Useful Safeguarding Terminology
If you are new to safeguarding there are some terms, phrases and acronyms used, that may be unfamiliar to you. This article is to cover some of the more common terms used, to help you understand them:
ADASS
ADASS is an acronym for Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, they are advocates for people who use the services offered.
Advocacy
An advocate is a person who helps someone to represent their interests and ensures that their voice is heard. With regards to safeguarding enquiries, you can have an independent advocate to ensure that your feelings and wishes are expressed.
Assessment
Assessments are carried out to ensure that an individual’s needs are being met. This could relate to education provision, or care support received.
Barred Lists
The DBS check Barred Lists when they do an Enhanced DBS Check with Barred List. If a person’s name is on the Barred Lists their past criminal behaviour has deemed them as unsuited to work with children or vulnerable adults, due to violence, neglect, or abuse.
Basic DBS
A Basic DBS is a check that an individual can request themselves. This type of check will show unspent convictions.
Care Act
A 2014 Act that protects carers and adults, to ensure they are safe from abuse or neglect.
Carer
A carer is a person who may look after a child or vulnerable person. They could be paid to do this as a job, or unpaid as a relative or friend.
Clinical Governance
This is an NHS framework to ensure that all NHS places provide a high standard of care and service.
This is to prevent things like anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse in the community.
CQC
This is an acronym for the Care Quality Commission who register and inspect health and social care providers.
DBS
The Disclosure and Barring Service has run since 2012 (it used to be called CRB) and they do DBS Checks on past criminal history on candidates so that a recruiter can decide whether they are suited and safe to work in a job role.
Domestic Abuse
This is the term used if someone over the age of 16 years old, experiences threatening behaviour or violent abuse at home.
Enhanced DBS Check
This is a thorough in-depth DBS Check that looks for spent and unspent criminal records, cautions, warnings, reprimands, locally held police information relevant to the job, and some jobs may require the Barred List to be checked too, if the job involves regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults.
Harm
This term relates to an act that damages a person’s physical, intellectual, emotional, social, or behavioural development.
NHS
This is an acronym for the National Healthcare Service, which gives UK residents free healthcare when they require it.
Safeguarding
This is a term meaning an activity that is there to protect someone’s right to live safely.
Standard DBS Check
This is a more thorough DBS Check than a Basic DBS but is not quite as detailed or thorough as an Enhanced DBS Check. A Standard Check will look for spent and unspent convictions, cautions, warnings, and reprimands.
The above terms are used frequently when discussing safeguarding, so this article is hopefully a useful starting point to aid understanding.