Safeguarding in the workplace

Missing a safeguarding concern could have a long-lasting impact on a person’s physical and emotional wellbeing.  

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (SVGA) 2006 and The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 legislations underpin safeguarding law in the UK. Everyone who works with vulnerable populations has a responsibility for their wellbeing.  

The most serious potential consequence of a failure to safeguard is the harm to the person at risk. 

Other consequences include: 

• a prison sentence of up to 5 years and/or a fine for the individual who failed to safeguard 
• organisations and local authorities (under the Care Act 2014) also face disciplinary action for failing to safeguard.  

If however, organisations and local authorities can evidence that they had procedures in place, such as safeguarding training, and the neglect or abuse happened despite these procedures, their punishment will likely be less severe.   

What is safeguarding in the workplace?

Safeguarding in the workplace is the practice of ensuring the wellbeing and rights of vulnerable adults or children. Often, it aims to prevent the abuse, harm, harassment or neglect.

Who Needs Safeguarding?

Whilst usually associated with children, it actually applies to everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or gender.

In the workplace, vulnerable adults  (including the elderly or those with mental health issues, learning disabilities or physical disabilities) also require safeguarding and should have a safe and respectful environment created.

All businesses dealing with children or vulnerable adults should have safeguarding policies and procedures in place and offer suitable training to their employees.

Who is a Vulnerable Adult?

A vulnerable adult is a person aged eighteen or over who may need care services because of: 

• their age 
• a disability (physical or mental) 
• illness  
• an inability to look after themselves, protect themselves from harm or exploitation  
• an inability to report abuse 

What is a Safeguarding Concern? 

A safeguarding concern is a concern about the wellbeing of a vulnerable member of society. Signs and symptoms are not always obvious or clear.  

It is often difficult to believe that abuse or neglect can occur in your workplace. If you are made aware of a safeguarding concern it is important to remember that it may have taken a great amount of courage for the person to tell you that something has happened. Out of fear of not being believed, some people do not raise safeguarding concerns. 

Abuse and neglect can take many forms. Organisations and individuals should not be constrained in their view of what constitutes abuse or neglect and should always consider the circumstances of the individual case.  

• Physical abuse 
• Sexual abuse 
• Psychological abuse  
• Financial or material abuse  
• Neglect and acts of omission  
• Self – Neglect  
• Discriminatory abuse  
• Organisational abuse  

For more information on the categories of abuse, please refer to the Safeguarding Adults Pocket Guide by NHS England. 

In cases where there may be physical evidence of crimes (e.g. physical, or sexual assault), contact the Police immediately. Ask their advice about what to do to preserve evidence. 

Report suspicions of misconduct involving minors or vulnerable adults at work immediately to your senior manager or designated adult safeguarding lead within the organisation. This swift action ensures adherence to safeguarding protocols, prioritizing the well-being of all involved.

Examples of safeguarding in the workplace

Safeguarding in the workplace refers to practice of putting specific measures in place to ensure the ongoing protection and wellbeing of employees and anyone within the care of the business.

Here's some examples:

• Policies - Establishing and enforcing policies and procedures around topics such as confidentiality, bullying and harassment, discrimination and safeguarding.
• Training and Education - all relevant staff should receive high-quality safeguarding training to help identify potential signs of harm and abuse, reporting processes and consequences of safeguarding breaches. 
• Risk Assessments and audit reviews - ensuring regular assessment are carried out to mitigate risks and concerns, particularly after new processes, staff or environments are used. 

What happens after disclosure of a safeguarding concern? 

As soon as possible on the same day, make a written record of what you have seen, been told or have concerns about. Try to make sure anyone else who saw or heard anything relating to the concern also makes a written report. 

The written report will need to include the date and time when the disclosure was made, who was involved and exactly what happened.  

It is best practice to remember to include as much detail as possible, keep the report factual as far as possible and keep the report confidential, storing it in a safe & secure place until needed. 

For more guidance on writing a safeguarding report, there is further information in the Good Practice Guide - Recording by Gloucester County Council. 

Make sure your employees and colleagues know how to react to a safeguarding concern 

If there are children or vulnerable adults in your workplace then it is essential that all staff know how to confidently spot and deal with safeguarding issues appropriately and efficiently. 

It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that staff have the appropriate knowledge and that suitable processes are in place.  Staff training plays a key role in this and up to date knowledge must be maintained. 

Utilising modern digital technology to provide all staff with eLearning courses has many benefits over traditional in-person training. From the right provider is should be: 

• cost-efficient 
• fast 
• consistent 
• self-paced 
• easily available across multiple devices (desktop. Mobile, tablet) 
• provide automated reporting 

At The Access Group, we offer a range of Safeguarding eLearning courses in our Health & Safety Library. 

All our courses come with a knowledge check questionnaire to ensure that your organisation can be confident that your workers possess the necessary competencies to work in a safeguarding role. In addition to the questionnaire, we include self-test questions which allow learners to ask questions directly to you regarding your organisations policies and procedures regarding safeguarding.