Public consultation on policy proposals for adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector

Adult Safeguarding is about putting measures in place to reduce the risk of harm to adults who may be at risk of abuse. It is about promoting and protecting people’s human rights. It is also about empowering people to make decisions about their health and welfare, including their protection against abuse.

The safety and protection of all our citizens from harm is a key objective and responsibility of Government and society. There are already significant measures in place in the health and social care sector, and in Irish society more generally, to protect at-risk adults from abuse and harm. There are also many supports in place to help them make informed decisions about their own lives, their wellbeing and their protection.

Further to a government decision approving the development of a national policy on adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector, policy proposals have been developed by the Department of Health in liaison with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

This policy, when finalised, will cover the full spectrum of healthcare and social care services (public, voluntary and private). It will also set out policy on co-operation, information-sharing and referral arrangements between the health and social care sector and other key sectors, including the Garda Síochána, for the purpose of safeguarding at-risk adults against abuse and harm.

This policy will further strengthen the existing adult safeguarding policy framework for the health and social care sector.

The proposed Policy Vision is that:

The policy’s proposed main aims are to:

• uphold the rights and autonomy of adults at risk who use our services to make their own decisions about their own lives
• foster a preventative and responsive culture of safeguarding throughout all health and social care services
• protect adults at risk who use our services against abuse by intervening respectfully and effectively when necessary to respond to reported abuse

We are holding a public consultation to give people an opportunity to provide their feedback on these policy proposals.

The views of our service users, their families and friends, and the views of service providers, staff, stakeholders and the general public on how the health and social care system in Ireland should fulfil its safeguarding responsibilities are especially important to us.

For this reason we are seeking the public’s views on the policy proposals before finalising and costing the policy and submitting it to the government for approval. A survey with questions on the policy proposals has been prepared for you to give us your views.

We will carefully assess all feedback received and use it to help develop the final National Adult Safeguarding Policy for the Health and Social Care Sector.

Please either:

• read the policy proposals below and complete the survey online or
• read the easy to read executive summary below and complete the easy to read survey online

The following documents are available to read:

Word versions of all of these documents are also available:

The following information presentations are also available to view:

• information webinar for stakeholders
• information webinar for DPOs

If you have completed the survey online, you do not need to do anything else.

If you have downloaded and completed the survey on your phone, tablet or computer, you may send it via email to: adultsafeguardingconsultation@health.gov.ie

Postal address

If you have printed the survey, you may post your completed questionnaire to the following address:

"Adult Safeguarding Public Consultation", Department of Health, Block 1, Miesian Plaza, 50 - 58 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, D02 XW14

The closing date for the public consultation is 5pm on 2 April 2024. It will not be possible to access the online documentation after this time.

Your views will contribute to the further development of the national policy on adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector.

The information from the public consultation will be analysed by the Institute of Public Health and a report will be prepared for the Department of Health.

Privacy Notice

Personal, confidential or commercially sensitive information should not be included in survey responses. If personally identifiable details are included, they will be deleted.

All submissions and survey answers are subject to release under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014 and are also subject to Data Protection legislation.

Department of Health's Privacy Statement.

To participate in the Easy to Read public consultation, please:

• read the easy to read executive summary, and
• complete the easy to read survey online by clicking the button below

A Word version of the easy to read executive summary is available below, and an information webinar for DPOs is also available online.

To view the consultation click the button below.