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Briefing Note Maidstone Borough Council

Policy for Safeguarding Children and Adults

 

 

At Maidstone Borough Council we take Safeguarding seriously. We recognise the need to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all those who we come into contact with the services we provide this includes both children and adults. Our services touch many individuals from across our district through a number of teams including customer services, revenues and benefits and housing services.

 

This briefing note aims to give staff a short overview of the processes for reporting and managing a safeguarding concern and our responsibilities as a district council.

 

There are two different aspects to Safeguarding processes; children and adults. Even though each requires a slightly different response, essentially both require colleagues to be diligent, concerned and responsible.

 

At times we will have contact with members of the public who we will become concerned about. We will be worried about what they may have said, or how they have presented so as an employee, Councillor or volunteer we need to take action to ensure they are safe. All individuals have a right to live safely, peacefully and without the threat of abuse. Safeguarding covers many aspects of abuse and neglect and if we have any concerns about a disclosure by an individual or what we have seen we must act.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility

 

Our role as a district council is not to investigate an alleged safeguarding concern, but report it to the correct authority – which could be either the police, if the matter has criminal ramifications or to Kent Count Council if the issue is more related to the Care Act e.g. self-neglect, mental ill health, a child in need. Often both the Police and KCC will be involved in the same cases as both parties will play a role in managing the alert.

 

Areas of safeguarding concern – may fall into one of the following:

 

Physical

Sexual

Psychological

Financial or material

Discriminatory

Exploitation

Isolation or withdrawal from services or support networks

Neglect and acts of omission

Self-neglect and self-injurious behaviour

Modern Slavery

(incl. Human Trafficking)

Domestic Abuse

Female Genital Mutilation

 

 

Below you will see the process for raising a safeguarding alert if you feel worried or concerned. Your team should also have a Safeguarding Champion allocated and if you have any concerns you should discuss with the Champion, or your line manager in the first instance. You can also seek out support from the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) (Hannah Gaston) or the Deputy DSO’s (Sarah Ward or John Littlemore).

 

For further information on Safeguarding please read the MBC Policy on Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk, January 2021.

 

QUICK VIEW – Referral Procedure

You may call Kent County Council for guidance on how to make a referral for the child or adult who is the subject of the concern.
Children 03000 41 11 11 / Adults 03000 41 61 61 or proceed directly to referral using the Single Request for Support form (for all child referrals) or Adult Safeguarding Alert Form (for adult referrals). 
(For urgent out of hours referrals call 03000 41 91 91)

,Record the details on your department’s software, attaching any forms that you have sent to KCC. Close case. ,Yes
No
If you need Mental Health at Work support, please speak with a 
Mental Health First Aider.