Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and for professionals who refer clients to home care providers, it is one of the most important dimensions of due diligence. The majority of home care providers in the UK operate to a high standard. But in a market with over 13,000 CQC-registered providers in England alone, variation in quality is significant.
This guide is for case managers, social workers, and other referring professionals who need to understand safeguarding standards in home care and what to check before and after making a referral.
The Regulatory Framework
Home care providers in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and comply with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The CQC’s five key questions, Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led, form the framework for inspection and represent the minimum standards any regulated provider must meet. Providers are also expected to operate in line with the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and the local authority’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Adults policies and procedures.
What Good Safeguarding Practice Looks Like in a Home Care Provider
- A designated safeguarding lead: Every registered provider should have a named senior person responsible for safeguarding. Ask who this is and how concerns are escalated both internally and externally.
- Clear referral pathways: Staff should know exactly how to raise a safeguarding concern, with the local authority, the CQC, and internally. Ask for a copy of their procedure.
- Current staff training: All care workers should have up-to-date safeguarding training at an appropriate level. Specialist roles should have additional training relevant to the presenting needs, such as dementia awareness, learning disability or domestic abuse.
- Enhanced DBS checks: All care workers must hold a valid enhanced DBS check. Providers should subscribe to the DBS Update Service to maintain live status on all disclosures.
- A healthy reporting culture: A provider with a genuine reporting culture will have a history of proactively raising concerns. Complete absence of incident reports is often a warning sign rather than a reassurance.
Pre-Referral Checks
- Confirm current CQC registration status and rating
- Read the most recent full CQC inspection report, with particular attention to the Safe and Well-led domains
- Ask the provider about any safeguarding incidents in the past 12 months and how they were managed and resolved
- Ask how they handle allegations against care workers
- Ask about their lone working policy for care workers visiting vulnerable adults
Post-Referral Monitoring
After a referral is made, ongoing monitoring remains part of your professional responsibility. This includes reviewing care records and reports regularly; maintaining direct contact with the client where capacity and consent allow; responding promptly to any concerns raised by the client, their family, or the provider; and ensuring care plans are reviewed in line with your organisation’s standards.
When to Escalate
If you have concerns about the safety of a client in receipt of home care, escalate them promptly. This may mean a direct conversation with the provider’s safeguarding lead, a referral to the local authority Adult Safeguarding team, or, in urgent situations, contact with emergency services.
Do not wait for a concern to be confirmed before raising it. The threshold for a safeguarding referral is whether you have reason to believe a vulnerable adult may be at risk. The investigation is not your responsibility. The referral is.
How Happiest at Home Approaches Safeguarding
Safeguarding is central to how we operate at Happiest at Home. Our CarePals are trained, vetted and actively supported to raise concerns without hesitation. We have robust internal safeguarding policies, clear escalation pathways, and a senior designated safeguarding lead. We welcome scrutiny from referring professionals and are always happy to answer due diligence questions before a referral is made.
Contact us at hello@happiestathome.co.uk or call 0345 030 3845.