This page is designed to answer the following questions:
- 2.7 Critically evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding and whistleblowing policies procedures and protocols (Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care, Safeguarding, Protection and Risk)
NOTE: This page has been quality assured for 2023 as per our Quality Assurance policy.
For this assessment criterion, you will be required to show how you effectively disseminate and implement safeguarding policies and procedures.
On this page
- 1 Internal policies and procedures relating to all aspects of management and non-management practice
- 2 Whistleblowing guidance for staff
- 3 Protocols for interagency/joint/integrated working with professional and external agencies which define agreements for reporting any safeguarding issues and protection for whistle-blowers
- 4 Records of any issues raised and action taken in line with agreements and legislative bodies
- 5 Clearly visible processes for raising concerns and making a complaint
- 6 Assessment criteria
Internal policies and procedures relating to all aspects of management and non-management practice
You will need to read your organisation’s policies and procedures to ensure that they comply with safeguarding legislation and guidance. Your safeguarding policy and procedure should provide information about how safeguarding and protection are handled both internally and externally and identify the external agencies and organisations that you work in partnership with. Roles and responsibilities should be clear and there should also be information about how safeguarding is built into recruitment, induction, training and continuing professional development.
Think about the strengths and weaknesses of your organisation’s current policies and procedures and, if necessary, make recommendations about how they could be improved.
Whistleblowing guidance for staff
To ensure the safety of themselves and others, staff should feel comfortable in raising concerns so that they can be dealt with. Therefore, staff should be encouraged to voice any concerns that they have and be reassured that they will not face reprisals or unfair treatment for doing so. As well as this being written into policies, the organisation should demonstrate this in their practices – if just one person is treated unfairly because of raising a concern (even if their concern is misguided) then it will dissuade others from coming forward in future. Developing a culture that treats all concerns seriously and encourages staff, service users and others to speak up will result in a workplace that continuously improves and safeguards everybody.
Most concerns can be managed internally but there must be safeguards in place to protect individuals that raise a concern externally, for example, to the Care Quality Commission or the Health & Safety Executive. If a staff member has a genuine concern that has not been taken seriously or resolved through internal channels, then they must be able to take their concern higher and should not be treated unfairly for doing so.
Your whistleblowing policy will ensure that whistleblowers are protected from unfair treatment for any concerns that they raise in good faith. Further information about whistleblowing can be found in the government publication WHISTLEBLOWING: Guidance for Employers and Code of Practice.
Protocols for interagency/joint/integrated working with professional and external agencies which define agreements for reporting any safeguarding issues and protection for whistle-blowers
When you work in partnership with other agencies and organisations, you will need to draw up documents that include:
- The purpose of your joint-working partnership
- The roles and responsibilities of each of the parties
- Communication channels that will be used
- Protocols for the sharing of information
- Protocols for the reporting of safeguarding issues
- How whistle-blowers will be protected
Making such agreements at the outset ensures that all parties clearly understand their objectives, roles and responsibilities and that systems and processes are in place for them to work together effectively.
Records of any issues raised and action taken in line with agreements and legislative bodies
All issues raised and any actions that are taken must be documented using your organisation’s record-keeping/information systems. Even concerns where no further action is needed should be recorded.
Clearly visible processes for raising concerns and making a complaint
Your organisation’s policies and procedures for raising concerns and making complaints must be accessible to all staff, service users and others. You will also want to disseminate this information during induction and training and may want to reinforce the systems and processes during team meetings and supervision/appraisal.
Assessment criteria
Learners show how they effectively disseminate and implement safeguarding policies and procedures:
- Internal policies and procedures relating to all aspects of management and non-management practice
- Whistleblowing guidance for staff
- Protocols for interagency/joint/integrated working with professional and external agencies which define agreements for reporting any safeguarding issues and protection for whistle-blowers
- Records of any issues raised and action taken in line with agreements and legislative bodies
- Clearly visible processes for raising concerns and making complaints