Social Care TV: Safeguarding adults in care homes
Key messages for practice
1. An open and supportive culture is needed to ensure staff, residents and their relatives feel comfortable about raising safeguarding concerns
2. A person centred approach, which involves spending time talking with and listening to service users, is key to good safeguarding practice.
3. It is important to support staff with training and supervision so that they are alert to the signs of abuse.
4. Care homes should engage and interact with the local community so that they don't become isolated. If abuse is suspected it is important that the response is prompt and proportionate and that the person is at the centre of any investigation.
What is the video about?
This film looks at aspects of good safeguarding practice in a care home for older people that specialises in dementia. Staff work in a person centred way, spending time with residents and getting to know them well so that they can recognise any changes in behaviour that could suggest abuse. Residents also feel comfortable about sharing any worries that they might have.
The care home has an open management culture where staff feel confident about raising safeguarding concerns, either directly with managers or during supervision sessions. Where necessary, an external professional, such as a GP, will be consulted. Managers are also in regular contact with relatives so that they can discuss all aspects of a person's care, including potential safeguarding issues.
Who will find this useful?
Care home staff Care home managers Care home residents and their families
