Safeguarding definitions

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When to use the Policy and Procedure for Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults in Swindon and Wiltshire (2007)

The Safeguarding Adults’ Policy and Procedure should always be used when there is an allegation or suspicion that a vulnerable adult is being abused or neglected i.e. being caused significant harm by another person or group of people. The Safeguarding Adults’ Policy and Procedure applies to all residents of Swindon and Wiltshire even if they are funding themselves or are being funded by an authority outside Swindon and Wiltshire.

What is meant by “Abuse”?

“Abuse is a violation of an individual's human and civil rights by any other person or persons:” No Secrets (DH/Home Office 2000)

“Abuse is any act or failure to act which results in a significant breach of a vulnerable person’s human rights, civil liberties, bodily integrity, dignity or general well being, whether intended or inadvertent, including sexual relationships or financial transactions to which a person has not or cannot validly consent or which are deliberately exploitative” The Council of Europe (2002)

What is meant by “Harm”?

“Harm is to be taken to include not only ill treatment (including sexual abuse and forms of ill treatment which are not physical) but also the impairment of or an avoidable deterioration in physical or mental health and the impairment of physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development:” No Secrets (DH/Home Office 2000) based on the Children Act definition of “significant harm”

What is meant by “Vulnerable Adult”?

“A vulnerable adult is a person aged 18 years or over who may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness and who is or may be unable to take care of himself or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation;” No Secrets (DH/Home Office 2000)

The ADASS National Framework of Standards (2005) argues against the use of the word “vulnerable” and suggested that local safeguarding adults’ procedures should apply to “every adult who is or may be eligible for community care services “

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006) uses the term “vulnerable adult” in a much wider context to apply to people using certain types of services or residing (even temporarily) in certain types of places

What is meant by “Safeguarding Adults’ Procedures”?

“The local area based multi-agency response which is made to every adult who is or may be “eligible for community care services “ (NHS and Community Care Act 1990) and whose independence and well being is at risk due to abuse or neglect. This includes people who are assessed to be able to purchase all or part of their care:” ADASS National Framework of Standards (2005)

What is meant by “Safeguarding Adults”?

“All work which enables an adult who is or may be eligible for community care services to retain independence, well-being and choice to access their right to live a life that is free from abuse and neglect.” ADASS National Framework of Standards (2005)

The ADASS recognises that the need to safeguard adults covers a much wider community than those people who are eligible for community care services hence the importance of links with other measures to support independence well-being and choice and with wider community safety initiatives.

The use of the term “Vulnerable Adults' Investigations” / “Vulnerable Adults’ Work”.

This has become common parlance in Wiltshire for investigations carried out using the Safeguarding Adults’ Policy and Procedure. It is more helpful to use the term “safeguarding adults’ investigations” as this prevents confusion with the assessments of people who are vulnerable because they are at risk of harm (including self harm and self neglect) but where there is or has been no allegation or suspicion of abuse by another person or group of people.

The use of the term “POVA”

Sometimes the abbreviation POVA (meaning Protection of Vulnerable Adults) is used to describe safeguarding adults’ work. This is an unhelpful abbreviation as it leads to confusion with the PoVA List which is managed by the Independent Safeguarding Authority and is a list of people who have worked in services registered by the Care Quality Commission and have been found unsuitable to work with vulnerable adults.

Last updated: 21 August 2009