Safeguarding Adults

See: Identifying and Reporting Abuse and Neglect, which is part of the larger Care Act 2014 resource.

Adults

Adult Social Care practitioners needing to raise a concern should do so through LAS.

See: Record an adult safeguarding contact on LAS

Practitioners outside of Adult Social Care, other agencies and professionals and members of the public can raise a concern online.

See: Adult Safeguarding Referral online form.  

Alternatively, a concern can be raised:

Email: ascmash@surreycc.gov.uk - available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Telephone: 0300 470 9100
Textphone (via Text Relay): 18001 0300 200 1005
SMS: 07527 182 861 (for the deaf or hard of hearing)
VRS: Sign Language Video Relay Service

If you are concerned that an adult is in imminent danger from abuse or neglect, or that a criminal act has taken place you should contact the police by dialing 999.

MASH (Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub)

The Surrey Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub for adults is the main referral point for adult safeguarding concerns. This is where partner organisations and the public are advised to refer adult safeguarding concerns. The aims of the MASH, working in partnership with other agencies are:

• To enable good decision making about when an adult safeguarding concern will lead to an adult safeguarding enquiry;
• To enable good decision making about what will be involved in carrying out an adult safeguarding enquiry;
• To enable good information sharing practice across the partner agencies so that there is a shared understanding of the circumstances and the risk in situations where there is an adult safeguarding concern or enquiry.

In addition to handling adult safeguarding concerns referred to it, the MASH can:

• Support teams receiving adult safeguarding concern referrals arriving by other routes, or which emerge in the course of work they are doing, by carrying out a round of information sharing among the MASH partners and providing this to the team handling the referral;
• Be used by teams undertaking adult safeguarding enquiries to get up-to-date information from the MASH partners regarding the situation relating to any enquiry;
• Undertake some standard adult safeguarding enquiries as specified in other process documents.

For information about raising a concern about a child see: Report a concern about a child or young person.

If you are concerned that a child is in imminent danger from abuse or neglect, or that a criminal act has taken place you should contact the police by dialing 999.

The multi-agency safeguarding procedures set out specifically how the Local Authority works with other organisations in the area, such as the police and the ICB to fulfil the requirements of the Care Act, including how they:

1. Prevent and protect adults at risk from abuse;
2. Empower and support adults to make their own choices;
3. Investigate actual (or suspected) abuse or neglect; and
4. Support adults who are at risk of, or experiencing abuse or neglect.

See: SSAB Policy and Procedures.

For use by Adult Social Care practitioners, the Surrey safeguarding adults policy and procedures should be used alongside the SSAB Policy and Procedures.

See: Surrey safeguarding adults policy and procedures.

Additional safeguarding guidance may be found in the local resource area.