“Protecting an adults or child’s right to live in safety, free from abuse, neglect and harm from themselves or others.” - The Care Act 2014
Everyone involved within the charity and circle has the responsibility to safeguard, including the members, facilitators and support staff.
Signs of abuse can be difficult to detect. They can include but are not limited to; Physical, Domestic, Sexual, Psychological & Emotional, Self Neglect, Financial or Material, Discrimination, Organisational and Institutional Abuse.
Every member who attends Mentell is required to register, ensuring the charity has identifiable information on all service users, in the event of a safeguard concern.
At the opening of the circle, all members are made aware of the group agreements and personal responsibilities that impact or influence the safeguarding of the space.
Mentell circles deploy two facilitators who sit opposite one another, Lead and Support, both are trained to detect signs of abuse and action next steps where appropriate.
The facilitator teams are trained to question members to determine whether immediate action should be taken or not.
The facilitator team will check to clarify the language used when a concern is expressed during circle, to ensure that no assumptions are made.
When a member expresses suicidal thoughts or feelings, the facilitator team are trained to ask a series of questions to help determine what kind of support is required as a next step.
Not all concerns are safeguarding, as many members are not classed as "Vulnerable Adults". However, Mentell has a duty of care to register and make an internal note of red flags, which are specific concerns for a members wellbeing.
In the same way that you wouldn't allow your friend to leave a party under the influence of alcohol to drive home, the facilitators will ask a member to stay behind for a quick chat if there are concerns or outstanding questions that need to be addressed before allowing them to leave.
For members needing additional support outside of circle, the facilitator team will make members aware of our Call For Help self-referral form. Which provides the opportunity for members to request help beyond the service that Mentell provides.
All facilitators attend a safeguarding debrief at the end of each circle, with our safeguarding officer. Clinical supervision is provided weekly for the facilitation team to help support their own mental wellbeing.
Mentell will signpost (refer) local services to our members who express a need for additional support.
Mentell wants to ensure that every circle is held accountable to The 7 Principles. We make all of our members aware at the end of each circle, how to make an anonymous report.
Members can make a report using our online form that you can find by clicking here.
In the unlikely event that there is a genuine safeguarding concern to be reported, our safeguarding officer will liase with the safeguarding board that is most local to that service user.
