Important updates to Section 5 of the Wales Safeguarding Procedures
These revised procedures strengthen the way safeguarding allegations against practitioners and those in positions of trust are managed across Wales.
They help to ensure that safeguarding allegations are managed:
- Safely – protecting children and adults at risk.
- Fairly – recognising the rights of individuals subject to allegations.
- Consistently – ensuring uniform practice across Wales.
- Lawfully – in accordance with the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014, other important legislation such as the Children Act 1989, Human Rights Act 1998 and the Data Protection Act 2018 / GDPR, and statutory guidance issued by the Welsh Government’.
Lou Bushell-Bauers, Head of the Local Authority Inspection Team at Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) said “CIW will begin reviewing how our partners are applying these changes later this year, and we want to support everyone to feel confident and prepared. We are committed to working alongside the sector to make sure these important developments translate into meaningful, protective action for the people we all serve”.
The updated procedures are available to view on the Wales Safeguarding Procedures website. Safeguarding professionals are encouraged to review the changes at the earliest opportunity to ensure their practice aligns with the latest guidance.
Training is also available to support practitioners in understanding and applying the updated procedures with a dedicated Section 5 training module available online.