London Safeguarding Adults Board
SAB Chairs
What does safeguarding adults mean?
• Safeguarding means protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of adults at risk, enabling them to live safely, free from abuse and neglect. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
• It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and reduce both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect. It also means making sure that the adult’s wellbeing is supported and their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs are respected when agreeing on any action.
Working methods
The six principles for safeguarding adults
• Empowerment – presumption of person led decisions and informed consent
• Prevention – it is better to take action before harm occurs
• Proportionality – proportionate and least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented
• Protection – support and representation for those in greatest need
• Partnerships – local solutions through services working with their communities
• Accountability – accountability and transparency in delivering
Involvement and engagement of people with lived experience of safeguarding into the Board and beyond
We are currently setting up a London-wide Safeguarding Voices Group. The Safeguarding Voices Group will request each local Safeguarding Adults Board to nominate two/three representatives. The Safeguarding Voices Group will be a sub-committee of London Safeguarding Adults Board and have delegated responsibility as part of governance of London Safeguarding Adults Board.
Who is an ‘adult at risk’?
• An ‘adult at risk’ is someone who may be in need of help because they have care and support needs. They may be unable to stop someone else from harming or exploiting them.
• Abuse happens when someone hurts you or treats you badly. It can be accidental or deliberate. Abuse can take many forms. There doesn’t need to be an injury for abuse to have taken place. Neglect is when someone who is meant to look after you does not look after you properly.
Approach
The London Safeguarding Adults Board is a partnership group seeking to identify and disseminate good practice and to address complex cross-borough issues across London. The London SAB supports local Safeguarding Adults Boards (SABs) through the SAB Chairs network and front line practice through the Safeguarding Professionals Steering Group.