Our values and beliefs

Safeguarding adults at risk of harm 

Policy and Procedure 

1.Policy statement 

Dementia Jersey is committed to protecting adults at risk of harm and acknowledges its responsibility to ensure that its trustees, employees and volunteers are aware of their roles and responsibilities in this. 

Dementia Jersey will follow the best practice guidance of the Safeguarding Partnership Board (SPB). This policy has been based upon information within the SPB Adult Safeguarding Procedures available at www.safeguarding.je. 

This document has been produced to ensure that the trustees, employees and volunteers of Dementia Jersey know how to recognise if an adult is at risk of harm and to know what actions to take, as detailed in Dementia Jersey’s Responding to a Safeguarding Concern flow chart. 

2. Who is an adult at risk of harm? 

The term ‘adult at risk’ replaces the term ‘vulnerable adult’. 

Adults of risk of harm are people over the age of 18 who are, or who may be, in need of community care services by reason of mental health, learning or physical disability, sensory impairment, age or illness and who are, or may be unable to take care of themselves, or protect themselves from harm or exploitation. 

3. Definition of abuse 

• Abuse is a violation of a person’s human and civil rights by another person and includes the misuse of power and control over another person 

• Abuse can be a single act or may continue over a long period 

• Abuse may be unintentional or deliberate 

• Abuse can take place anywhere, including in a person’s home, day or residential care, supported housing, in schools, prisons, clinics and in hospitals. 

4. Types of abuse that may harm another person 

Abuse can take many forms and can be summarised as follows: 

Physical abuse: can include hitting, pushing, or otherwise injuring someone, or can include the misuse of medication. 

Sexual abuse: including rape, sexual assault, or pressuring someone into sexual acts they have not consented to, do not understand, or feel powerless to refuse. 

Emotional or psychological abuse: including threats of harm or abandonment, isolation, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, or withdrawal from services or social networks. 

Financial or material abuse: including theft, fraud, the misuse of property and possessions and the deliberate mismanagement of finances by people in a position of trust. 

Neglect and acts of omission: including ignoring medical or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health social care or educational services, withholding medication nutrition and heating. This can be intentional or unintentional. 

Self-neglect: may be due to the failure of a caregiver or services to engage appropriately with a person which results in them refusing to accept the care or support they need. Such situations are complex because it may appear that there is no perpetrator and that the person is making an informed decision about their own risk of harm. 

Discriminatory abuse: including abuse that is racist, sexist, or based on disability or age, or other forms of harassment, or slurs. 

Organisational or institutional abuse: including abuse in care homes, hospitals or prisons, where people may be mistreated because of poor or inadequate care, support or neglect. This can include withholding care or preventing contact with others. 

Domestic abuse: is any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling or coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between partners, ex-partners or family members. 

Modern slavery: includes exploitation of a person who cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception or abuse of power. It includes human trafficking, forced labour and debt bondage. 

Hate and mate crime: hate crime is perceived by the victim as being motivated by hostility or prejudice. Mate crime is when a perpetrator befriends a vulnerable person with the intention of then exploiting them financially, emotionally, physically or sexually. 

Female genital mutilation (FGM): is a form of violence against girls and women and comprises all procedures that involve the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. 

This is not an exhaustive list, and the abuses a person experiences may fall into multiple categories. 

5. Roles and responsibilities 

Safeguarding is everyone’s business. 

Adult abuse can happen to anyone, anywhere and responsibility for dealing with it lies with us all as members of the public. 

Dementia Jersey will ensure that all trustees, employees and volunteers have attended the requisite level of safeguarding training to carry out their role and that this is updated as recommended. 

Dementia Jersey will ensure that all employees, volunteers and trustees will read Dementia Jersey’s Safeguarding Adults at Risk of harm policy. 

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is Sian Wareing-Jones. 

Staff should report any safeguarding concerns to the DSL who will liaise with the relevant safeguarding teams and report concerns and submit a Safeguarding Alert Form if appropriate. If the DSL is not available, please report any concerns to the Operations Manager. 

6. Dementia Jersey’s safeguarding standards 

• The safety of the service user, staff and volunteers is paramount 

• Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect 

• Anyone who raises a concern will be responded to appropriately 

• Everyone has the right to privacy and confidentiality, except when there is a risk of harm to the person themselves or someone else 

• All adults at risk have the right to support throughout the safeguarding process. 

• Every effort will be made to include the person at risk in all parts of the process and ensure that the choices made are as informed as possible. 

• All adults have the right to safety and protection from harm. The person and/or their representative will be as actively involved in planning to protect themselves from future harm and in minimising potential risk in a manner which allows then to express their preferences and choices, notwithstanding any risk to others. 

7. Information sharing and confidentiality 

• An information sharing protocol is in place which addresses the issues surrounding the sharing of information between Dementia Jersey and other services and agencies 

• Information should only be shared when this is necessary and in a person’s best interests 

• The ‘Responding to a Safeguarding Concern’ flow chart must be followed 

• When possible, informed consent should be obtained but it may sometimes be necessary to proceed without this 

• Assurances of confidentiality should not be given as it may be necessary to share information with others. 

8. Consent and capacity 

If possible, a person’s consent to raise concerns should be requested. 

In some circumstances it is not necessary to have a person’s consent to raise a concern. 

These include: 

• When a person does not have capacity to make such a decision 

• If there is an increased risk of harm to the person themselves or to someone else when seeking consent 

• If a serious crime has been committed. 

These are complex decisions, and the DSL should, if possible, be involved in decisions, but only if such a delay in involving the DSL does not risk further harm. 

Policy revised August 2024 

9. Raising concerns 

The first response is usually critical to the outcomes. In some cases, it will be obvious when to raise an alarm, but it may be less obvious and difficult for staff to be clear about a situation. 

Always follow your safeguarding training and refer to Dementia Jersey’s ‘Responding to a Safeguarding Concern’ flow chart. 

In all cases: 

• Call the emergency services if necessary 

• Ensure the person is safe 

• Seek medical attention, if necessary 

• If the Safeguarding Lead is not available, seek assistance from your line manager or from SPOR 

• If you suspect that the Safeguarding Lead may be involved in the abuse, then contact the Chairman of the Trustees or SPOR 

• As far as possible, avoid disturbing anything that may be used as evidence 

• Do not ask questions or try and investigate any situation with a person alleged of causing harm 

• As soon as possible, as a priority, ensure that you have completed the ‘Vulnerable Adult – Record of Concern form’, DJ Team folder / Policies & Procedures be available Make sure your notes are clear and accurate 

• If a trustee, employee or volunteer is required to attend a meeting, they will be fully supported throughout the process and afterwards by the DSL. 

Contacts: 

Dementia Jersey: Tel: 723519 Email: info@dementia.je 

SPOR: Tel: 444440 Email: spor@health.gov.je 

Police emergency: 999 

Police non-emergency: Tel: 612 612 and ask for the Public Protection Unit (PPU)

Policy revised August 2024