A joined up approach to safeguarding and personalisation: a framework for practice in multi‐agency decision‐making
| Date | 17 June 2011 |
| Published date | 17 June 2011 |
| Pages | 150-159 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14668201111160741 |
| Author | Diane Galpin,Dorena Hughes |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Sociology |
Practice paper
A joined up approach to safeguarding and
personalisation: a framework for practice
in multi-agency decision-making
Diane Galpin and Dorena Hughes
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to provide a framework from which practitioners can develop a partnership
approach to multi-agency decision-making.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors have drawn on the direct experiences of social work
practitioners currently involved in safeguarding activity and qualified social workers undertaking post
qualifying social work education. Those seeking safeguarding guidance from a safeguarding adult
co-ordinator/manager indicate multi-agency decision-making can be professionally, intellectually and
emotionally challenging. In responseto these concerns, the authors have workedtogether to develop a
simple frameworkdesigned to support practitionersin facilitating effectivemulti-agency decision-making.
Findings – There is a need for effective practice in multi-agency decision-making to be central to
delivering a system of personalised care that both empowers and protects. The Harvard Business
model identifies five key stages as being crucial to decision-making; first, establishing context; second,
framing the issue; followed by generating alternatives and evaluating alternatives and finally choosing
the best option. The model stops here, but for most decisions a sixth step is required to identify actions
and those responsible for implementing them.
Originality/value – Policy and legislation alone cannot protect adults at risk and in vulnerable
circumstances from abuse, there also needs to be commitment at an organisational and practitioner
level to develop decision-making processes that ensure safeguarding and personalisation is interwoven
as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Keywords Personalisation, Decision making, Multi-agency,Mental capacity, Choice, Risk management
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The coalition government are clear that safeguarding and personalisation in adult social care is
intrinsically linked, stating ‘‘Safeguarding is central to personalisation’ ’ and ‘‘personalised care is
for everyone’’ (Department of Health (DoH), 2010a, p. 26). However, the development of a coherent
statutory framework to support the interweaving of safeguarding and personalisation is limited to
the production of policy guidance (DoH, 2010b) and generalised notions of independence, choice
and control, which does little to address those more complex cases practitioners work with. This,
arguably, replicates the position practitioners have found themselves in since the introduction of
‘‘No Secrets’’ (DoH and Home Office, 2000) of working within a pol icy and legislative framework
that is both complex and fragmented in terms of safeguarding individuals who might be vulnerable
and/or at risk (Mandelstam, 2009) whilst relentlessly presenting independence and choice as a
panacea to safeguarding adults. Lymbery (2010) suggests:
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THE JOURNAL OF ADULT PROTECTION
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VOL. 13 NO. 3 2011, pp. 150-159, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1466-8203 DOI 10.1108/14668201111160741
Diane Galpin is based at
the Centre for Post
Qualifying Social Work,
Bournemouth University,
Bournemouth, UK.
Dorena Hughes is based at
Bournemouth Borough
Council, Bournemouth, UK.
All views expressed in this
paper are those of the authors
and not necessarily shared by
their employers.
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