Embed a culture of safeguarding
David Johnston
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Embedding a culture of safeguarding means that it becomes an integral part of how an organisation operates at every level, from managers leading by example to equipping staff with the skills they need.
The culture of safeguarding has changed dramatically over the last 10 to 15 years as a result of high-profile cases involving grooming and exploitation alongside increased incidents of harm to vulnerable children and adults due to neglect, parental mental health and substance misuse.
One of the main lessons has been the importance of culture, which overrides everything else in organisations.
In my role as chair of the independent safeguarding board for social care provider Tristone Health, I work alongside other non-partisan board members to help the organisation focus on the quality of services and achieve the best outcomes for all.
When an organisation has a good culture, this becomes the norm and is at the heart of the services it provides. It cannot be traded off against any other goals. That is what a safeguarding culture needs to be.
-
Recruitment and training are key. On a day-to-day basis social care staff – from social work to residential care – manage high-risk and often exceptionally difficult situations. This requires a careful blend of risk management, balanced decision-making, and emotional intelligence. Staff must be equipped with conflict resolution skills and the ability to manage themselves under pressure, while showing a high degree of empathy.
It is important to ensure staff are supported and able to learn from shortcomings as well as good practice. Achieving this requires a commitment from leaders and managers to provide continual training, supervision and support in an environment that encourages open discussion, feedback and transparency.
Getting the right people to do the right job is key. It is essential to have a robust recruitment programme, appropriate levels of reward and recognition to attract and retain the best talent and to be clear about what is expected within the organisation. Failure to do so will leave clear skills gaps in the delivery of services, including safeguarding. An independent board, working alongside an employer, can support this through reviewing data and undertaking audits of processes.
-
Put policy into practice. Leaders and managers need to ensure a culture of safeguarding is integral to the way their organisation operates and not simply something that is talked about.
Scrutiny and quality assurance are key in building and maintaining a safeguarding culture. You must continually review standards, policies, and operational frameworks for safeguarding to reflect changes in legislation or regulation. An independent board can assist an organisation to identify and respond to risk.
Monitoring to evaluate performance, including scrutiny of performance data, understanding what is driving performance levels, and making recommendations to improve performance, are all vital to the focus on safeguarding. You should also consider in detail individual issues where safeguarding standards have been compromised, or had the potential to be compromised, and bring in an independent perspective to assist in learning from any shortcomings. Monitoring action plans following any issue, to ensure changes are made and continue, is a further way to ensure safeguarding standards are maintained.
-
Lead by example. Maintaining a safeguarding culture can be extremely difficult, particularly in an environment where there are often high levels of staff attrition and turnover. The role of leaders and managers is vital in protecting the very foundations of an organisation.
In social care services, the relationship between leaders and employees is created based on shared norms and meanings. This is informed by factors such as the legal and ethical principles of safeguarding law and best practice and an ability to be challenging and reflexive. As long as leaders continue to exhibit behaviours that reinforce those cultural and ethical expectations, then employees will follow. In turn, this value-based approach becomes institutionalised into organisational culture and reinforced by regulation and law. Board members and managers must lead by example.
-
Listen to staff. In order to embed a culture of safeguarding it is vital leaders and mangers listen to staff and promote an environment where all views and issues will be heard. Communicate clearly what defines your culture of safeguarding and be open and flexible to reviewing and changing it as the sector and your organisation develops. Set and promote clear goals that are attainable, understood and rewarded and put an emphasis on inclusion and empowerment of employees.
-
Promote staff wellbeing. To ensure service users get the best support, you need to pay close attention to the frontline staff charged with delivering services. Motivated employees are what makes a successful organisation tick. By creating an environment that places staff wellbeing at its core, you create an atmosphere of trust and support. When employees feel cared for, they become more engaged and committed to the values-based approach which is integral to delivering a culture of safeguarding. Not only does it foster a sense of loyalty, but it also improves engagement, productivity, and ultimately safeguards the very culture and meaning you are working hard to protect.
David Johnston is chair, independent safeguarding board, Tristone Healthcare