What is safeguarding?

Standing up for those you care for…

“Safeguard” – Origin: late Middle English (denoting protection or safe conduct): from Old French sauve garde, from sauve ‘safe’ + garde ‘guard’.
Think about that for a moment. It’s obvious, really isn’t it?

Health and Social care carries so many responsibilities it’s impossible to list them all in one short blog post but perhaps the most fundamental of them all is Safeguarding the people you look after. Whether you care for children, vulnerable adults, the elderly or infirm, you are, whether you realise it or not, protecting them, keeping them safe from harm, abuse and neglect, guarding their rights and wellbeing.

For children, it means protecting them from maltreatment, whether domestic or other; ensuring that their circumstances allow for safe and effective care; avoiding things that are interfering with their development or health; by protecting them from harm, giving them a better chance of growing up into confident members of society.

It’s no different if you care for adults, vulnerable or otherwise. They have a right to live free from neglect and abuse, have their views and choices listened to and considered.

While the principle is straightforward, understanding how to provide the best Safeguarding approach is not so simple. Each sector of care requires a different set of procedures and it is vital that you know your own as fully as possible. For example, our Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults course covers 12 separate areas of importance such as: Legislation and Guidance, Roles and Boundaries, Danger, Harm and Abuse, Types and Signs of Abuse… A course for Safeguarding Children may have many of the same subjects but there will be others that are specific to children. This is important to remember especially if you or one of your staff are looking to cross-train into another area of care.

So, know your sector, know your Safeguarding. Strengthen your ability to protect as you care and be more able to make that difference.

We at Flexible Training recognise that for so many of our students, being a Care Worker is as much a vocation as it is a job. It may not be as appreciated as it should be, but you can always stand tall knowing that you represent the best of us as protectors, guardians and carers of those in need. Our vocation is to provide the best quality training we can to support you in what you do.