Safeguarding Experiences Report, Wolverhampton

In 2016 The Wolverhampton Safeguarding Adults Board commissioned Healthwatch Wolverhampton to conduct research into adult service users gaining further insight into their experiences of safeguarding. The project comprised two parts: Part One involved focus groups (26 participants) consisting of carers, service users and advocates discussing views on safeguarding and Part Two consisted of seven structured interviews with adults who had been through a safeguarding review to better understand their experiences.

Key findings from Part One research included: most participants did not understand the term ‘safeguarding’ and there was a general lack of awareness of the people and processes in place to protect them from abuse and neglect; there was general distrust of professionals who were sometimes seen as unhelpful; some participants with mental health issues felt there was too much pressure on resources; none of the participants knew where to go for help or what services were available; those who had used advocates felt they were better able to access services; that Direct Payments offered choice but that is only effective if people have capacity and knowledge of what is available.

Part Two findings included participants feeling it was difficult to find out who to talk to at the Council about their safeguarding concerns; less than half the participants were involved in putting together a Safeguarding Plan and satisfaction with the outcomes of plans was inconsistent.

Recommendations included raising awareness of Safeguarding via a programme of public engagement and making Safeguarding personal for those who had been through a review. It was also concluded that the findings of research be shared with social workers and other practitioners to obtain their feedback to help improve removing barriers to person-centred, outcomes-focused practice.