Wales Safeguarding Procedures

The Wales Safeguarding Procedures are the first universal national safeguarding procedures for Wales.

The procedures detail the essential roles and responsibilities for practitioners to ensure that they safeguard children and adults who are experiencing, at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm.

The Wales Safeguarding Procedures will guide safeguarding practice for all those employed in the statutory, third (voluntary) and private sectors in health, social care, education, police, justice and other services.

They apply to all practitioners and managers working in Wales, whether employed by a devolved or non-devolved agency.

The Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 recognised the shared belief of many practitioners, managers and policymakers in the need for common systems and processes to protect both children and adults at risk of abuse and neglect.

The Wales Safeguarding Procedures aim to translate legislation, such as the 2014 Act, and any accompanying duties into practice.

The ultimate aim of the procedures is to ensure consistency in practice and in how legislation is applied across Wales.

This is why the procedures include ‘pointers for practice’ which provide guidance on how to complete individual tasks. These pointers for practice are based on the latest research and practice developments.

[read the full list of Wales Safeguarding Procedures aims and principles]

The Wales Safeguarding Procedures were developed by a project team led by the Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan Regional Safeguarding Board.

The project team was chaired by the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Director of Social Services and included Emeritus Professor Jan Horwath. Each of the six Regional Safeguarding Boards for Wales was also represented.

The development of the procedures was a seven-stage process, with agencies across Wales given the opportunity to be involved and contribute their practice experience and research expertise. Individual practitioners were then invited to contribute through specific development groups.

Whether safeguarding an adult at risk from abuse or neglect or protecting children from abuse, neglect and harm, the procedures are based on the same principles which reflect the principles underpinning the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014.

The Wales Safeguarding Procedures will be published on 11 November 2019 and will be available for everyone to view via the official website or by downloading the Wales Safeguarding Procedures mobile app.

Each Regional Safeguarding Board will then need to formally adopt the procedures. At this point they will become endorsed for use in each region.

It will be for each board to schedule their own timetable for adoption of the procedures, but it is anticipated that the Wales Safeguarding Procedures will be considered by each board before the end of January 2020.

The Wales Safeguarding Procedures Board will provide details to each business unit of the local (regional) policies required to support the procedures ahead of the launch date.

It is expected that the procedures will have been adopted and fully implemented in every region of Wales by April 2020.