Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) takes its responsibilities seriously to ensure that there are processes in place within the organisation to protect children, young people and adults at risk from abuse and harm. KCHFT has policies in place that offer all staff clear guidance on how to respond if they have concerns. All staff are expected to attend training relevant to their role and responsibility within the organisation. Through the Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships and Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board (KMSAB), we work in partnership with statutory agencies – local authorities, the police and wider health economy to prevent abuse and neglect and promote health and wellbeing of children, young people and adults at risk.
Safeguarding adults
What the Safeguarding Service has to offer:
We safeguard adults at risk from harm by promoting good practice and quality care through education and effective working processes and within a multi-agency framework.
What is safeguarding?
- Listening to patients’/ service users’ views and wishes
- Empowering patients / service users at risk of harm and abuse
- Protection from abuse or harm
- Working with individuals and groups to identify and manage risks
- Promoting best practice, respect and dignity
- Providing professional training and education
- Providing support with policy development
- To help staff, patients and carers identify a person who may be at risk of harm.
Is there a situation you are involved in that makes you feel uncomfortable? Are you unsure if the information you have needs to be raised as an adult alert?
What can I do if I am concerned about an adult
For information and advice contact any of the following:
- Social Services
03000 416161
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm
social.services@kent.gov.uk
Out of hours 03000 419191 - Kent Police
01622 690690 (24 hours) - National Domestic Violence helpline
0808 200 0247 - KMSAB website
Safeguarding children and young people
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) has a statutory duty under the Children Act 1989 and 2004 to ensure that the services provided to children and young people are affected and safe. This means that we ensure that our staff are able to recognise potential abuse and neglect and know how to respond when this is suspected. Abuse to children and young people may take the form of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or neglect.
What to do if you have concerns about a child
All children and young people have the right to be protected and kept safe from harm. If you think a child is being harmed or neglected or is at risk of being abused contact:
- Children Families and Education – Social Services
- Kent Front door
03000 411 111 (day time)
frontdoor@Kent.gov.uk
Out-of-hours 03000 419191 - Kent Safeguarding Children Multi-Agency Partnership
- Medway social services:
01634 334466 (day time) Out of hours 03000419191 - Medway Safeguarding Children Partnership
- East Sussex (Social Services)
Single Point of Advice team
01323 464222 (day time)
Out of hours 01273 335905/6 - East Sussex Safeguarding Children Partnership
- Kent Front door
- Police
101 for non-emergencies and 999 for emergencies (24 hours) - NSPCC
0808 800 5000 - Childline
0800 1111 (if you are a child or young person you may wish to contact Childline) - National Domestic Violence helpline
0808 200 0247
Safeguarding adult reviews
The Safeguarding Adults Board is responsible for arranging a Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) when an adult at risk:
- dies as a result of abuse or neglect, whether known or suspected, and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult,
- the same circumstances apply where an adult is still alive but has experienced serious neglect or abuse.
SARs seek to determine what the relevant agencies and individuals involved in the case might have done differently that could have prevented harm or death and what lessons can be learned from the case.
The aims are to review:
- the way all local professionals and agencies worked together
- the effectiveness of our safeguarding adults’ policy and protocols
- inform and improve local safeguarding practice for all agencies involved.
Find out more about SAR procedures and reviews on the KMSAB website.
Safeguarding child practice reviews
If a child dies, or is seriously injured and abuse or neglect is known or suspected, the Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships may decide to conduct a Child Practice Review. A Summary of involvement / rapid review will initially be completed to enable the panel to decide whether this should progress to a Child Safeguarding Practice Review. The rapid review will gather the facts of the case as quickly as possible in order to establish whether there is any immediate action needed to ensure a child’s safety and the potential for practice learning. If the criteria are met for a Child Safeguarding Practice review, this will look at how well agencies worked together and what needs to happen to ensure that agencies learn from the case.
All published Local Safeguarding Child Practice Reviews are available on the relevant Local Safeguarding Children Partnership website or the NSPCC portal of national case reviews.