or killing) is used by people who want to defend the reputation of their family or community. It can also include enforced isolation from their community.
· FGM (Female Genital Mutilation): FGM involves procedures that involve total or partial removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Predominantly carried out on young girls, it is considered child abuse and is illegal in the UK.
Procedures for Disclosure of Alleged Abuse
Non-action is not an option in the safeguarding and protection of individuals. You have a duty of care to act to ensure protection of the individual/s.
You should always inform the individual in the first instance that you cannot guarantee confidentiality, and anything they inform you that may cause harm to themselves or others may have to be shared.
You do not need to obtain the individual’s consent/permission to disclose information about possible abuse.
If abuse or harm is clearly occurring or is alleged to have occurred, the chaplain takes swift action to limit the damage to clients and to deal with the abuse, as follows:
The Director of Cappella Chaplaincy should be contacted in the first instance when a safeguarding concern has been disclosed. The Director will contact the client employer safeguarding representative in the first instance.
Recording a Disclosure
When a disclosure is made a written detailed record must be recorded and reported as soon as possible using the client’s words of the account. Observations and any response from the chaplain regarding the disclosure must also be recorded. The records are kept securely and the Company’s rules on confidentiality are carefully followed. Reports are made as required to the Director of the Company who will then report to the safeguarding officer at the client’s employment.
When recording a disclosure:
DO:
- Remain calm and receptive
- Only ask questions for clarification if it is unclear what is being said. e.g. because of audibility, language not content
- Make it clear that you are treating what the individual is stating seriously
- Acknowledge their courage in telling you
- Let them know that you will help them by reporting the disclosure to the Director who will then contact their safeguarding officer
DO NOT:
- Allow your shock or distaste to show
- Probe for any information or ask questions
- Make assumptions or speculate
- Make any comments about the abuser
- Make promises
- Agree to keep the information secret
Court Report/Statement
If a member of staff from the Company receives a request for a court report/statement this must be discussed with the Director, who will then contact the client employer safeguarding lead before complying with the request. All written reports must be viewed by the Director before submission to the courts.
Training
All staff will be fully trained in recognising abuse or harm and carrying out their responsibilities under this policy as a condition of their employment. New chaplaincy staff will have a baseline training level.
Contacting us
If you have any questions about this policy or our use of cookies, please contact us at info@cappellachaplaincy.com or write to Suite 2A, 6th Floor, Cobalt Square, 83-85 Hagley Road, Birmingham. B16 8QG
