Safeguarding Principles and the Approach for South Yorkshire

During this decade there has been a greater emphasis on ensuring that any work in relation to safeguarding adopts a more personalised approach to working with children and adults. There has been a particular focus on listening to and hearing the voice of adults and taking into consideration their views and wishes.

Within adult safeguarding there have been some significant drivers to promote personalised ways of working: For example, six key principles that underpin safeguarding adults work, as previously set out in the ‘Statement of Government Policy on Adult Safeguarding’ (Department of Health (DoH), May 2013). The principles are enshrined in an approach called Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP), a sector led initiative sponsored by the Local Government Association which aims to support people to improve or resolve their circumstances with a focus on personalised outcomes rather than just ‘investigation’ and ‘conclusion’.

Making safeguarding personal means Safeguarding adults should be person-led and outcome-focused (what the adult would like us to help them with to reduce the risk and make them feel safer). It engages the adult in a conversation about how best to respond to their safeguarding situation in a way that enhances involvement, choice and control as well as improving quality of life, wellbeing and safety.

The six principles apply to all sectors and settings including care and support services, the principles should inform the ways in which professionals and other staff work with adults. The principles can also help SABs, and organisations more widely, by using them to examine and improve their local arrangements.