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GO Online: Inspection toolkit

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Safeguarding

People need to feel safe and safeguarding people is central to good quality care. It’s important that regulated providers understand what feeling safe means to the people you support.

The following film provides a summary of this area of inspection. It can help you and your teams learn about what will be inspected and what is important to demonstrate to deliver good or outstanding care.

Introducing Safeguarding

Duration 02 min 43 sec

The CQC focus on Safe begins by looking at how your service protects people from avoidable harm.

They’ll be wanting to know that you are consistent in how you protect people … and that your staff is trained, capable and confident to discuss Safeguarding with people.

This will require you to demonstrate how you engage with people and better understand what safe means to them, putting into practice what is needed to meet their needs.

The CQC will want to know there is Safeguarding expertise in your organisation, which might mean higher levels of training for your managers or Champions, as well as looking at how you connect with local experts, such as Safeguarding Teams.

You will be expected to deliver person-centred care that protects people from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm, and neglect.

Your safeguarding policies and procedures will need to reflect the latest legislation and guidance. Keep them regularly reviewed and effectively communicated. This is equally true for your Whistleblowing policies.

Continue to monitor how you are performing in regard to Safeguarding, looking for opportunities to improve. Where problems are identified, clearly record the issues and what actions were taken to resolve them.

In advance of their monitoring and inspection, the CQC will be looking at the notifications and safeguarding alerts that have been raised by your service. Be prepared to discuss these with the inspectors, including what actions were taken.

The CQC inspector may choose to interview people, family, friends, and relatives. They’ll also want to speak to managers and staff.

The inspectors may choose to observe how your staff engage and interact with people, looking at how safety and safeguarding is supported.

The CQC inspectors may ask to review or view examples of the following:

safeguarding records, including alerts and investigations

notifications

complaints and compliments

and staff training and induction records.

So please take a look at the recommendations, examples, and resources in GO Online to help you to meet or exceed CQC Safeguarding expectations.

Watch the film here:

Resources

The practical resources below can help you to strengthen this area of CQC inspection. Use the filter to choose different types of resources or select based on related prompt.

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15 resource(s) found

Safeguarding training (Endorsed learning providers)

Resource creator: ԭζÊÓƵ

A range of safeguarding-related training is available to purchase from ԭζÊÓƵ’s endorsed learning providers. You can search for quality learning across different parts of the country and find courses to meet your staff needs.

Some learning providers may provide a range of different courses with a safeguarding focus, including:

  • an introduction to safeguarding
  • safeguarding adults
  • safeguarding children
  • safeguarding for managers/supervisors.
  • Learning

Date published: April 2023


Introductory modules for managers - Safeguarding and mental capacity

Resource creator: ԭζÊÓƵ

For those looking to progress into care management, ԭζÊÓƵ has produced an eLearning module looking at key considerations around Safeguarding and mental capacity.

This is part of the wider Introductory modules for managers, eLearning which offers engaging introductions to key topic areas to pique learners’ interest and provide opportunities to reflect, ideas to improve practices, and motivation to learn more.

Based on the Manager Induction Standards, the modules feature up to date content and increased accessibility for learners.

  • Learning

Date published: October 2022


Resource creator: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

This is a short and visually appealing guide for registered managers of care homes, containing key information from the relevant NICE guidance.

  • Guide
  • Learning

Date published: June 2021


Resource creator: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

This is a short and visually appealing guide for registered managers of care homes, containing key information from the relevant NICE guidance.

  • Guide

Date published: April 2021


Resource creator: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

This guideline covers keeping adults in care homes safe from abuse and neglect. It includes potential indicators of abuse and neglect by individuals or organisations, and covers wider safeguarding process . There are recommendations on policy, training, and care home culture, to improve care home staff awareness of safeguarding and ensure people can report concerns when needed.

  • Guide

Date published: February 2021


Resource creator: Social Care Institute of Excellence (scie)

This guide supports implementation of the adult safeguarding aspects of the Care Act 2014 in terms of sharing information at the right time with the right people.

It covers the following:

  • why do we need to share adult safeguarding information?
  • barriers and solutions
  • false perceptions about needing evidence or consent to share safeguarding information
  • sharing information to prevent abuse and neglect
  • what if a person doesn’t want you to share their information?
  • sharing information with carers, family, or friends
  • what if a safeguarding partner is reluctant to share information?
  • powers or obligations to share information
  • what does the law say about sharing information?
  • Guide

Date published: January 2019


Safeguarding guide

Resource creator: ԭζÊÓƵ

This guide aimed at frontline managers can help you to strengthen safeguarding within your organisation. It focusses on:

  • understanding the safeguarding adults board
  • knowing what CQC inspectors consider to be evidence of effective adult safeguarding
  • building local networks, connections, and relationships
  • making safeguarding everyone’s business
  • sharing learning and experiences of adult safeguarding within your organisation
  • Investing in high-quality learning and development around adult safeguarding
  • ensuring your service has confident leaders and managers with strong investigation and report writing skills
  • setting and maintaining a high standard of record keeping
  • keeping up-to-date service improvement plans.
  • Guide

Date published: April 2018


Resource creator: Care Quality Commission (CQC)

This provides clarity about the roles and responsibilities of the key agencies involved in adult safeguarding. It aims to ensure that the right things are done by the right people at the right time, working within their own agency and with partners.

The brief document covers the following:

  • what should be achieved through action to safeguard adults?
  • putting the person at the centre
  • summary of roles and responsibilities for adult safeguarding.
  • Guide

Date published: April 2018


Resource creator: Social Care Institute of Excellence (scie)

Good communication can improve safeguarding. Use these examples of community projects to see how people in residential care are encouraged to look out for each other, and can report any concerns about the safety of individuals.

  • Film

Date published: April 2018


Resource creator: Care Quality Commission (CQC)

You must tell the CQC about abuse or allegations of abuse concerning a person using your service if the person is affected by abuse or alleged abuse, or if the person is an abuser or alleged abuser.

The information that providers are requested to submit includes:

  • provider information
  • the allegation
  • how the allegation is being managed
  • the victims of abuse or alleged abuse
  • immediate action taken.
  • Template

Date published: April 2018


Resource creator: National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

NICE maintains a quality standard on services for domestic abuse on adults and young people. It includes statements and measures on:

  • asking about domestic violence and abuse
  • response to domestic violence and abuse
  • referral to specialist services.

The statements are specific and concise and focus on priorities for quality improvement. In particular, please see statements 1, 2 and 3.

  • Guide

Date published: February 2016


Resource creator: Care Quality Commission (CQC)

This statement sets out what safeguarding means for CQC, what our roles and responsibilities are (and are not), and why safeguarding is important.

The statement provides more information from the CQC such as:

  • what’s their role in safeguarding?
  • how safeguarding relates to the CQC fundamental standards
  • how the CQC receives information about safeguarding
  • how to report a safeguarding concern.
  • Guide

Date published: July 2015


Care Certificate - Safeguarding children

Resource creator: ԭζÊÓƵ, Skills for Health, Health Education England

All care workers are expected to safeguard children they may come into contact with as part of their adult social care support.

Due to this, the Care Certificate also includes focus on safeguarding children. This free workbook can be used to cover the knowledge learning parts of the Care Certificate. It helps your new workers to understand a range of safeguarding issues including:

  • what is child abuse?
  • children’s rights
  • actions to take when abuse is suspected or alleged
  • internet and online social networking risks
  • legislation and safeguarding.

For staff more confident with eLearning, a free module from can be used instead.

You can read more about what the Care Certificate should cover here and how this focus can be mapped and signed off here.

  • Learning

Date published: March 2015


Care Certificate - Safeguarding adults

Resource creator: ԭζÊÓƵ, Skills for Health, Health Education England

The Care Certificate is the minimum induction that CQC regulated care workers should receive when joining the sector. It combines knowledge learning, practical training, and workplace assessment of competence.

The Care Certificate is the minimum induction that CQC regulated care workers should receive when joining the sector. It combines knowledge learning, practical training, and workplace assessment of competence.

To help employers deliver the Care Certificate, this free workbook can be used to cover the knowledge learning parts. It helps your new workers to understand a range of safeguarding issues including:

  • the principles of safeguarding adults
  • types of abuse and neglect - signs and indicators
  • protecting adults from abuse and neglect
  • safeguarding adults reviews
  • sources of advice and information
  • promoting dignity and rights
  • whistleblowing
  • legislation.

For staff more confident with eLearning, a free module from can be used instead.

You can read more about what the Care Certificate should cover here and how this focus can be mapped and signed off here.

  • Learning

Date published: March 2015


Resource creator: Social Care Institute of Excellence (scie)

This guide identifies issues that commonly lead to safeguarding referrals from care homes, identifying the underlying causes. Prevention checklists help commissioners and providers work towards a reduction in occurrences​​.

  • Guide

Date published: February 2012



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