When it comes to keeping people safe, it is vitally important that we understand the basic safeguarding principles. Children, young people and adults can be vulnerable to abuse and neglect and it is our job to keep them as safe as we can.
We must take appropriate action if we have any concerns about a vulnerable person . We need to put in to practice the 5 R's.
What are the 5 R's?
These are easy to remember steps to take. They cover what we need to do to keep people safe from abuse and neglect.
Recognise
To begin with we need to know what to look out for. We need to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect. In order to do this we need to make sure that all staff are trained and have done a relevant safeguarding course.
Respond
Everyone working with vulnerable people need to know how to deal with any safeguarding concerns when they arise. We need to make sure that we do this appropriately and in the right way, not ignoring the situation. To do this sucessfully every organisation should have a safeguarding policy in place that outlines the procedures to take.
Report
If we are worried then we must share all concerns with the correct people. We need to consider confidentialilty but we must not let this get in the way of sharing information. We need to follow our organisations policies and procedures and only share with the people that need to know, usully the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Record
We must make a note of the concerns we have. We need to state what our worries are. This needs to be in detail and in the person's own words. Along with that we must note down the date, time and those present. It must be a factual account of what has happened and it must be done as soon as you possibly can.
Refer
If, when we have gained information, we decide that we need the local authority to step in and help then we need to make sure we share our safeguarding concerns with them. It is usually the job of the designated lead to do this. If, in some cases, it is deemed that we need help more urgently as the person is in danger or threat, then the police can be contacted. You should not delay.
