Housing
Housing staff have a key safeguarding role to play, alongside their colleagues in social care, health and the police, in keeping people safe.
They are well placed to identify people with care and support needs, share information and work in partnership to coordinate responses.
In April 2014, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) published a range of guides to help raise awareness about safeguarding in the housing sector, at management and frontline levels, for all housing staff.
Guidance for housing managers – helps managers to improve safeguarding practice in housing
You may also wish to visit the Housing and Safeguarding Adults Alliance which brings together leading-edge housing providers to work alongside partners to encourage, assist, promote and recognise the role and contribution of the housing sector in safeguarding adults.
Elected members
All Councillors share a responsibility in relation to safeguarding those adults whose circumstances make them vulnerable. As community leaders, championing the wellbeing of their constituents, councillors are in a position to raise awareness of adult safeguarding and may become aware of individual cases of abuse through their work and have a duty to report it.
There are crucial roles for councillors in examining how safeguarding is experienced by local people, how people were consulted and involved in developing policies and monitoring services, and how they were involved in their own safeguarding plans and procedures.
Growing awareness of the prevalence of abuse makes it necessary for councillors to take action locally to ensure that everyone is made aware of abuse and neglect.
The Local Government Association has published some key documents which help outline the role of councillors in safeguarding adults.
Care Support Staff and Volunteers