Safeguarding at Care Wings

Care Wings promotes the welfare of individuals using our services. This policy applies to children and individuals at risk, as well as individuals, families, staff members, volunteers, apprentices, professionals, and others.

Care Wings will act in the interests of individuals receiving our services as we commit to respecting all regulations and legislations. We ensure that individuals are kept safe from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Our safeguarding procedures follow the six principles:

• 1. Empowerment – People being supported and encouraged to make their own decisions and informed consent.
• 2. Prevention – It is better to take action before harm occurs.
• 3. Proportionality – The least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented.
• 4. Protection – Support and representation for those in greatest need.
• 5. Partnership – Local solutions through services working with their communities. Communities have a part to play in preventing, detecting and reporting neglect and abuse.
• 6. Accountability – Accountability and transparency in safeguarding practice.

Communication
Our policy and procedures are communicated to individuals, families, professionals, care workers, and others.

Recruitment
We take our responsibilities seriously under the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, ensuring only suitable people are employed to work with individuals at risk. This involves carrying out effective, safer recruitment. All our employees, volunteers, and apprentices go through our policy and procedures, which involve completing an application form, selection, interview, completing a DBS check, and satisfying two references as a minimum.

Training
Our staff undergo safeguarding training to work with at-risk children and adults. They will be supported in embracing their knowledge about types of abuse, practice, roles, and responsibilities. There will also be regular refresher training and supervision that addresses safeguarding concerns and how best to protect individuals at risk.

Safeguarding lead
Care Wings has a safeguarding lead who manages the safeguarding team, investigates and reports all safeguarding concerns, and is responsible for other activities that include supporting staff, recording, and reporting procedures.

Reporting workers procedures
When there is an allegation of safeguarding against any of our workers. This is taken seriously and investigated. The worker will be immediately suspended and kept away from the individual making the allegation. All parties involved will be kept informed, including any referrals made to a Local Authority Designated Offer (when working with children), Local Adult Safeguarding Teams, or Local Safeguarding Children Partnership Multi-disciplinary Teams. Where there is a serious concern about a worker, we will exercise our responsibility to report it to the DBS Service.

Responding Safeguarding Concerns
Where you have a safeguarding concern, please use any of the contact details to reach our safeguarding team:
Tel: 0800 612 8825
Email: wellbeing@carewings.co.uk
Our staff do not investigate concerns or ignore them. All safeguarding concerns should be directed to our safeguarding team.

Review
This policy and procedures will be reviewed periodically as part of our governance and quality assurance checks to ensure they are fit for purpose. This includes reviewing near misses to learn and improve. Care Wings is determined to learn and improve our work with individuals who are at risk. Policy last reviewed August 2023.