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What is Safeguarding?

How to report a safeguarding concern

If you are worried that a child or adult is at risk of serious harm and that they are being abused or neglected find out how to report a concern.

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding means protecting a person’s health, wellbeing and human rights. It means enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. Safeguarding children, young people and adults is a collective responsibility.

Those most in need of protection include, but is not limited to:

  • Children and young people
  • Adults at risk, such as those receiving care in their own home, people with physical, sensory and mental impairments, and those with learning disabilities.

Types of abuse

Adults

The types of abuse suffered by adults as defined in the Care Act 2014 are:

  • Physical
  • Sexual
  • Psychological/emotional/mental
  • Financial and material
  • Neglect and act of omission
  • Discriminatory
  • Organisational
  • Modern day slavery
  • Domestic violence
  • Self-neglect – including hoarding

Children

The types of abuse suffered by children as defined in the Children Act 1989 are:

  • Emotional
  • Physical
  • Sexual
  • Neglect

There are many different forms of child abuse and neglect, such a child sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and child trafficking, and they can all be classified as one or more of the four categories of abuse and neglect set out above.

Other types of harm that adults or children may experience include: – this list is not exhaustive.

  • Cyber bullying
  • Domestic abuse
  • Forced marriage
  • Female genital mutilation
  • Hate crime
  • Radicalisation
  • Gangs and county lines

Modern slavery is the recruitment, movement, harbouring or receiving of children, women or men through the use of force, coercion, abuse of vulnerability, deception or other means for the purpose of exploitation. Individuals may be trafficked into, out of or within the UK, and they may be trafficked for a number of reasons including sexual exploitation, forced labour, domestic servitude and organ harvesting. 

We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in any part of our business activity and, in so far as is possible, to hold our suppliers to account to do likewise.

Read our statement on modern slavery and human trafficking

Domestic violence, also called domestic abuse, includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse in couple relationships or between family members.

Domestic violence can happen against anyone, and anybody can be an abuser.

Use the following link to access further information in:

Downloads

Safeguarding Strategy 2022/25

North East London ICB’s approach to commissioning services that safeguard and protect our local population

Download

Safeguarding children Annual report 2022/23

This report demonstrates how NEL ICB has fulfilled its statutory duties in relation to Safeguarding babies, children and young people,

Download

Safeguarding supervision policy 2022/25

This policy provides specific guidance on how supervision is conducted within the context of safeguarding babies, children, young people and adults across NHS NEL ICB.

Download

Safeguarding Children declaration

NEL ICB will continue to listen and engage with the local community and continue to determine how some of the local NHS services are commissioned

Download

Safeguarding Adults and Childrens Policy 2022/25

To ensure there is a consistent and robust approach across NEL ICB to safeguarding children and adults at risk of harm and abuse.

Download

Safeguarding Adults report 2022/23

This report demonstrates how NEL ICB has fulfilled its statutory duties in relation to Safeguarding Adults.

Download

Safeguarding standards 2022/25

This policy sets out the safeguarding framework for strategic planning and commissioning provider services, that are compliant with legislation and statutory guidance.

Download

Child death overview panel learning and messaging

Waltham Forest, East London and City newsletter January 2024

Download

7-Minute Briefing

What are NHS Designated and Named Safeguarding Professional’s Roles and Responsibilities

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