Legislation, strategies and procedures used in health and social care to safeguard vulnerable adults and reduce the risk of abuse.

Legislations used to promote safeguarding for vulnerable adults include: * The data protection act- this legislation helps to reduce the risk of abuse to vulnerable people, this legislations ensure that all personal documents are put away safely and securely from the eyes and possession of a third person. This is so that a third party doesn’t try find out personal information about someone and try to use it to their advantage, the legislation gives individuals a sense of security and reassurance that nobody knows their personal information without their permission. * The care standards act-this legislation has been put into place to make sure that care facilities like care homes, hospitals, dentists etc. are doing their work correctly and following procedures. By following the rules set by the government patients should feel like they are being cared for properly and fairly. The medical advisor committee check on these care facilities and ensure that everything is in order and to their standard. * The disability discrimination act-this legislation has been put into place to make sure that vulnerable adults who are disabled are not being discriminated against because they have a disability. The disabled adult should not be excluded from local transport or job opportunities because they use a wheelchair or because they have an impairment of some kind. * The human rights act- this legislation has been put into place to help reduce the risk of abuse to vulnerable adults as it makes sure that every individual is given the same rights and respect. The human rights act includes; The right to life, the right to freedom from torture, the right to freedom and security, the right to a fair trial, the right to freedom of thought, religion and belief, the right to the freedom of expression, the right to freedom from discrimination. * The mental capacity act-this legislation has been put into place to reduce the risk of abuse to vulnerable adults because they suffer from a mental illness. This legislation makes sure that they are not being abuse or forced into doing things that they do not wish to do without their consent, it also reduces the risk of manipulation. It makes sure that vulnerable adults are being treated properly in health care facilities. * The race relations act- this legislation has been put into place to reduce the risk of abuse to somebody because of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, economic disadvantage or their age. This legislation makes sure that there is equality in work places and health care facilities. * The rehabilitation of offenders act- this act has been put into place to make sure that former offenders are not targeted or being treated differently because of their past, it allows the person to have a fresh start and they get a second chance to try and sort their life out.

Strategies used to promote safeguarding vulnerable adults are: * The multi-agency policy-this strategy is where a group of different agencies come together to form a conclusion regarding a certain individual. An example of this would be if a patient tells their doctor that they are being abused, the doctor would then have to inform social services and the police who then would get together and think of a solution of how to stop this abuse happening to the patient. There are six steps to the multi-agency policy which are: 1. Alert- victim raises a complaint to a professional who can then treat the situation with care. 2. Referral- refers the victim to a professional who can deal with the situation correctly. 3. Decision making- professionals come together and make a solution to help the victim. 4. Assessment-agencies come together and find a conclusion that will benefit and keep the concerned person safe. 5. Review- evaluating the whole situation and make any adjustments if there are any adjustments needed to be made. 6. Record/monitor- the authorities go to check on the victim/ concerned person and make sure that they are not being abused any more.

* The No secrets policy-this policy ensures that workers and carers are not hiding anything from each other. An example of this would be in a GP if a doctor is concerned about the wellbeing of a patient because they feel that the patient is being abused they should share this information with someone professional that can deal with this situation, the doctor cannot keep this information to themselves as they should let somebody else know their concern so that they can help the patient. * Recruitment strategies-recruitment strategies could depend on DBS checks and interviews. DBS check, also known as the disclosure and barring service, is a check that all health care workers must do to allow employers to see if they are able to work with children and vulnerable adults. Having and asking for DBS check allows employers to be given assurance that the person they are employing is not going to disrespect their work and the people in their care but instead are going to work to the best of their ability and ensure that they are looking after everyone and contributing to a positive working environment. The employer may ask questions about how the person would respond to a certain situation and they could catch the person being interviewed off guard as they would not expect to be asked certain questions. This would allow the employer to gain a bit of an understanding on how the person they’re interviewing would react to different situations.

Procedures used to promote safeguarding for vulnerable adults are: * The whistle blowing policy- this policy has been put into place to make sure that if a co- worker is abusing another care worker or a patient verbally, physically, sexually or in any other kind of way that they are reported because they are harming others. * Following the multi-agency policy- the multi-agency policy has six steps which when followed properly can help an individual and stop abuse to them. For example a student is in a violent relationship… 1. Alert- the student could tell their teacher who would then have to tell a senior member of staff. 2. Referral- the senior member of staff would then refer the individual to a professional that could then help the student. 3. Decision making- professionals come together and make a solution to help the student. 4. Assessment-agencies come together and find a conclusion that will benefit and keep the student safe. 5. Review- evaluating the whole situation and make any adjustments if there are any adjustments needed to be made. 6. Record/monitor- the authorities go to check on the student and make sure that they are not being abused any more.