Safeguarding Adults Week: Looking out for each other

Hello, I'm Eve and I work as a Compliance Coordinator in the Quality and Compliance Team at Brandon. This week is Safeguarding Adults Week, and I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about safeguarding and what my team do. 

Safeguarding keeps us all safe

Safeguarding is about keeping people safe from harm. People should be able to live the lives they want, free from harm or the fear of being harmed.

Safeguarding is not something that just applies to 'other people'. Safeguarding could apply to all of us, at different times and in different settings. One day, you or someone you love, may be vulnerable and need to rely on others to stop abuse.

Safeguarding is not just for professionals, people with special training, or those who work in special roles. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

Creating safe and supportive environments

This year’s theme for Safeguarding Adults Week is 'creating safer cultures'. This means a culture where people who are being abused, or are afraid they are going to be abused, can speak to someone and know they will be listened to and helped to be safe.

This means a culture where staff who see or suspect something abusive is happening know they can speak up and the right action will be taken.

This means a culture where staff and managers are encouraged to listen, reflect on their practice, and learn. A culture where values of empowerment, respect, dignity, and equality underpin everything staff do.  

Most of all, it means a culture of supporting people in a way that is person-centred and keeps the person being supported at the heart of all the decisions that are made.

Keeping people connected

Sometimes, creating a safe, person-centred culture can be as simple as helping someone stay connected with their family and friends and the activities they enjoy. During the pandemic, many people were isolated at home. Day centres were closed.

Even regular visitors such as chiropodists, art and music therapists, and hairdressers were unable to visit. Brandon's terrific teams went to great lengths to help with video calls, garden visits, zoom exercise classes, virtual arts and crafts classes... People stayed connected, and this meant they were safer too.

Supporting and empowering everyone 

The Quality and Compliance Team at Brandon are here to support both the people we care for and our staff. Our focus is always on empowering everyone who works at, and is supported by, Brandon.

Through our Involvement initiatives like The Big Conversation, we aim to give a real voice to people we support and enable them to have their say on what we do and how we do it.  

We’re also here for staff who need support or guidance with the problems they face in their frontline roles.

We can provide support with health and safety, PBS, legal compliance, and best practice issues. All of this is related to safeguarding! For example, making sure a person we support is safe from fire in their home, has food that is safely cooked, and has equipment that is safely maintained and serviced, is 'health and safety' – but it is also safeguarding them.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility 

At Brandon, our staff at every level and in every role, are trained in how to recognise abuse and what action to take. But this training is for ALL your life – not just the times you are at work.

You might be visiting a loved one in a care setting. You might be taking your child to a sports group, ballet class or Brownies. You might be helping out with a social club. You might simply be worried about an elderly neighbour down the road.

Wherever and whoever it is, if something doesn’t feel right to you, then speak up. Ask questions. Abusers count on people not saying or doing anything, or making excuses about something they’ve seen.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Don’t just walk on by.

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If you're passionate about supporting people to live the lives they want, you could be a brilliant fit for Brandon. Head to our jobs section to find out more about working with us, and to view all our current vacancies.