Models of safeguarding in England: Identifying important models and variables influencing the operation of adult safeguarding

Graham, Katherine, Stevens, Martin, Norrie, Caroline, Manthorpe, Jill, Moriarty, Jo, Hussein, Shereen (2017) Models of safeguarding in England: Identifying important models and variables influencing the operation of adult safeguarding. Journal of Social Work, 17 (3). pp. 255-276. ISSN 1468-0173. (doi:10.1177/1468017316640071)

Abstract

Summary Greater priority is now being given to improving responses to concerns that adults may be at risk of abuse or neglect in England and internationally. In England, the Care Act 2014 placed ‘adult safeguarding’ on a firmer statutory footing. Although local authorities were given the lead responsibility for adult safeguarding over a decade ago, little is known about how they organised their responses. This article reports one element of a national study in which semi-structured interviews with 23 local authority adult safeguarding managers in 2013–14 were conducted. The interviews sought to understand how local authorities arrange their responses to adult safeguarding concerns. Findings Several models of practice were identified. Confirming a central theme reported in the literature, the extent and nature of specialism within safeguarding practice varied. Safeguarding specialists were reported to be based in centralised teams or were located as specialists in locality social work teams. In some areas, the role of specialist safeguarding practitioners was linked to an analysis of risk severity or location of concern. Other areas emphasised the importance of safeguarding work as the core of mainstream social work practice. Applications These findings offer a basis for analysis and managerial considerations about the implications of different organisational models of adult safeguarding. These may be relevant to option appraisals and decision-making about future organisational planning.

Item Type:	Article
DOI/Identification number:	10.1177/1468017316640071
Additional information:	Unmapped bibliographic data: M3 - Article [Field not mapped to EPrints] U2 - 10.1177/1468017316640071 [Field not mapped to EPrints] JO - Journal of Social Work [Field not mapped to EPrints]
Uncontrolled keywords:	adult abuse, adult safeguarding, organisational structure, risk, Social work, social work practice
Subjects:	H Social Sciences
Divisions:	Faculties > Social Sciences > School of Social Policy Sociology and Social Research Faculties > Social Sciences > School of Social Policy Sociology and Social Research > Personal Social Services Research Unit
Depositing User:	Shereen Hussein
Date Deposited:	13 Nov 2018 11:49 UTC
Last Modified:	29 May 2019 20:54 UTC
Resource URI:	https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/68300 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)
Hussein, Shereen:	https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7946-0717