Safeguarding in Care Home

noclaf

elsien said:

It is already with the safeguarding team, if you re-read the first post. 

Correct, it was raised to safeguarding by the hospital who treated my relative, I've also been contacted by SS (maybe it's one and the same team as safeguarding not sure) and whilst we have agreed the current situation is 'safe' for my relative after actions were taken by the care home they want to conduct their own independent investigation...we will see what comes of that. The powers that be are also aware( care home informed them) but not sure what will happen next as the reality is they have a lot of other issues on their plate, I may follow up at some point just to find out latest.
Thanks all for your help and info, appreciated.

elsien

Yes, the safeguarding responsibility lies with the local authority and an allocated social worker will run the investigation and processes. 

I hope your relative is as ok as they can be in the circumstances. There should be a formal outcome at the end of it all before the safeguarding is closed so everyone is clear on whether the safeguarding was upheld and the necessary actions taken. Formal safeguarding meetings would be minuted.

noclaf

elsien said:

Yes, the safeguarding responsibility lies with the local authority and an allocated social worker will run the investigation and processes. 

I hope your relative is as ok as they can be in the circumstances. There should be a formal outcome at the end of it all before the safeguarding is closed so everyone is clear on whether the safeguarding was upheld and the necessary actions taken. Formal safeguarding meetings would be minuted.

Thanks Elsien, we have been fortunate that the situation was not worse than it could of been....just out of interest I am wondering if it impacts the record of the agency staff involved e.g: will it flag on any future dbs check or is this subject to outcome of investigation?
 I understand a proper process needs to be followed as someone should only be punished if a crime was committed but in our case I feel it is more clear-cut based on info provided by my relative and the type of injuries involved....but if the accused simply says I didnt do it and no idea what happened or similar then is it just stalemate and case closed?

elsien

I don't have anything to do with DBS so that might be a question better aimed at the local authority.
I suspect the answer is likely to be "it depends", given the individual circumstances. And bearing in mind the complications of people who make false allegations, people who are genuinely confused about what happened and when, and people who deliberately target those who are confused or who they think won't be believed.
It's not necessarily around punishment - something may not meet the threshold for a prosecution (which is notoriously difficult for people with cogitive impairments) but they may still meet the harm test criteria for going on the barred list. It doesn't need definitive proof, but there would need to be enough evidence pointing to the allegations being true. 

RAS

There are different thresholds for prosecution and reporting on a DBS check.

Even if the situation is not prosecuted because the CPS think there's little chance of getting a conviction with an elderly and possibly confused witness, the care worker may have been arrested and interviewed under caution. 

The police can advise future employers of a police investigation or intelligence which was not prosecuted in certain situations. I'm aware of one where the complainant died before a decision could be taken, their death was unconnected but that death ended the investigation.

The police may be less inclined to disclose that sort of situation if the worker will be "under supervision," rather than a registered professional in charge.

Obviously, any further incident should be flagged up as a major concern.

noclaf

Thanks Elsien and Ras, all helpful info so will just have to see how the situation unfolds.

BrassicWoman

Be aware that once you have made your report, it;s very likely you won't ever hear the outcome. It should all be confidential.

bobster2

noclaf said:

The incident was not witnessed so will be their word Vs my relative, will monitor how it progresses.

If as you say this was an elderly relative who lacks capacity due to severe mental illness, and has sustained a head injury - if it was not witnessed then securing any CCTV evidence (if available) could be extremely important. Even if it just shows someone entering / leaving an area.

You say the care home did contact the Police? In this position I would think it might be advisable to call and report the incident myself too, just to be sure, and specifically emphasise the importance of seeking CCTV evidence.