Safeguarding Children and Young People (including Unborn Babies)
Children have a right to be kept safe from harm, abuse or neglect.
Our Trust’s Safeguarding Children’s team, children’s nurses, midwives and doctors, work closely with multi-agency teams which include children’s social care, when concerns about a child’s welfare or protection are raised.
Our Trust has a named nurse, named midwife, and a named doctor who lead on issues related to safeguarding and child protection.
If you suspect for any reason that a child is being abused or neglected, please contact the following numbers:
- NSPCC 0808 800 5000
- Hertfordshire Children’s Services – 0300 123 4043
- In an emergency – Police 999
Our policy for Safeguarding Children (need to obtain link from safeguarding children’s page on knowledge centre)
You can find more information about safeguarding children on the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children’s Partnership page on the web
Safeguarding Adults
Adult safeguarding means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse or neglect (Care Act 2014). Our staff work closely with Hertfordshire Adult Care Services, the Clinical Commissioning Group, the Herts Adult Safeguarding Board and other agencies to safeguard adults at risk.
The Trust has a named nurse and doctor for adult safeguarding who lead on issues related to adult safeguarding. In doing so they work with clinical teams across the Trust and with Herts Adult Care Services safeguarding and social care teams, as well as other statutory agencies and domestic abuse services.
Adults at risk are those who have:
- Needs for care and support
- Are experiencing, or at risk of abuse or neglect
- As a result of their care and support needs are unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of, abuse or neglect
Abuse and neglect include:
- Physical abuse
- Domestic abuse, including coercive controlling behaviour and ‘honour based’ violence
- Sexual abuse
- Psychological abuse
- Financial or material abuse
- Modern Slavery
- Discriminatory abuse
- Organisational abuse
- Neglect and acts of omission
- Self-neglect
You will find more information about safeguarding adults from abuse or neglect on the Herts Safeguarding Adults Board:
If you have concerns that an adult is being abused contact:
Adult Safeguarding
Hertfordshire Adult Care Services 0300 123 4042 (24 hour advice)
If there is danger to life, risk of injury or a crime taking place call 999 for the police. (101 can be used if non urgent).
Domestic Abuse help lines
Herts Sunflower
08 088 088 088
https://www.hertssunflower.org/herts-sunflower.aspx
National Domestic Violence Helpline
0808 2000 247
www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk
For further information about domestic abuse: https://www.gov.uk/report-domestic-abuse
If you are concerned about a patient in one of the Trust’s hospitals contact the Adult Safeguarding team or a Matron via the Trust switchboard 01438 314333
