Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults

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The system is governed by legislation There are many pieces of legislation out there that talk about safeguarding vulnerable adults: The Human Rights Act (1998) explains the rights and freedom of individuals and the Disability Act (1995) sets out the protection for adults with disabilities. All these pieces of legislation played a part in the protection of vulnerable adults. The Care Standards Act (2000) was implemented and set out the standards that all Social Care Services have to follow. From this in 2004, the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme was set up (Department of Health, 2009). Its intention was to not allow any individual work with vulnerable adults in the care sector if they have neglected, harmed or abused a vulnerable person. …show more content…

Within the Act there are 5 principles and these are: 1. a presumption of capacity - every adult has the right to make his or her own decisions and must be assumed to have capacity to do so unless it is proved otherwise; 2. the right for individuals to be supported to make their own decisions - people must be given all appropriate help before anyone concludes that they cannot make their own decisions; 3. individuals must retain the right to make what might be seen as eccentric or unwise decisions; 4. best interests - anything done for or on behalf of people without capacity must be in their best interests; and 5. least restrictive intervention - anything done for or on behalf of people without capacity should be the least restrictive of their basic rights and

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