Safeguarding

If you are worried about someone

How to raise a concern

If you have a Wellknown account, use Raise a concern. Otherwise email hello@wellknown.online with "Safeguarding" in the subject. Helpers, family members and anyone else can raise a concern. You do not need proof.

Concerns go privately to our safeguarding lead. They are never shared on a family's visit feed, because sometimes the person causing harm is someone close.

What we do

1. Our safeguarding lead reads every concern the same day and contacts the person who raised it within 24 hours.
2. If an adult may be at risk of abuse or neglect, we refer it to the adult safeguarding team at their local council, usually within 24 hours. In England this follows section 42 of the Care Act 2014: the council leads any enquiry, not us.
3. If the concern is about a helper, we suspend them from Wellknown while we look into it, and cancel their upcoming visits. We tell the affected families that visits are paused, without sharing details that could harm an investigation.
4. If a crime may have been committed, we tell the police.
5. We record what was raised, what we did and why, and keep that record securely.

Rules that keep people safe

• Helpers never provide personal care, never handle cash, cards, PINs or online banking, and never accept gifts, loans or a role in someone's will or power of attorney.
• Helpers never drive clients.
• We never store key safe codes. If a helper has known a code and stops working with a family, change it.
• We only show checks we have actually seen, with the date. We never say "vetted".

Signs that might worry you

Unexplained injuries, someone seeming frightened of a particular person, sudden money problems or unpaid bills, new "friends" taking an interest in their finances, the house becoming unsafe or unclean, not eating, or being kept away from visitors. You do not have to be sure. Tell us, or contact the council's adult social care team directly.

More guidance: Ann Craft Trust and SCIE adult safeguarding.