Safeguarding in care homes means protecting residents’ right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect, while respecting their right to make their own choices. In England, the Care Act 2014 sets out how adults at risk must be protected, and CQC’s Regulation 13 requires every care home to have effective systems to prevent, recognise and respond to abuse. This guide explains what that means in practice: the law, the six principles, the types of abuse to look out for, and what staff should do when they have a concern.

This is general guidance based on the law, statutory guidance and CQC’s published requirements. Your local Safeguarding Adults Board’s procedures set out exactly how concerns are raised in your area, and they should always come first

What Is Safeguarding in Care Homes?

Safeguarding is the work of preventing abuse and neglect, and responding properly when it happens. The Care and Support Statutory Guidance describes it as protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect, with people and organisations working together to prevent and stop both the risks and the experience of harm.

The local authority’s safeguarding duties apply to an adult who meets three conditions set out in section 42 of the Care Act 2014. They:

• have needs for care and support, whether or not the local authority is meeting them
• are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse or neglect
• can’t protect themselves from that abuse or neglect, or the risk of it, because of their care and support needs.

Most care home residents meet the first condition. That is why safeguarding is part of every role in a care home, from the manager to the housekeeping team, not a specialist task for one person.

What Does the Law Require from Care Homes?

Care homes in England work within two sets of safeguarding duties: the Care Act 2014, which sets out how local authorities and their partners protect adults at risk, and CQC’s regulations, which set out what every registered provider must do.

The Care Act 2014

Under section 42 of the Care Act 2014, the local authority must make enquiries, or ask others to make them, when it has reasonable cause to suspect abuse or neglect of an adult who meets the three conditions. This is known as a section 42 enquiry. Care homes often take part in these enquiries, and the local authority may ask the home to carry out part of the work.

Each local authority must also set up a Safeguarding Adults Board. Its core members, set out in Schedule 2 of the Act, are the local authority, the integrated care board for the area and the chief officer of police. Your local board publishes the procedures and referral routes your home should follow.

CQC’s Requirements

Regulation 13 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires that residents are protected from abuse and improper treatment. Providers must have systems and processes that work effectively to prevent abuse, and to investigate immediately on becoming aware of any allegation or evidence of abuse. CQC must refuse registration to a provider that can’t show it will meet this regulation.

Care homes must also notify CQC of any abuse or allegation of abuse involving a resident, under Regulation 18 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. Safer recruitment is part of the same picture. Regulation 19 requires providers to employ only fit and proper staff, and to hold specified information about each person, including a criminal record check at the right level. For staff providing personal care, that usually means an enhanced DBS check with a check of the adults’ barred list.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005

Many residents live with dementia or other conditions that affect their ability to make decisions. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 sets out how to assess capacity and make decisions in a person’s best interests, and any restriction on a resident’s liberty must be lawfully authorised. Safeguarding decisions often depend on getting this right.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own laws: the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, and Northern Ireland’s adult safeguarding policy. The principles are similar, but referral routes and terms differ.

What Are the Six Principles of Safeguarding?

The six principles of safeguarding are empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability. They are set out in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance and apply to all adult safeguarding work, including in care homes.

Principle	What it means	In a care home
Empowerment	People are supported to make their own decisions and give informed consent	Ask the resident what they want to happen before deciding what to do about a concern
Prevention	Act before harm occurs	Safer recruitment, supervision, and risk assessments that spot vulnerability early
Proportionality	The least intrusive response appropriate to the risk	Don’t restrict a resident’s freedom more than the risk requires
Protection	Support and representation for those in greatest need	Act quickly to keep a resident safe when they can’t protect themselves
Partnership	Working with communities and other agencies to prevent, detect and report abuse	Share information appropriately with the local authority, GP, police and families
Accountability	Transparency in how safeguarding is delivered	Clear records, a named safeguarding lead and honest learning from incidents

The principles sometimes pull in different directions. A resident with capacity may choose to take a risk that staff would rather they avoided. Empowerment and proportionality mean listening to that choice and recording it, which is part of maintaining dignity and respect in care homes. Where a resident’s choice puts other people at risk, where there are signs of coercion or a crime, or where capacity is in doubt, seek advice from your safeguarding lead or the local authority before deciding what to do.

What Are the Types of Abuse in Care Homes?

The Care and Support Statutory Guidance describes ten types of abuse and neglect. Knowing them helps staff recognise abuse that isn’t obvious, such as financial abuse by a visitor or neglect that has become routine.

Type of abuse	What it can look like in a care home
Physical abuse	Unexplained bruises or injuries, rough handling, or inappropriate use of restraint
Domestic abuse	Abuse by a partner or family member, which can continue during visits
Sexual abuse	Any sexual activity the resident hasn’t consented to or can’t consent to
Psychological or emotional abuse	Threats, humiliation, intimidation or isolating a resident from others
Financial or material abuse	Missing money or belongings, or pressure to change a will or hand over money
Modern slavery	Forced labour or exploitation, which can affect staff as well as residents
Discriminatory abuse	Harassment or unequal treatment because of age, race, religion, disability or another protected characteristic
Organisational abuse	Poor care built into the routines of a whole service, such as rigid getting-up times
Neglect and acts of omission	Ignoring medical, emotional or physical care needs, or withholding food, drink or medication
Self-neglect	A resident neglecting their own personal hygiene, health or surroundings

Changes in a resident’s mood, behaviour, appetite or sleep can also be signs that something is wrong, especially for residents who can’t put it into words. Our signs and symptoms of abuse checklist gives staff a practical list to work from.

What Should Staff Do If They Have a Safeguarding Concern?

If a member of staff has a safeguarding concern, they should make the resident safe, report it to the manager or safeguarding lead straight away, and record what they saw or heard. They should not try to investigate it themselves. In practice, that means:

1. Make the resident safe. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Get medical help if it’s needed.
2. Listen, don’t lead. If a resident tells you something, listen calmly, reassure them, and don’t ask leading questions or promise to keep it secret.
3. Don’t investigate. Don’t confront the person suspected of abuse, and preserve any evidence.
4. Record the facts. Write down what you saw or were told, in the resident’s own words where possible, with the date, time and who was present.
5. Report it. Tell the manager or safeguarding lead straight away, following your home’s policy and your local procedures. If the concern involves the manager, report it to the provider, the local authority or CQC directly.

It’s normal to worry about getting it wrong, or about raising a concern that involves a colleague. You don’t need proof to raise a concern. Finding out what happened is the job of the safeguarding enquiry, not the person who reports it. What matters is that the concern is passed on.

For example: a carer notices that a resident who usually chats at breakfast has gone quiet, and has bruising on her upper arm that isn’t in her records. When the carer gently asks how she is, the resident says someone grabbed her. The carer makes sure the resident is safe and comfortable, doesn’t ask who or press for details, writes down what she saw and what the resident said in her own words, and tells the safeguarding lead before the end of her shift. This example is an illustration, not a real case.

The manager or safeguarding lead then decides on the next steps: raising a safeguarding concern with the local authority, contacting the police if a crime may have been committed, and notifying CQC. Our safeguarding adults process flowchart sets out each step on one page, so it can be displayed in the staff room.

What Is Making Safeguarding Personal?

Making Safeguarding Personal is an approach developed by the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS). It means safeguarding should be person-led and outcome-focused: asking the resident what they want to happen, involving them in decisions about their own safety, and judging success by whether they feel safer, not only by whether a process was completed. It applies whether or not the resident has capacity. Where they don’t, their representative or an independent advocate should be involved, and their known wishes still count.

For a care home, this is the practical meaning of empowerment, and it builds on person-centred care. The outcome a resident wants might be no further contact with the person who harmed them, an apology, a change to their care plan or pursuing the matter through the police. The safeguarding response should work towards that outcome where it is safe to do so.

How Do You Build a Safeguarding Culture in a Care Home?

You build a safeguarding culture by making it normal for staff to raise concerns and certain that concerns will be acted on. Policies matter, but they only work in a home where people feel able to speak up.

• Name a safeguarding lead. Everyone should know who it is, and how to reach them on every shift.
• Lead from the top. CQC’s guidance expects safeguarding to have the right level of oversight, with overall responsibility held at board level or equivalent.
• Protect people who speak up. Staff who raise concerns about wrongdoing at work are protected by whistleblowing law. Make sure they know how to raise a concern safely, including outside the home, as part of building a positive care home culture.
• Recruit safely. Use the right DBS checks, follow up references and explore gaps in employment history before anyone starts.
• Supervise and support. Regular supervision gives staff space to raise worries early, and helps managers spot problems before they grow.
• Learn from every concern. Review incidents and near misses honestly, and share what changes as a result.

What Closed Cultures Look Like

CQC also watches for closed cultures, which it describes as poor cultures that can lead to harm, including human rights breaches and organisational abuse.

The best-known example is Winterbourne View, a private hospital near Bristol for people with learning disabilities and autism. In May 2011, undercover filming by BBC Panorama showed staff abusing the people living there. CQC took action to remove the hospital’s registration, it closed in June 2011, and 11 members of staff were later convicted. The government’s review found there was no registered manager in place, recruitment was poor, staff training was limited, and a closed and punitive culture had developed. Winterbourne View was a hospital rather than a care home, but the warning signs it revealed apply to any care setting.

The same patterns still appear in CQC inspection reports. Recent reports have described care homes where residents were not believed when they raised allegations of abuse, where staff had completed safeguarding training but concerns still went unreported, and where staff did not feel supported when they raised concerns.

Warning signs include residents who rarely have visitors or contact with outside professionals, staff who don’t challenge poor practice, and a culture where residents aren’t believed. Good risk assessment in care homes helps by identifying residents who are more vulnerable to abuse, so that extra checks are in place.

What Should a Care Home Safeguarding Policy Include?

A care home safeguarding policy should explain how the home prevents abuse, how staff recognise and report concerns, and how the home works with the local authority, the police and CQC. It should follow your local Safeguarding Adults Board’s procedures, so that staff and partners are working to the same process.

A practical safeguarding policy usually covers:

• the types of abuse and neglect, and the signs to look for
• the name and contact details of the safeguarding lead, and who deputises for them
• what staff must do when they have a concern, including out of hours
• how and when the home refers concerns to the local authority, contacts the police and notifies CQC
• how the home supports residents to make their own decisions, including where capacity is in doubt
• whistleblowing, and how staff can raise concerns outside the home
• safer recruitment, training and supervision
• how records are kept, shared and stored securely.

Set a review date in the policy itself, and review it sooner whenever local procedures or the law change. A policy that staff have never read protects no one, so go through it at induction and in team meetings.

Do Care Homes Need to Safeguard Children Too?

Yes. Even in a home for older adults, children may visit residents, and some staff or volunteers may be under 18. Every member of staff needs to know how to recognise and report a concern about a child, which is why the Care Certificate covers safeguarding children as well as adults. Concerns about a child go to the local authority’s children’s services, or to the police if a child is in immediate danger.

How Does CQC Inspect Safeguarding?

CQC inspects safeguarding as part of the Safe key question. Inspectors look at whether residents are protected from abuse and improper treatment, and whether the home has effective systems to prevent abuse and respond to concerns.

Inspectors will usually talk to residents, families and staff, and they may ask staff what they would do if they had a safeguarding concern. They also review records, including:

• the safeguarding policy, and whether it matches local procedures
• records of safeguarding concerns, referrals and the actions taken
• notifications sent to CQC
• staff training records and recruitment checks
• incident and complaint records, and evidence of learning from them.

A breach of Regulation 13 can lead to enforcement action. A home that can show staff know what to do, concerns are acted on, and lessons are learned is in a much stronger position.

What Safeguarding Training Do Care Home Staff Need?

Every member of care home staff needs safeguarding training, from induction onwards, and the level should match their role. New care workers cover safeguarding as part of the Care Certificate before they work unsupervised. The Care Certificate standards were updated in 2025 and now number 16: Standard 10 covers safeguarding adults, and Standard 11 covers safeguarding children.

Senior carers, nurses and managers need more advanced training, because they make decisions about concerns, refer to the local authority and lead investigations. There is no single legal interval for refreshing safeguarding training, so set one in your training policy and follow any expectations from your local Safeguarding Adults Board. The importance of safeguarding training explains how training helps prevent abuse as well as respond to it.

Our safeguarding courses cover adults and children at the levels care staff and managers need, and they can be completed online around shifts