Keeping the people we house safe

Our commitment

Everyone living in our accommodation has the right to be safe from abuse, neglect and exploitation. Safeguarding is part of every role in our business, from the people who clean the rooms to the person who answers the placements line.

Our policy follows the Children Act 1989 and 2004, the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children, and the Care Act 2014 for adults at risk. We follow the multi-agency procedures of the local safeguarding partnership in each area where we have properties.

Our people

• Staff and contractors who visit properties while residents are there are vetted before they start.
• Everyone completes safeguarding training at induction, refreshed every year.
• Our designated safeguarding lead holds advanced training and is the first point of contact for any concern.
• Staff never enter an occupied room without notice, except in an emergency, and visits are logged.

Before a placement

We ask placing officers to share any known risks and support needs before a household moves in, under an agreed information-sharing arrangement. We use this to choose the right property, for example:

• families with children are placed in self-contained accommodation rather than shared houses
• people fleeing domestic abuse are not placed where their address could be known to the person they are escaping
• residents with mobility or health needs are offered suitable, step-free rooms where available

When we are worried

Our team is trained to recognise signs of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect and self-neglect, domestic abuse, financial abuse, criminal and sexual exploitation, modern slavery, and properties being taken over by others (cuckooing).

1. 1The staff member records what they saw or heard, in the person's own words where possible, and tells the safeguarding lead the same day.
2. 2The safeguarding lead decides on next steps and informs the placing authority.
3. 3Where the threshold is met, we refer to children's services or adult social care, and to the police if a crime may have been committed.
4. 4We keep a secure record and support any multi-agency follow-up.

Information is shared on a need-to-know basis, in line with our privacy notice. Keeping someone safe always comes before confidentiality.

Report a concern

Residents, placing officers, neighbours and visitors can all contact our safeguarding lead directly. You do not need proof, only a concern. We will take it seriously and tell you what happens next, where it is safe to do so.