Safe · KLOE 4

Safeguarding

Does the service work with partners and people to protect their rights to live in safety and be free from abuse and improper treatment?

In brief

Safeguarding is key line of enquiry 4 under the Safe key question in the Care Quality Commission (CQC) draft adult social care assessment framework (v9, 19 March 2026), currently published for consultation. It covers safeguarding and human rights, deprivation of liberty, bullying, harassment and discrimination, sexual safety and empowerment. CQC describes performance against it at four rating levels: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Each statement and rating characteristic quoted here is reproduced verbatim from CQC's draft; plain-English summaries are HLTH's own.

Key question: Safe
Line of enquiry: KLOE 4 of 7 under Safe
Rating levels: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate
Source: Adult social care assessment framework, v9 (19 March 2026)
Status: Draft, published by CQC for consultation
Reference: pp. 10–13 of the CQC draft

Scope and topic areas

What this line of enquiry covers

Scope of this key line of enquiry and topic areas include:

Safeguarding and human rights
Deprivation of liberty
Bullying, harassment and discrimination
Sexual safety and empowerment

Rating characteristics

How CQC describes each rating

The four characteristic sets for this KLOE, best to worst. Every point is CQC's wording, reproduced exactly.

Outstanding

In plain terms: Care is exceptional and consistently better than the Good standard.

The approach to safeguarding is innovative, rights-based and comprehensive, which transforms people’s lives and protects their safety, wellbeing and autonomy.
Safeguarding is a shared, strategic priority embedded across the whole service. Safeguarding systems are continually improved through evidence-based learning and innovation, and changes are sustained.
Learning and innovative practice are shared with partners to drive wider improvement.
The service has a culture of actively seeking and valuing opportunities to promote and embed human rights and legal rights in its approach to safeguarding, using innovative practice to enhance them.
All staff and people who use the service are actively involved in reviewing and improving safeguarding practice.
People who use the service and staff are empowered and actively encouraged to raise concerns about discrimination and breaches of human rights, so that safeguarding practice is shaped by what matters to them.
Staff take time to understand any underlying reasons that affect how people engage with safeguarding concerns. They use trauma‑informed principles, professional curiosity, and relational practice to build trust, create emotional safety, and avoid re‑traumatisation.

Good

In plain terms: The service meets the expected standard.

The service supports people to feel safe. It takes timely and appropriate action when people are at risk or have experienced abuse or neglect.
Safeguarding risks are shared and managed with people and those close to them.
People are protected from discrimination, as defined under the Equality Act 2010, harassment and victimisation, including behaviour that may amount to abuse, psychological harm, or a hate crime. The service has effective systems and leadership in place to prevent and respond to discrimination and to promote equality.
There are effective safeguarding systems, processes and practices, managed by appropriately trained staff, which protect people from abuse, neglect, harassment and breaches of their dignity. These operate in line with legislation and guidance, are communicated effectively and are accessible to people, staff and visitors to the service.
Information about people who have suffered harm or are at risk of harm is shared appropriately with other agencies, such as the local authority, in a timely way. Staff use appropriate escalation pathways when concerns are not addressed.
Staff can identify abuse and improper treatment. They recognise early indicators of potential abuse or poor care, even when these do not meet the threshold for formal safeguarding concerns. Staff act quickly and appropriately to protect people, working closely with partners.
People are supported to understand what safeguarding means and how to raise concerns on behalf of themselves and others, and are encouraged and empowered to do so.
People are deprived of their liberty lawfully. Any potential deprivation of liberty is recognised promptly and seeks appropriate authorisation is sought.
Where applicable, the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are used appropriately and only when it is in the best interests of the person. The service regularly reviews care arrangements and makes adjustments to ensure any DoLS conditions are met.
People are protected from harassment and abuse when in the community. They are supported to understand different forms of harassment and abuse and to develop skills to protect themselves. This is done in a way that does not infringe on their independence and rights.
Online safety is considered and people are supported to understand how they can protect themselves when online.
People are empowered to develop and maintain safe intimate relationships, where they choose to, in accordance with their rights.
Where applicable, a preventative and child-centred approach to safeguarding is in place. Staff engage with local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements as appropriate.

Requires improvement

In plain terms: The service is not yet Good and has areas that must improve.

Safeguarding does not have sufficient priority and people are not always protected from bullying, harassment, avoidable harm, abuse, neglect or discrimination.
Policies and procedures are not sufficiently thorough or well-embedded. Responses to concerns and engagement with local safeguarding systems are not consistent or timely, or legal requirements are not always followed.
People’s human rights, legal rights and diverse needs are not consistently understood or respected.
Indicators of abuse or poor care are not always recognised or acted on at the earliest opportunity.
Some staff are not clear how to raise safeguarding concerns or are hesitant to do so. When safeguarding concerns remain unaddressed, these are not routinely escalated.
People are unclear about how to raise concerns and there is a lack of consistent support or encouragement to do so.
The service does not consistently recognise a potential deprivation of liberty and act promptly to ensure this is lawfully authorised. Where applicable, the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards may not be understood or not always applied appropriately.
People are not consistently supported to have intimate relationships, or choice, rights and safety may not be adequately considered.
Where applicable, the service is not consistently child-centred in its approach. Process and procedures do not appropriately reflect local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, engagement is limited and staff may not have appropriate training.

Inadequate

In plain terms: Performance is well below the expected standard; enforcement may follow.

People experience, or are at significant risk of, bullying, harassment, avoidable harm, neglect, abuse and discrimination.
Human rights are not upheld; equality is not promoted.
The service does not follow its own or local safeguarding procedures, or its safeguarding procedures are not in line with legal requirements.
Staff are not appropriately trained in relation to safeguarding at a level relevant for their role.
Staff do not recognise or respond appropriately to bullying, harassment, avoidable harm, neglect, abuse and discrimination.
People are not supported or are discouraged from raising safeguarding concerns, or are fearful about doing so.
The service does not ensure people are lawfully deprived of their liberty. Where applicable, the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards are not appropriately applied in line with legal requirements.
People are not supported to have intimate relationships or are inappropriately prevented from doing so.
Where applicable, the service is not child-centred and does not adequately ensure the welfare and safety of children. Safeguarding concerns are not recognised or acted on, placing children at risk.

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