Online Adult Safeguarding Foundation Level Training Sessions
The aim of these online sessions is to provide an introduction to adult safeguarding by outlining the legal framework, definitions and principles that are used, and by explaining the content of the Lewisham Adult Safeguarding Pathway which includes key local and national resources.
This is for new staff or volunteers, or for those needing a refresher on this subject. The training is led by Martin Crow, LSAB Business Manager.
Our online training is held on the Microsoft Teams platform.
Our in person training is held at Civic Suite, Catford Road, Catford
Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:00pm to 16.30pm Online Book Here
Thursday 25 January 2024 13:00pm to 16.30pm Online Book Here
Wednesday 20 March 2024 13:00pm to 16.30pm Online Book Here
Wednesday 15 May 2024 13:00pm to 16.30pm Online Book Here
Training for Adult Safeguarding Leads or Managers (non-statutory sector)
These sessions are for those who have leadership or managerial responsibility (including supervisors/ first line managers) for adult safeguarding within their organisation, but is not for Council, NHS or Police staff who are involved in delivering statutory safeguarding enquiries.
These sessions will focus on the Adult Safeguarding Principles, Legal Literacy (including information sharing and mental capacity), Safeguarding Literacy, Professional Curiosity, and the Lewisham Adult Safeguarding Pathway in a leadership context; whilst also examining supervision, documentation and record keeping. Delegates will also consider how they can improve their organisational policies, procedures and overall approach to this subject. This is led by Martin Crow (LSAB Business Manager).
Tuesday 9 January 2024 10:00am to 15.30pm Online Book Here
Wednesday 17 April 2024 10:00am to 15.30pm Online Book Here
Understanding and Supporting Neurodivergent Individuals
This workshop will explore what we understand by the concept neurodiversity and consider a Neurodivergent profile. Commonalities around strengths and needs will be discussed and adjustments and adaptations to meet the support needs of individual service users will be shared.
Tuesday 5 December 2023 12pm - 13.30pm Book your ticket
Wednesday 13 December 2023 12pm - 13.30pm Book your ticket
Modern Slavery - Awareness Raising
These online sessions are at Foundation Level and are suitable for any professional (including local businesses) who are new to the subject or who needs to refresh their knowledge. The objectives are:
- To gain an understanding of the definitions of modern slavery.
- To develop your ability to identify potential victims of modern slavery using common indicators of exploitation.
- To improve your understanding of victim-centred referral mechanisms for potential victims.
This is led by Martin Crow (LSAB Business Manager) supported by local practitioners.
Monday 5 January 2024 10am - 12.30pm Book your ticket
Monday 29 April 2024 10am - 12.30pm Book your ticket
Adult Safeguarding Awareness Training for Community Groups
A shorter and simpler version of our adult safeguarding awareness training aimed at smaller grass root community organisations. Delivered in an evening to make this more accessible for those that may not be able to attend training during office hours. This is also suitable for members of the public, and particularly for those who may employ personal assistants for their home care. This is led by Martin Crow LSAB Business Manager.
Tuesday 27 February 2024 18:00 - 20:00pm Book your ticket
Tuesday 18 June 2024 18:00 - 20:00pm Book your ticket
Safer Recruitment - A Briefing by the Disclosure and Barring Service
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) aims to protect the public by helping employers make safer recruitment decisions, and by barring individuals who pose a risk to vulnerable groups, from working in certain roles. It is important that employers have good recruitment practices in place. DBS checks can play a part in this process but should not be seen as the only safeguarding measure.
Wednesday 10 January 2024 13:00pm to 16.30pm Online Book Here
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Network Online Conference 2024
The aim of this session is to improve the profile of this subject and raise awareness of how Modern Slavery is occurring in Lewisham, across London, and the rest of the country.
This event is for Local businesses and leaders, Local practitioners (public sector), Local Voluntary and Community Sector agencies working in this space and local residents.
Tuesday 23 January 2024 14:00 - 16:00pm Online Book Here
Please note
LSAB training events are free of charge to delegates, but are a very valuable resource that take a lot of time, (public) money and effort to arrange. These are often oversubscribed too, meaning that ‘drop outs’ prevent another person from attending.
Delegates should not book onto an event unless they can absolutely commit to attending, and if you need to drop out you should inform us by email as soon as possible so that a replacement can be considered.
If you do not attend and do not let us know in advance we will ask your manager for an explanation, and we will reserve the right to refuse future bookings for repeated ‘no shows’.
Social housing and safeguarding
All social housing providers must have appropriate safeguarding arrangements in place for tenants who have care and support needs. The Care Act 2014 requires you to support and train your staff.
See our Adult Safeguarding Training section above for information on free e-learning, courses available in Lewisham and other learning opportunities.
Housing Related Safeguarding Audit July 2022
The aim of this Audit was to examine cases where an adult was living in uninhabitable conditions that may have posed a risk to their health or wellbeing, and to ascertain what the adult safeguarding response was, or could have been, in these instances.
The key objective of the audit was to draw out learning to inform the development of best practice in Lewisham, between the council, housing providers and other relevant agencies. The auditor was also asked to identify and draw learning from any potentially discriminatory practice.
Read the full report to find out more
Housing Related Safeguarding Audit July 2022
Adult Safeguarding for Housing Staff
SCIE has produced an introductory video on Adult Safeguarding for housing staff.
A guide for staff on promoting sexuality, relationships and consent in housing with care services
Written by Dr Adi Cooper – City & Hackney Safeguarding Adults Board
This guide focuses on older people, sexuality, intimacy and relationships in housing with care. It looks at non-sexual and sexual relationships and individual sexual behaviour. This is not an easy subject and each case is unique, but this guide aims to steer you through how to respond and think about situations of this nature. Just because a person is old, it does not diminish their desire for companionship, intimacy and love and yet often this basic right may be denied, ignored or stigmatised. Older people in housing with care who wish to and are capable of expressing choice, should be supported to develop or maintain any relationship of their choosing.
Safeguarding is a large and complex topic. Sometimes the language used regarding safeguarding can be confusing and difficult to understand. Here we have given you simple explanations to common safeguarding words and phrases.
A
Abuse - Abuse is the breaching of someone’s human and civil rights by another person or people. It may be a repeated or single act; it can be unintentional or deliberate and can take place in any relationship or setting. It includes: physical harm, sexual abuse, emotional and psychological harm, neglect, financial or material abuse, and harm caused by poor care or practice or both in institutions such as care homes. It may result in significant harm to, or exploitation of, the person being abused.
Adult at risk - Anyone aged 18 years or over who may be unable to take care of themselves due to age-related frailty, visual or hearing impairment, severe physical disability, learning disability, mental health problem, substance misuse or because they are providing care for someone else and therefore may be at risk of harm and serious exploitation.
Alleged perpetrator(s) or Person/ organisation alleged to have caused harm or risk - Anyone who has been accused of abusing or neglecting an adult at risk, where this has not yet been proved.
Alleged victim(s) - Adult at risk, who may have been abused, harmed or neglected by someone else, where it has not yet been proved that they are a victim.
Assessment – An assessment is conducted in the workplace or care environment to ensure that the needs of adults are met competently.
Advocacy – Advocacy refers to speaking or acting on someone else’s behalf, in their best interests. For instance, an adult with learning difficulties may rely on an advocate to help them to put across their wishes or feelings on a certain subject.
ADASS – Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. ADASS was set up to help, advise, and advocate for adults that require social services support.
B
Barred List – The barred list is a register of people’s names and details who are banned from working in contact with adults at risk or children. The barred list is held and maintained by the DBS and is revealed when an Enhanced with barred list DBS check is carried out.
Basic DBS check – The lowest level of DBS check, which searches an individual’s criminal record and returns details of unspent convictions only. Any individual can request a basic DBS check for themselves, without going through a business or organisation.
Best Interests Decision – The result of a process of deciding whether an action is in the best interests of an individual that lacks the mental capability to decide for themselves, according to the criteria set out in the Care Act 2014. The best interest decision considers present or past wishes of the individual, lasting power of attorney, or input from relatives, carers, or other advocates.
C
Carer – Refers to a person who looks after an adult. The role of a carer is either a paid position, an official voluntary role, or undertaken by a relative or friend.
Child Abuse – A term used to describe violent, abusive, or threatening behaviour or neglect towards any person under the age of 16.
Care Act 2014 – The Care Act aims to ensure the wellbeing of people in need of care and support services. It also aims to bring about the personalisation of care services, putting the person at the centre of the process.
Community Safety – A term used to describe all of the available services in a local community that help to improve health and safety. Some of the main focuses of community safety is to reduce anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse.
Clinical Governance – An NHS framework designed to make sure that high standards of care are delivered across the board.
Commissioners - People who purchase services, often from voluntary and independent sector organisations, to provide health and care services.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) - Independent regulator of health and care services in England. CQC inspects providers such as hospitals, dentists and care homes to ensure the care they provide meets government quality and safety standards.
D
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) - Rules that ensure special protection is given to people who cannot make a decision (‘lack capacity’) to consent to care or treatment (or both) that will be given in a care home or hospital and stops them doing what they want to do (‘deprives them of their liberty’). The hospital or care home has to get special permission to give the care or treatment and must make decisions that are in the person’s ‘best interests’.
DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service. Set up in 2012 to replace the CRB (criminal records bureau), the DBS is in charge of overseeing and processing applications to search individual’s criminal records. The result of a DBS check helps employers and organisations to decide whether people are fit for the role in question, especially if it involves working in contact with groups of people who may be more at risk. A DBS check can be applied for online through this website.
Domestic Abuse – A term used to describe violent, abusive, or threatening acts or behaviour towards any person over the age of 16.
E
Enhanced DBS check – The highest level of DBS check, which can be requested alone or with details of the DBS barred list too. An enhanced DBS check reveals spent and unspent conviction, cautions, warnings, reprimands, and any relevant police notes that are kept on file. The type of jobs that require enhanced DBS checks are teachers, doctors, nurses, and care workers.
G
GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation. GDPR is an EU and EEA law that protects individuals from intrusive data collection or use by organisations. It is relevant to safeguarding as sensitive data may be kept on people at risk and is managed in accordance with GDPR guidance.
H
Health and Wellbeing Board - Forums that bring together key health and social care leaders to work in a more joined-up way to reduce health inequality and improve local wellbeing. They will listen to local community needs, agree priorities and encourage health and social care commissioners to work better together to meet local needs.
Healthwatch - Is the independent consumer champion created to gather and represent the views of the public. Healthwatch plays a role at both national and local level and makes sure that the views of the public and people who use services are taken into account.
Harm – Harm refers to any situation or action that can potentially damage or compromise an individual’s physical, emotional, social, or intellectual security or development.
I
ICS - Integrated care systems (ICSs) are partnerships that bring together NHS organisations, local authorities and others to take collective responsibility for planning services, improving health and reducing inequalities across geographical areas.
M
Mental Capacity Act (MCA 2005) - A law that supports and protects people who may be unable to make some decisions for themselves (people who ‘lack capacity’) because of a physical or mental disability or ill-health. It includes a test professionals can perform to tell whether someone can make decisions or not. It covers how to act and make decisions on behalf of people who ‘lack capacity’. It is often used for decisions about health care, where to live and what to do with money.
N
NHS – National Health Service. The NHS provides healthcare to residents of the United Kingdom and accessible to all and free at the point of entry.
P
Partner Agencies - Organisations that are members of the Safeguarding Adults Board.
Public Interest – A term used to describe whether an action is justified as being beneficial for the public to find out about it or to experience it. In other words whether the action can be considered to have been taken in the “public interest”. The news media follows guidelines that decide whether releasing sensitive information is in the public interest.
R
Radicalisation – Describes the process of an individual being drawn into a radical and extreme belief system that condones violent or threatening behaviour to achieve a group’s stated cause. For example, a radicalising influence may try to recruit people from at risk groups to a hate-fuelled ideology that encourages acts of terrorism. To prevent radicalisation the UK government introduced the PREVENT strategy in 2007 which sets out to stop people being recruited to become a terrorist or support terrorism.
S
Safeguarding – A term that covers all and any activities related to protecting an individual’s right to safety and security.
Safeguarding Adults - All work that enables adults at risk to retain independence, wellbeing, choice and to stay safe from abuse and neglect.
Safeguarding Adults Review - An SAB must arrange a Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) when an adult in its area dies as a result of abuse or neglect, whether known or suspected, and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult. SABs must also arrange an SAR if an adult has not died but the SAB knows or suspects that the adult has experienced serious abuse or neglect.
Safeguarding Concern (Adult) - A Safeguarding Concern is when the local authority is first told that an adult at risk may have been abused, is being abused, or might become a victim of abuse. Anyone can raise a Concern: professionals, family members, adults at risk and members of the public. Often a Concern is raised because of a feeling of anxiety or worry for an adult at risk. This feeling can arise because the adult at risk has told you what they are experiencing, you have seen abuse or something risky happening, or you have seen other signs and symptoms such as bruises.
Safeguarding Enquiry – Also known as a “section 42 enquiry” after section 42 of the Care Act 2014. An enquiry is the action taken or instigated by the local authority in response to a concern that abuse or neglect may be taking place.
Service providers - Organisations that deliver health and/or social care services.
Service user - A person who is a customer or user of a service particularly used in relation to those using social care services.
Standard DBS Check – A mid-level DBS check that provides details on spent and unspent conviction, warnings, reprimands and cautions. A standard DBS check must be requested on behalf of an individual by an organisation and can be applied for online.
U
Unpaid Carer - Family, friends or neighbours who provide unpaid support and care to another person. This does not include those providing care and support as a paid member of staff or as a volunteer.
V
Vital Interests – A term to describe the sharing and dissemination of private data and information when it is imperative to protect an individual or group from serious harm, distress, or threat to their lives.
Terminology and Acronyms
Find out more about the common terminology and acronyms used in safeguarding adults.
Common Acronyms
ACE – Adverse Childhood Experiences
ADASS – Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
ASC – Autistic spectrum conditions
CQC – Care Quality Commission
CSE – Child Sexual Exploitation
CSP – Community Safety Partnership
DA – Domestic abuse
DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service
DHR – Domestic homicide review
DoLS – Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
DSP – Designated senior person
DV - Domestic violence
EI – Early intervention
FGM – Female Genital Mutilation
FMU – Forced Marriage Unit
IDVA - Independent Domestic Violence Advisor
IMCA – Independent Mental Capacity Advocate
IMHA – Independent Mental Health Advocate
LA – Local Authority
LAC – Looked-after child
LPA – Lasting Power of Attorney
LSAB - Lewisham Safeguarding Adults Board
MAPPA – Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements
MARAC - multi-agency risk assessment conference
MASH – Multi Agency Safeguarding Hubs
MCA – Mental Capacity Act 2005
MSP – Making Safeguarding Personal
OPG – Office of the Public Guardian
PALS – Patient Advice and Liaison Service
PIPOT – People in positions of trust
PoT – Position of Trust
SAB – Safeguarding Adults Board
S42 Enquiry – An enquiry is the action taken or instigated by the local authority in response to a concern that abuse or neglect may be taking place.
SAR – Safeguarding Adults Review
SI – Serious Incident
TAF – Team around the family