Review of in safe hands. A review of the Welsh Assembly Government's Guidance on the protection of vulnerable adults in Wales

Introduction to the review The first chapter sets out the overall aim of this review of In Safe Hands: Implementing Adult Protection Procedures in Wales (National Assembly for Wales 2000): to consider and assess the continuing effectiveness, appropriateness and robustness of the guidance, and to make recommendations about where improvements can be made. Changes in demographics, significant legislative and regulatory change, policy developments and lessons learned over the nine years since publication have led to the need for a review. The groundbreaking contribution of the guidance is acknowledged, but the overall conclusions of the review are that In Safe Hands is now: ? partially effective; ? in some important respects, no longer appropriate; and ? not sufficiently robust. In light of these conclusions, the recommendations set out in Chapter 8 aim to build on the firm foundations established by In Safe Hands, to develop a legislative framework, policy and practice so that adults in vulnerable situations, the agencies who support them and the wider community can together: ? develop a culture in Wales that does not tolerate abuse; ? raise awareness about abuse; ? prevent abuse from happening wherever possible; ? where abuse does happen, support victims to: o stop abuse continuing; o access services they need, including advocacy and post-abuse support; o support over-stretched carers; ? deal effectively with perpetrators; and ? have improved access to justice.