Adult Safeguarding Policy

Introduction

Our customers’ safety and wellbeing is our priority. This policy supports our vision to create great homes together. A great home is a safe place where adults can exercise choice and control, customers are heard, risks are acted on and communities feel secure.

This policy explains our commitments for safeguarding adults who live in, visit, or come into contact with our homes, services and activities.

Who this policy applies to and what it covers

This policy applies to:

• All Magna Board members, colleagues, contractors, and partners delivering services on our behalf.
• Whenever work may bring colleagues into contact with an adult, information about an adult, or a safeguarding concern connected with our homes, services, neighbourhoods, community activities or workplaces.

This policy covers:

• Our commitments for safeguarding adults who live in, visit, or come into contact with our homes, services and activities.
• Our approach to preventing and responding to abuse, neglect and selfneglect affecting any person aged 18 or over. A statutory adult safeguarding duty may apply where an adult has needs for care and support, is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, and because of those needs is unable to protect themselves. We may still provide a proportionate housing, wellbeing or domestic abuse response where this statutory threshold is not met.
• The outcomes, principles, accountability and assurance framework within which supporting procedures, training and local practice will operate.

Concerns about a person under 18 are managed under a separate children and young people’s safeguarding policy and procedure. Where a young person is approaching 18, where risks began before 18, or where adults and children are affected together, teams will coordinate plans, share ownership and avoid gaps caused by age, service boundaries or changes in legal framework.

We are not the statutory lead for adult safeguarding enquiries and don’t make formal determinations of mental capacity. We will not take on functions that belong to Adult Social Care, the police, health services or the courts. Detailed response steps, referral routes, escalation, decision standards and timescales are set out in the adult safeguarding procedure.

Recognising abuse, neglect and exploitation

Adult safeguarding means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. It involves people and organisations working together to prevent and stop harm while promoting the adult’s wellbeing, wishes, feelings and beliefs wherever possible.

Abuse or neglect may be a single event or a pattern, deliberate or unintentional, and may occur in any setting, relationship or online. It includes:

• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Psychological or emotional abuse
• Financial or material abuse
• Discriminatory abuse
• Organisational abuse
• Domestic abuse
• Modern slavery
• Neglect and acts of omission
• Self-neglect.

It can also involve exploitation, coercive control, forced marriage, so-called honour-based abuse, hate crime, cuckooing, county lines or radicalisation. The adult safeguarding procedure will maintain practical indicators and response guidance.

Our adult safeguarding policy

Adult safeguarding contributes directly to safe homes, customer trust, tenancy sustainability, strong communities and responsible governance.

• Always safe: we identify and act on risks to adults and others affected.
• All about customers: we listen, make services accessible and focus on outcomes that matter to the adult.
• Be kind: we respond with dignity, empathy and without blame.
• Own it: we act, record decisions, follow concerns through and escalate when risk remains.
• One team: we coordinate services and work constructively with customers, communities and partners.
• Be curious: we look beyond the immediate issue, recognise coercion and challenge assumptions, discrimination and unsafe practice.

The six safeguarding principles in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance will guide every safeguarding decision. They apply together: the adult’s voice and rights remain central while we take timely, proportionate action to reduce harm.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility; no colleague is expected to manage a concern alone.

We will:

• Apply empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability throughout assessment, decision-making, action, review and closure.
• Take a person-led and outcome-focused approach, commonly described as Making Safeguarding Personal.
• Listen to the adult, take their concerns seriously and support their involvement, communication and informed choices.
• Act early and respond promptly where abuse, neglect or self-neglect may be occurring.
• Presume capacity unless there’s evidence otherwise, support decision-making and recognise that an unwise decision does not by itself show lack of capacity.
• Distinguish consent from compliance and consider whether fear, coercion, control or undue influence is affecting a decision.
• Share relevant information lawfully, securely and in a timely way, including without consent where this is necessary and proportionate to prevent serious harm, protect others or address a crime.
• Challenge discrimination and consider how disability, communication barriers, poverty, poor housing, domestic abuse, exploitation, social isolation and other circumstances may increase risk or hide harm.
• Learn from cases, complaints, serious incidents, Safeguarding Adults Reviews, Domestic Homicide Reviews and feedback.

Because our colleagues and contractors enter homes, manage neighbourhoods and hold information about households, we may identify risks that other services don’t. We’ll remain alert to concerns linked to home conditions, repairs, fire or building safety, tenancy pressure, hoarding, self-neglect, exploitation, financial abuse, anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, social isolation and the conduct of carers, visitors or other household members.

We’ll use reasonable actions to reduce risk where they fall within our legal powers, contractual duties and operational control. These may include urgent repairs, home and building safety action, security measures, reasonable adjustments, tenancy support, welfare contact, safer contact arrangements, work with support agencies and proportionate tenancy or enforcement action. Before significant action, we’ll consider:

• The adult’s wishes
• Capacity and communication needs
• Risks to children and other household members
• Equality and human rights
• The evidence, likely benefits and possible unintended harm, including whether a less intrusive option could achieve the outcome.

Housing action will not replace a safeguarding referral, emergency response or specialist domestic abuse response where one is needed.

We’ll take reasonable and achievable measures to provide safe homes and responsive services. This includes acting on urgent repair, fire, building, security, damp and mould, hoarding and self-neglect risks; supporting tenancy sustainment; and coordinating community safety, repairs, income, wellbeing and external services. We’ll record the target date, any dependency on the customer or a partner, and the route for escalation if the action can’t be completed.

Where hoarding or self-neglect creates risk, our response will be sensitive, persistent and risk-based, recognising that rapid clearance or enforcement can increase harm and may not produce lasting change.

Acting on a concern: listen, record, report and respond

We’ll ensure concerns are listened to, recorded and acted on promptly. 

Emergency services or statutory safeguarding agencies will be contacted directly where necessary, and internal arrangements must not delay action to protect any person. Colleagues will not investigate, confront an alleged perpetrator, promise secrecy or put themselves or others at greater risk.

Detailed emergency, referral, recording, management review, escalation and closure steps are set out in the adult safeguarding procedure.

All colleagues must report welfare concerns identified through visits, repairs, neighbourhood work, customer contact or information received from others.

We will co-operate with Adult Social Care, the police, health services and local Safeguarding Adults Boards, provide relevant information and carry out agreed housing actions. Colleagues may raise concerns through management, the Designated Safeguarding Lead or our whistleblowing arrangements, and may contact a statutory agency directly where urgent or 
appropriate.

Where a referral is not accepted, or a partner response does not adequately address continuing risk, we will not assume the concern is resolved. The case owner and manager will review the evidence, record the current risk and the adult’s views, identify reasonable housing actions, seek safeguarding advice and use the partner’s escalation or professional disagreement route 
where needed. Ownership of our actions will remain clear until they are completed, transferred with agreement or closed following a recorded management review.

We’ll apply this policy fairly, use relevant information to understand customers’ diverse needs and take action to deliver fair and equitable outcomes.

We’ll anticipate and make reasonable adjustments so adults can access services and communicate safely. This may include accessible formats, interpreters, independent advocacy, trusted representatives, non-digital routes and safer contact methods. We won’t rely on a person who may be causing harm to interpret or communicate for the adult.

We’ll establish the adult’s preferred and safest method of communication as early as possible and will not assume that written contact is effective. Where safe and appropriate, we will involve carers, family members, advocates or other people chosen by the adult.

Respecting choice, capacity and consent

Capacity is specific to the decision and the time it must be made. We will take all practicable steps to help an adult understand, retain, use or weigh relevant information and communicate their decision. We will not assume a person lacks capacity because of age, disability, diagnosis, appearance, behaviour, communication needs or a decision others consider unwise. We don’t make formal capacity determinations unless an appropriately trained colleague is lawfully responsible for the decision.

Where capacity is in doubt, we’ll seek advice or an assessment from the relevant professional or authority and continue any necessary, proportionate safety action.

We’ll usually ask for the adult’s agreement before making a referral or sharing confidential information. Consent is not the only lawful basis for sharing personal information. We may share without consent where there’s a lawful basis and sharing is necessary and proportionate, including to respond to immediate or serious harm, protect another adult or a child, address suspected serious crime, respond to coercion or undue influence, meet a legal obligation or act in the substantial public interest. We’ll record the decision and, unless doing so would increase risk or prejudice an enquiry, explain it to the adult. Where appropriate, we’ll help the adult access independent advocacy through the responsible authority.

Domestic abuse and whole-household safeguarding

Domestic abuse concerns will be managed in line without Domestic Abuse Policy and procedure, alongside adult safeguarding where the Care Act safeguarding criteria may apply. A domestic abuse response will not depend on the adult meeting those criteria. We’ll use safe methods of contact, avoid joint contact with a suspected perpetrator, consider specialist risk assessment and multi-agency arrangements, and prioritise the safety and housing needs of victims and survivors.

Children who see, hear or experience the effects of domestic abuse are victims in their own right. Where children are involved, the Children and Young People’s Safeguarding Policy and procedure will be activated at the same time. Teams will use one coordinated household risk picture, clearly 
separate each person’s needs and wishes, and avoid repeated disclosure wherever possible.

Transition between children’s and adult services

Safeguarding will not stop or restart automatically on a person’s eighteenth birthday. For known concerns, the case owner will begin transition planning early enough to identify the applicable adult safeguarding, care, housing, health, domestic abuse and community safety pathways; confirm consent and communication needs; agree information sharing; identify continuing 
risks and strengths; and record named ownership before and after age 18.

Where adult safeguarding thresholds differ from children’s thresholds, we will not treat this as evidence that risk has ended. We’ll seek a multi-agency response, use relevant escalation routes and continue reasonable housing action within our role. Particular attention will be given to exploitation, care leavers, disability, mental ill-health, homelessness, domestic abuse and young people whose support networks or legal protections are changing.

Sharing information safely and lawfully

We’ll share safeguarding information lawfully, securely, accurately, promptly and only to the extent needed. We’ll identify and record an appropriate lawful basis under data protection law and, where confidential information is involved, consider the common law duty of confidentiality.

We’ll be open with the adult about sharing unless this could increase risk, put another person at risk or prejudice an enquiry. Records will show what was shared, with whom, why, the lawful basis, any consent or objection, and the outcome.

A safe, skilled and supported workforce

We use safer recruitment and selection practices and obtain the level of Disclosure and Barring Service check legally appropriate to each eligible role.

All colleagues receive safeguarding learning appropriate to their role, including recognising abuse, self-neglect, domestic abuse, consent, capacity, recording, referral and escalation.

We monitor completion and test competence, with enhanced learning and practice support for managers, case owners and designated safeguarding roles.

Contracts for services that may bring workers into contact with adults at risk will set clear safeguarding expectations, reporting routes, vetting requirements where eligible and rights to seek assurance.

Colleagues and contractors will maintain professional boundaries and follow relevant codes of conduct and procedures.

Support and supervision will be available to colleagues affected by safeguarding work.

Concerns about colleagues, contractors or partners

Concerns or allegations about a colleague, Board member, volunteer, contractor or partner will be reported immediately through safeguarding and people-management routes. We will take protective action, preserve evidence, make statutory referrals and consider police, local authority, 
Disclosure and Barring Service, regulator or other notifications where required. Internal investigations will be coordinated so they do not compromise criminal or safeguarding enquiries. Anyone may also use our whistleblowing arrangements.

Recording, oversight and learning

Safeguarding records will be factual, timely, secure, access-controlled and retained in line with our retention policy and legal obligations. Records will provide a clear account of concerns, the adult’s desired outcomes and voice, capacity and consent considerations, decisions, actions, information sharing, partner responses, housing measures, reviews and outcomes.

We will maintain proportionate case review and closure standards. The frequency and level of management oversight will reflect the risk, complexity and uncertainty in the case. A case will not be closed solely because a referral was made or declined. Closure will require a recorded review ofcurrent and foreseeable risk, completed and outstanding actions, the adult’s views where obtainable, partner ownership, relevant household risks, transition arrangements, reasonable adjustments and any further landlord action. If risk remains, the record will state who owns each action, when it will be reviewed and what will trigger escalation or re-opening. Learning will 
be shared without unnecessary personal information.

Customer and community insight will inform policy review, service design and scrutiny, and we’ll monitor outcomes for disproportionality, discrimination and barriers to receiving help.

The outcomes we expect

• Safe homes and services: housing risks affecting adults are recognised early and reduced through coordinated landlord action.
• Person-led responses: adults can raise concerns, are treated fairly, understand what we will do and are involved as much as possible.
• Skilled and accountable people: colleagues and service providers have the competence, confidence, support and clear responsibilities needed for their role.
• Effective partnerships: we share our housing knowledge, information and action to local safeguarding arrangements where appropriate.
• Learning and assurance: leaders use data, quality checks, customer insight and case learning to test impact, address unequal outcomes and improve services.

Putting this policy into practice

This policy will be implemented through supporting procedures, role profiles, learning, supervision, contractual requirements, local referral information, case standards and management reporting.

The Head of Customer Contact and Community Support will ensure that arrangements are practical, adequately resourced and proportionate to our role as a housing provider.

Compliance with this policy is mandatory. Concerns about non-compliance will be managed through relevant employment, contractual or governance arrangements. Nothing in this policy prevents any person from contacting emergency services, adult social care, the police or a relevant regulator directly.

How we know this policy is working

We will operate a proportionate, risk-based assurance framework to test whether this policy is understood, deliverable and improving outcomes. 

Measures will be limited to information that supports action and learning, with definitions, ownership and reporting frequency set in the supporting procedure. Governance oversight will consider:

• Patterns of concern, repeat harm and housing-related risk;
• Evidence that empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability are applied in case decisions;
• The quality and timeliness of decisions, referrals, actions, escalation and closure;
• The adult’s voice, desired outcomes, accessibility and fair outcomes;
• Transition cases and links between adult, children’s and domestic abuse responses;
• Workforce competence, supervision and contractor assurance;
• Partnership effectiveness, incidents, complaints, reviews and learning;
• Delivery and impact of improvement actions.

Core assurance will include a manageable set of measures: timeliness of recording, management review and referral; completion of agreed landlord actions; repeat concerns; overdue high-risk cases; evidence of the adult’s voice and safe communication; training compliance and competence checks; contractor compliance; quality-audit findings; complaints and serious incidents; and completion of improvement actions. Targets and reporting intervals will be approved through governance arrangements and reviewed when evidence shows they are not useful or achievable.

The Health and Safety Forum will receive safeguarding assurance quarterly and the Executive Board at least annually. Material control failures, serious incidents, persistent overdue high-risk actions and potential regulatory breaches will be escalated promptly through Magna’s governance arrangements, with external notifications considered and recorded where required. Assurance will test delivery against the Regulator of Social Housing’s consumer standards, particularly the Safety and Quality Standard, Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard, and Neighbourhood and Community Standard, as well as any applicable economic standards and codes of practice.

The law, regulation and guidance we follow

This policy will be applied in line with applicable law, statutory guidance, regulatory standards and local safeguarding arrangements. The main framework includes:

• Care Act 2014 and current Care and Support Statutory Guidance
• Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its Code of Practice
• Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and statutory guidance
• Victims and Prisoners Act 2024
• Data Protection Act 2018
• UK General Data Protection Regulation
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Equality Act 2010
• Modern Slavery Act 2015
• Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015
• Sexual Offences Act 2003
• Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
• Housing Act 1996
• Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
• Housing and Regeneration Act 2008
• Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023
• Local Safeguarding Adults Board policies, multi-agency procedures, thresholds and escalation arrangements
• The Regulator of Social Housing’s standards and codes of practice that apply to Magna, as updated from time to time.

The policy will be reviewed at least every three years and sooner after a significant incident, safeguarding review, audit finding, legal or regulatory change, or material service change. Procedures and local referral information may be updated between policy reviews. Legal or specialist advice will be obtained where a case or proposed action falls outside established guidance. This policy does not replace case-specific legal advice.

Responsibilities

The Director of Customer Operations and Head of Customer Contact and Community Support is responsible for this policy, resources, legal and regulatory compliance, and serious escalation.

The Safer Communities Lead and Designated Safeguarding Officers lead on operational practice, give advice, maintain procedures and local referral information, oversee quality and learning, support escalation and report assurance.

The Regional and Service Managers and Safer Communities Lead are responsible for embedding this policy, ensuring learning and supervision, monitoring practice, addressing contractor assurance and making sure cases are acted on and recorded.

The case owners coordinate agreed housing actions, referrals, records, reviews, escalation, transition and safe closure. They will maintain a clear action plan showing ownership, target dates, dependencies and review points, without taking on a statutory agency’s investigative or assessment role.

The Data Protection and Safeguarding Leads provide advice on lawful information sharing, record security, safeguarding thresholds and complex decisions, and support learning from incidents.

All colleagues and those working on our behalf remain alert, listen, respond, record and report concerns; complete required learning; cooperate with enquiries; and raise concerns about unsafe practice.

Our Strategic Board sets the safeguarding culture, approves this policy every three years, receives proportionate assurance and challenges whether risks and learning are being addressed.