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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Adult safeguarding in Wales
— one step in the right direction | | Author(s) | John Williams |
| Journal title | Journal of Adult Protection, vol 19, no 4, 2017 |
| Publisher | Emerald, 2017 |
| Pages | pp 175-186 |
| Source | http://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/jap |
| Keywords | Protection [vulnerable adults] ; Wales ; Law ; Evaluation. |
| Annotation | The purpose of this paper was to consider the background to recent changes to adult safeguarding in Wales as a result of new measures introduced by the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, and to discuss their potential impact. The paper relied on a range of material including reports published by the Law Commission, the National Assembly for Wales and other public bodies. It also referred to academic and practitioner material in journals and government guidance. Although the Act in question introduced many changes in adult safeguarding in Wales, not least the duty to make enquiries, it did not take the opportunity to include statutory powers of barring and removal. The introduction of Adult Protection and Support Orders (APSOs) is a cautious (perhaps over-cautious) step forward. More research in needed on the different approaches across the UK. At the time of publication, the full effect of the new legislation has not been seen. Local authorities and others are coming to terms with the new provisions. This paper identifies future research evaluating the working of different approaches to safeguarding within the UK. For practitioners, the new legislation provides opportunities to rethink approaches to safeguarding. The lower threshold for referrals will mean an increase in caseloads and the need to react to both low- and high-risk cases. For authorised officers, the practical issues identified relate to the circumstances in which an APSO may be sought and what can be put in place to protect the adult at risk once the order has been used. For those who experience abuse or neglect, the new legislation provides additional support when compared to the POVA (Protection of Vulnerable Adults) process. The duty to make enquiries and the duty to report will hopefully strengthen protection and, with a lower threshold for referral, enable more preventative work to be done at an earlier stage. As this is new legislation, there is very little analysis of the implications the Act in relation to safeguarding. (JL). |
| Accession Number | CPA-170922228 A |
| Classmark | CA3G: 9: VR: 4C |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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