Safeguarding Adults Week 2023 takes place from Monday 20^th – Friday 24^th November 2023.  It’s an opportunity for organisations to come together to raise awareness of important safeguarding issues. The aim is to highlight key safeguarding key issues, start conversations and raise awareness of safeguarding best practice.  Each day, we’ll be focusing on a different safeguarding theme which relates to how individuals and organisations can safeguarding themselves and others.

During Safeguarding Adults Week 2023, we are focusing on how you can prioritise the welfare and wellbeing of yourself and others.

There is a strong link between safeguarding and mental and physical wellbeing.  If someone’s wellbeing is suffering, they may consider certain actions that put them at risk.  The concept of “wellbeing” is threaded throughout UK legislation and is part of the law about how health and social care is provided.  Our wellbeing includes our mental and physical health, our relationships, our connection with our communities and our contribution to society.  Being able to live free from abuse and neglect is a key element of wellbeing.

Safeguarding adults is relevant and important in all sectors.  Safeguarding is the responsibility of all staff, volunteers and individuals within an organisation or the wider community. 

 Useful Resources:

Who’s looking after the people looking after the people webinar 10am – 11am

Safeguarding Adults Week Free Workshop: Who’s looking after the people looking after the people? – Ann Craft Trust

Creating a safer organisational culture is vital in promoting the wellbeing of staff, volunteers and the people they support.  It is important that organisations create environments where everyone is confident their concerns are welcomed, listened to and addressed appropriately.

On this day we want to encourage people to reflect on the culture in their organisation.  What is working well in terms of promoting wellbeing of people within the organisation, or what could be improved?

Useful Resources:

Let’s Start Talking – Taking the lead on Safer Cultures in your organisation webinar

Safeguarding Adults Week Free Seminar: Let’s Start Talking – Taking The Lead on Safer Cultures in Your Organisation – Ann Craft Trust

Mindfulness & Mental Wellbeing Presentation

Anyone who supports others or engages empathetically with people that may have experienced trauma as part of their day-to-day role can experience vicarious trauma as a result.  The BMA explains that vicarious trauma can involve being preoccupied with thoughts about those you support outside of work, feeling angry or sad about the situation of people you support, struggling to maintain professional boundaries or trying to avoid listening to people’s experience of trauma.

On this day we want to raise awareness of vicarious trauma and provide tools and effective strategies that enable staff and volunteers to promote their own wellbeing when safeguarding others.

Useful Resources:

Vicarious trauma: signs and strategies for coping (bma.org.uk)

Creating Safer Organisations

Trauma-informed practice encourages practitioners that may be supporting people within their role, to consider how trauma exposure can impact on individual’s ability to function and achieve mental, physical, social, emotional or spiritual wellbeing.  Trauma-informed practice encourages us to think about what we need to know to be able to respond to people affected by trauma, understanding the person and what is important to them.

This day will aim to provide information about what trauma informed practice us and why it is important.  We will encourage organisations to think about how a trauma-informed approach could be beneficial for staff, volunteers and the people they are supporting.  We will also provide practical tools to support organisations and practitioners to adopt a trauma-informed approach.

Introduction – Trauma-informed practice: toolkit – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

PowerPoint Presentation (youngminds.org.uk)

Trauma Informed Network — One Small Thing

Trauma Informed Safeguarding Practice Briefing

Co-production is usually where service providers and users work together to reach a collective outcome.  The idea behind co-production is that those who are affected or use a service, are best placed to help design it.

On this day, we want to continue conversations about what it means to be involved in co-production and facilitate discussions about good practice.  Implementing co-production can be challenging and complex.  We want to encourage people to share their experiences of being involved in co-production and reflect on what has worked well and what could be improved in the future

Useful Resources:

Co-production: what it is and how to do it | SCIE

Developing Boccia England’s “Your wellbeing toolkit” webinar 10-11am

Creating Safer Cultures in Sport: Developing Boccia England’s ‘Your Wellbeing Toolkit’ – Ann Craft Trust

Easy Read – Care Act – What is a safeguarding

Making Safeguarding Personal videos