Safeguarding and self neglect: A literature review of the views of service users and professionals

Current practice in safeguarding adults at risk is challenged by issues of self neglect. Procedures and practices for working with vulnerable people who self-neglect vary widely and are not currently explicitly addressed under current safeguarding policies. Proposals for statutory direction on safeguarding adults found in the current Care Bill do not appear to have addressed this complex issue. Although self-neglect is a growing area of practice many authorities do not have a clear approach or policy to support this complex area.
This presentation aims to explore current literature and identify some of the key issues for social workers in working in this often complex and challenging area of practice. Professional responses to self-neglect are arguably influenced by social constructs and values and social workers are often challenged with balancing the human rights of the person to be able to make unwise decisions and their responsibilities to support the person to be safe under a duty of care. This presentation will aim to explore the voice of the service user and the social worker through literature and possibly through a focus group of social workers to identify some of the challenges for practice, exploring what may support the process and also to identify suggestions for future practice.