Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP)
Making Safeguarding Personal in its simplest form means putting the person at the centre of everything we do during a safeguarding enquiry from the very beginning to the very end. It is about seeing people as experts in their own lives, and working alongside them to identify the outcomes they want.
The key principle of MSP is to support and empower each adult to make choices and have control about how they want to live their own life.
MSP focuses on achieving meaningful improvements to people’s lives to prevent abuse and neglect occurring in the future, including ways for them to protect themselves. People are individuals with individual circumstances; so safeguarding arrangements should not prescribe a process that must be followed whenever a concern is raised, but instead take a more personalised approach. A personalised approach that enables safeguarding to be done with, not to, people.
What does MSP look like?
The Care Act 2014 emphasises a personalised approach to adult safeguarding that is led by the individual, not by the process. It is vital that the adult feels that they are the focus and they have control over the process. Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) is not simply about gaining an individual’s consent, although that is important, but also about hearing people’s views about what they want as an outcome. This means that people are given opportunities at all stages of the safeguarding process to say what they would like to change.
Resources to support Making Safeguarding Personal.
The above organisations have recently launched a new suite of resources to support Making Safeguarding Personal.
MSP Toolkit +
The toolkit is a web-based resource that includes narrative around specific areas of practice, tools and case examples to support learning and development. The resources can be used individually or built into learning and development activities within organisations.
Access the toolkit by following the link below. There are some excellent resources available including the MSP Toolkit Practice Handbook;
The toolkit provides a framework for response options to help people work through what the desired outcome/s and purpose/s of safeguarding might be. Addressing this from the start will ensure a greater focus on the needs and requirements of the person at the centre, and make it easier to ascertain and measure the difference that has been made.
https://www.local.gov.uk/msp-toolkit
Case Studies: +
Nine case studies of practice in relation to MSP have been collated; this resource is an update of the previous case study resource.
https://www.local.gov.uk/making-safeguarding-personal-201819-case-studies
Myths and Realities +
The briefing addresses misconception about Making Safeguarding Personal, which is not just about safeguarding practice but also about prevention, and strategic as well as operational safeguarding. It supports and promotes relationship and strength- based approaches in practice. The briefing is aimed at front line practitioners and operational managers in all organisations that have a role in safeguarding adults. It is aimed at leaders at all levels and local councillors. It can also be used by anyone interested or involved in safeguarding adults because ‘safeguarding is everyone’s business’. This can be used as a prompt for discussion in teams or partnerships, in workshops or conversations.
Myths and realities about Making Safeguarding Personal
Personal Budget +
The Care Act places personal budgets into law for the first time, making them the norm for people with care and support needs.
Chapter 11 of the Statutory Guidance outlines personal budgets and stresses that they are a key part of the Government’s aspirations for person-centred care and support. Independent research shows that where implemented well, personal budgets can improve outcomes and deliver better value for money.
The personal budget is the mechanism that, in conjunction with the care and support plan, or support plan, enables the person and their advocate if they have one, to exercise greater choice and take control over how their care and support needs are met.
Many individuals will choose to take control of the care plan, and in effect, become responsible for commissioning their own packages of Health and Social Care. This allows the person to have control of their care and support and exercise choice about how their care is delivered. In doing this the person has as much independence as is possible, but could also leave them vulnerable to abuse.
Personal budgets can range from simple single services to very diverse packages and therefore can sometimes be complex to arrange in areas relating to employer liability and recruitment of staff.
People employed directly by service users through direct payments/individual budgets are not subject to regulation by the Care Quality Commission (CQC); however the local authority may require personal budget holders using Direct Payments to specify whom they are employing to the local authority.
Local authorities can place reasonable conditions on any agreement to make personal budgets, and conditions might be introduced to protect and safeguard any particular individual. Such conditions need to be proportionate to the risk involved and must not defeat the principal purpose of a personal budget, which is to give people more choice and control over their care and support plans.
In cases where the care and support plan is delivered in full by a Care Quality Commission registered provider or agency, it will be the responsibility of that agency involved to undertake pre-employment checks, including DBS checks. Individuals in receipt of a personal budget can have access to Disclosure and Barring Service checks (previously CRB checks) through the local authority.
Staff directly employed should have awareness aware of safeguarding issues and that any safeguarding concerns should be reported to the local authority or Police.
Podcasts +
Esi Hardy and Michael Preston-Shoot have recorded a series of Podcasts which explore some of the myths around Making Safeguarding Personal. Together they combine lived experience with practitioner experience to begin to make sense of what it means to make safeguarding personal for everyone. The 11 episodes are a useful resource for people to listen to on their own, or to use as a group discussion or learning events.
The LGA have also published a number of guides on MSP aimed at specific organisations:
What might ‘good’ look like for health and social care commissioners and providers?
Commissioners and providers across the health and social care sectors play a critical part in safeguarding adults, both on the front line and at a strategic level, as partners on safeguarding adult boards.
Making Safeguarding Personal what might look good to those in health and social care commissioners and providers
What might ‘good’ look like for those working in the housing sector?
The housing sector plays a critical part in safeguarding adults, both on the front line and at a strategic level, as partners on safeguarding adults boards. It aims to support housing commissioners and providers to make safeguarding personal.
Making Safeguarding Personal what might look good to those working in the housing sector
What might ‘good’ look like for the police?
The police play a critical part in safeguarding adults both on the frontline and at a strategic level as statutory partners on safeguarding adults boards.
Making Safeguarding Personal - Police
What might ‘good’ look like for advocacy?
Advocacy plays a critical part in safeguarding adults, both on the front line, and at a strategic level as a partner on safeguarding adults boards.
Making Safeguarding Personal - Advocacy
For further information on Making Safeguarding Personal please click on the website addresses below:
local.gov.uk
scie.org.uk
adass.org.uk