Lesson 7- Internal Escalation, Emergency Action and Employee Protection

7.1 The MyEstate escalation procedure

Every employee should know:

• Who the safeguarding lead is;
• Who acts when that person is unavailable;
• The emergency contact procedure;
• How to make a safeguarding report;
• Where records are stored;
• Who decides on external referrals;
• When senior management must be informed; and
• What to do outside normal office hours.

7.2 Recognise, respond, record and report

A simple safeguarding process is:

Recognise

Notice possible signs of abuse, neglect, exploitation or danger.

Respond

Listen calmly, check immediate safety and explain the limits of confidentiality.

Record

Make a prompt, factual and secure record.

Report

Refer the concern immediately through MyEstate’s safeguarding procedure.

7.3 Urgent escalation

The concern should be escalated immediately where:

• Someone is in immediate danger;
• A child may be at risk;
• There is a threat of serious violence;
• There are weapons;
• A person threatens immediate suicide or serious self-harm;
• Modern slavery or confinement is suspected;
• Serious neglect is observed;
• There is a significant fire or environmental danger;
• A serious crime may be taking place; or
• The employee feels unsafe.

7.4 Emergency services

Call 999 where there is:

• Immediate danger to life;
• Serious violence or threat of violence;
• A serious medical emergency;
• A crime in progress;
• Fire;
• Immediate risk of serious self-harm;
• Forced confinement; or
• Another urgent threat requiring emergency intervention.

Where possible, the employee should move to a safe location before making the call.

7.5 Non-emergency concerns

Depending on MyEstate’s procedure and management decision, non-emergency concerns may be referred to:

• The local authority adult safeguarding team;
• Children’s social care;
• The police on 101;
• A domestic abuse service;
• The Modern Slavery Helpline;
• The local authority housing or homelessness service;
• A healthcare service; or
• Another suitable specialist organisation.

7.6 Protecting employees who report concerns

Employees should be able to report a genuine concern without:

• Retaliation;
• Bullying;
• Unfair criticism;
• Loss of work opportunities;
• Pressure to withdraw the report; or
• Unauthorised disclosure of their identity.

Employees should use:

• The safeguarding procedure;
• The incident-reporting procedure;
• The whistleblowing procedure; or
• Another approved reporting route.

7.7 Employee wellbeing

Safeguarding incidents can be distressing. After an incident, employees may require:

• A management debrief;
• Time to complete records;
• Reassignment from a property;
• Lone-working review;
• Welfare support;
• Occupational health support;
• Employee assistance services; or
• Additional training.

7.8 Do not return to danger

Where a property or person presents a known risk, management should consider:

• Whether future visits are necessary;
• Whether two employees should attend;
• Whether a contractor should be warned;
• Whether police assistance is appropriate;
• Whether the appointment should take place elsewhere;
• Whether the customer can be contacted safely; and
• Whether access arrangements need to change.

Lesson 7 key point

Employees should report genuine concerns promptly and must not be expected to manage high-risk safeguarding situations alone.