Safeguarding and Duty of Care
Core concepts
Safeguarding means protecting people's right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. Know the types of abuse: physical, emotional, sexual, financial, neglect, self-neglect, domestic abuse, modern slavery, discriminatory abuse and organisational abuse. Learn the six principles of safeguarding: empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability. Understand the categories of harm and the referral pathway - recognise, respond, record, report. Know duty of care: a legal and professional obligation to act in the person's best interests and not to cause harm. Understand whistleblowing, consent and capacity (Mental Capacity Act: assume capacity, support decision-making, best interests, least restrictive option), and information sharing.
Traps in questions
Do not confuse safeguarding (protecting from harm) with protection (a statutory intervention). Remember that capacity is decision-specific and time-specific - a person may have capacity for one decision and not another. Questions may test that duty of care does not mean avoiding all risk; it means managing risk proportionately. Beware of answers that say 'do nothing because the adult has a right to choose' - self-neglect still requires assessment.
Worked rule of thumb
When you suspect abuse, follow recognise, respond, record, report: listen without judgement, do not investigate yourself, document facts, and report to the safeguarding lead promptly.
Applying it
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and the person's wishes should be central wherever possible.