Home safety

Safeguarding statement

Clarion Housing is committed to working with statutory agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents and service users. Safeguarding is an important part of this commitment – with key leads for safeguarding on both our Group Executive Team and at Board level. In addition we have a network of safeguarding champions across the organisation to promote, support and embed good practice.

Staff will report immediately to their line manager if they have safeguarding concerns for a resident or the resident’s family, and a referral would be made to statutory services if required.

This statement explains:

What we mean by the “abuse of adults”.
How you can report any concerns.
What will happen when you report the abuse.
What to do if you have concerns about the safety and well-being of a child.

When do safeguarding duties apply?
Safeguarding duties apply to an adult who:
- Has need for care and support.
- Is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect.
- As a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of, abuse or neglect.
What is abuse?
- Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any other person or persons.
- Abuse may lead to actual or possible ‘significant harm’.
Types of abuse
- Physical abuse: causing someone physical harm - for example by hitting, pushing or kicking them, misusing medication, causing someone to be burnt or scalded, controlling what someone eats, restraining someone inappropriately or depriving them of liberty.
- Sexual abuse: sexual acts to which a person has not or cannot give their consent or which they have been pressurised into - for example rape, inappropriate touching or use of sexualised language.
- Psychological abuse: causing someone mental and emotional distress – for example by using threats, humiliation, control, intimidation, harassment, verbal abuse or depriving them of contact with other people.
- Financial abuse: taking money, goods or property without permission. This can include theft, fraud, exploitation, or putting pressure on someone to make a will, transfer the ownership of property or carry out other financial transactions.
- Neglect: failure to provide access to services to meet a person’s health, social care or educational needs or withholding the necessities of life such as medication, food and heating.
- Discriminatory abuse: treating someone in a less favourable way and causing them harm because of their age, gender, sexuality, disability, ethnic origin or religion.
- Domestic violence: this is the abuse of one partner within an intimate or family relationship. It is the repeated, random and habitual use of intimidation to control a partner. The abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, psychological or financial. More information: http://safelives.org.uk/policy-evidence/about-domestic-abuse
- Organisational abuse: where services fail to recognise the rights of service users and offer a poor quality of care or which condone ways of working which cause harm.
- Self-neglect: this is any failure of an adult to take care of himself or herself that causes, or is reasonably likely to cause within a short period of time, serious physical, mental or emotional harm or substantial damage to or loss of assets. An example of this is hoarding.
- Modern slavery: it is a global problem which transcends age, gender and ethnicity, including here in the UK. It can include victims who have been brought from overseas, and people in the UK, being forced to work illegally against their will in many different sectors including brothels, cannabis farms, nail bars and agriculture. More information: https://www.modernslaveryhelpline.org/
Who abuses?
Anyone can abuse. This includes:
- partners
- relatives
- friends and neighbours
- other users of a service
- someone paid to provide a health or social care service
- volunteers
- strangers
- Most abusers are people already known to the adult but some people will deliberately exploit or harm individuals who they see as easy targets.
Where can the abuse take place
Abuse can take place anywhere. This includes:
- a person’s own home
- a friend’s or relative’s home
- a hospital
- a care home
- a day service
- an educational establishment
- a public place.
What to do if you think that an adult is being abused?
If you have any concerns about a person being abused, you should notify your local Social Care Help Desk in your area (check your local authority website for these details), and say you wish to raise a safeguarding alert. However, if the person is in immediate danger or you think a crime has been committed, call 999. Please do not delay in reporting - your call could stop a crime, or help a vulnerable person immediately.
What will happen when you report the abuse of an adult?
Your concern will always be taken seriously. Once you have made a referral to the Social Care Help Desk or the Police, they will decide how the allegation or suspicion should be investigated.
This statement covers adults, what happens if I have concerns about a child?

Do the same . Report immediately to your local social services support duty desk, or to the police if you feel the child is in immediate danger.
Useful safeguarding organisations
- Action Fraud: report fraud and internet crime. 0300 123 2040
- Care Quality Commission: regulation of care providers. 03000 616161
- Ann Craft Trust: safeguarding vulnerable adults and disabled children 0115 951 5400
- Independent Age: advice and support for older people. Advice line 0800 319 6789
- Women’s Aid: working to end domestic violence against women and children. Please contact the helpline 0808 2000 247 if you require advice.
- Modern Slavery: https://www.modernslaveryhelpline.org/ or call 08000 121 700