“Why didn’t we do this before?” the development of Making Safeguarding Personal in the London borough of Sutton
| Date | 08 June 2015 |
| Pages | 181-194 |
| Published date | 08 June 2015 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-12-2014-0045 |
| Author | Patrick Jonathan Hopkinson,Meta Killick,Anita Batish,Lee Simmons |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Adult protection |
“Why didn’t we do this before?”the
development of Making Safeguarding
Personal in the London borough of Sutton
Patrick Jonathan Hopkinson, Meta Killick, Anita Batish and Lee Simmons
Patrick Jonathan Hopkinson is
Head of Service at Adult
Safeguarding, Clinical Health
and Occupational Therapy,
Adult Social Services,
London Borough of Sutton,
London, UK.
Meta Killick is Music Therapist,
Anita Batish is Business Officer
and Lee Simmons is Art
Psychotherapist/Social Capital
Development Officer,
all at Housing and Health,
Adult Social Services,
London Borough of Sutton,
London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) is a national programme to increase the involvement of
adults at risk in the adult safeguarding process. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach –The implementation of MSP in the London Borough of Sutton involved
three areas of analysis: a quantitative analysis of 47 safeguarding cases in which adults at risk were asked
what they wanted the safeguarding intervention to achieve and whether or not these outcomes had been
achieved; qualitative analysis of the service users’experience of the safeguarding process using focus groups
led by creative arts therapists; and interviews with social workers, team managers and administrators on their
experience of the implementation of MSP.
Findings –In 81 per cent of safeguarding cases, outcomes were achieved satisfactorily. The focus groups
identified the importance of freedom of movement, freedom of association, being listened to and regular
communication with a consistent person. The practitioner interviews identified themes of increased efficiency,
increased effectiveness, empowerment; the transformation of relationships and the practice of new skills.
Research limitations/implications –This research shows that focus groups led by therapists can be used
to explore safety and safeguarding and supports the effectiveness of MSP in achieving person-centred
outcomes. No baselines or control groups were used, so the extent of effectiveness is difficult to determine.
The sample size is relatively small, so results may not be generalised.
Practical implications –A number of learning points for practice are identified including how to chair and
where to hold safeguarding meetings and changes to practice required to implement MSP.
Originality/value –This is the first research into MSP using art, drama and music therapists to explore the
experiences and view of adults at risk of safety and safeguarding.
Keywords Safeguarding, Choice, Making Safeguarding Personal, Arts therapists, Empowerment,
Service user involvement
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) is a national programme to increase the involvement
of adults at risk in all aspects of their safety and in particular their control over the adult
safeguarding process (LGA/ADASS, 2013). MSP responded to a growing recognition that adult
safeguarding had become procedure, rather than person, focused (Lawson et al., 2014) and
that the “professional gift model”resulted in adults at risk being further disempowered by the
safeguarding process (Duffy, 2011). MSP is included in the statutory guidance for the Care Act
(2014) (Department of Health, 2014).
In the London Borough of Sutton, MSP was launched in October 2013 with two fundamental
requirements: that adults at risk were asked at the beginning of the safeguarding process what
the outcomes they wanted were, and were asked at the end of the process whether or not these
Received 24 December 2014
Revised 31 March 2015
Accepted 1 April 2015
DOI 10.1108/JAP-12-2014-0045 VOL. 17 NO. 3 2015, pp. 181-194, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1466-8203
j
THE JOURNAL OF ADULT PROTECTION
j
PAG E 18 1
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