Safeguarding

Safeguarding

Definition: Protecting people’s health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.

Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility

Mission: Our mission, as outlined under ‘Who we are: Vision & Values,’ is to be a leading provider of high-quality support, training, and care services. We strive to create opportunities for people with visual impairments, including those with other disabilities. Our goal is to encourage and facilitate the development of these services on a local, regional, and national basis by serving as a model of good practice. We are committed to achieving this in a way that enhances the quality of life for those we support.

Regulation: At Wilberforce Trust, safeguarding is of paramount importance to us. We are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), whose role is to ensure that health and social care services deliver safe, effective, compassionate, and high-quality care. Additionally, we are dedicated to continuously encouraging and supporting the improvement of care services.

Training and Awareness: All staff, volunteers, and board members have DBS’s and receive appropriate safeguarding training. This includes understanding their own roles in safeguarding and being aware of the procedures for reporting concerns.

Monitoring and Accountability: Implementation of safeguarding policies and procedures are completed to ensure they are working effectively. This might include reviewing safeguarding reports, audits, and any incidents that have occurred.

Caldicott Guardian: Our Safeguarding Lead is the Head of Compliance, Governance, and Quality, supported by our Caldicott Guardian. The Caldicott Guardian, a nominated senior manager, is responsible for overseeing the proper management and protection of service users’ and tenants’ information, ensuring that the Caldicott Principles are applied to process confidential information appropriately.

Review and Improvement: Regular reviews of safeguarding policies and practices are undertaken to ensure they remain effective and are updated in response to new risks or changes in legislation. These reviews also reflect on safeguarding incidents or near misses to learn lessons and improve our approach.

Board of Trustees: The board of trustees plays a crucial role in safeguarding. Trustees are ultimately responsible for ensuring that the Wilberforce Trust has effective safeguarding policies and procedures in place and that these are implemented consistently.