- Physical abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Neglect
Individuals working with ELHS need to be alert to the potential abuse of children both within their families and from other sources including abuse by members of the organisation. There is an expected responsibility to respond to any suspected or actual abuse of a child in accordance with these procedures.
It is good practice to be as open and honest as possible with parents/carers about any concerns. However, you MUST NOT discuss your concerns with parents/ carers if you suspect parents or immediate family to be involved in abuse or neglect of the child and/or to do so would place a child, yourself or others at immediate risk.
An adult might be considered at risk if they are aged 18 years or over and:
- have needs for care and support (whether or not the local council is meeting any of those needs) and;
- are experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
- as a result of those care and support needs are unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect.
A safeguarding concern could come to your attention via a variety of means. You might observe something, someone might disclose an allegation of abuse about themselves or someone else, or someone might report something to you that they have seen or suspected. You should not in any circumstance tell someone that you will keep a disclosure a secret, as you have a legal and moral obligation to report any concerns that you have.
- Be a reassuring presence.
One of the most important steps you can take to help children or vulnerable people is to reassure them that they are safe and that they have done the right thing.
- Recording and reporting
You may need to record an incident that you have observed or that someone else has reported or note down a disclosure prior to notifying the ELHS Safeguarding Contact.
- Never promise that you will keep it a secret. Ensure you inform anyone about to give you information that you will share it with the relevant people to ensure the safety of everybody involved.
- Key information to record:
- The date, time and location your notes were taken.
- Make sure you record the identity of the person supplying the information, or the identity/description of the subject of your observations.
- Record as much factual information about the incident, report or concern as possible. Take care to only record what is said or what is observed – do not draw conclusions or include your opinions in your report.
- Record any action that you took as a result of the report or observation.
ELHS is committed to the principles of empowerment for adults at risk and to making safeguarding personal, ensuring that adults at risk are asked what they want to happen following a concern, that their wishes are taken into account and they are informed of actions being taken). Wherever possible an adult should be empowered to take action on their own behalf.
If you suspect that a young person or vulnerable adult is at risk of harm or is the victim of abuse, you must report it as soon as possible.
In the first instance, unless someone is at immediate risk of harm, please report all safeguarding concerns to the ELHS Safeguarding Contact Alan Quinton by contacting the Society. (Details on the website). All Safeguarding concerns will be treated seriously and information will be shared with
others on a need to know basis.
In an emergency call 999. Otherwise, the next step may be to contact the Single Point of Advice (SPOA) team at East Sussex Children’s Services. 01323 464222
If you are worried about an adult who may be being abused, neglected or exploited, please contact East Sussex Adult Social Care and Health on 0345 60 80 191 or report your concern online.
When working with under 18s you must gain opt-in permission to use their digital images and be clear about what the images will be used for. This includes photographs, videos or screenshots of online calls. Permission must come from their parent or responsible adult.
