Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP)
Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) is about working collaboratively with people using safeguarding services, to enable and support them to resolve safeguarding concerns and achieve their own outcomes in a way that is acceptable to the individual. MSP means that safeguarding practice should be person-led and outcome-focused. It engages the person in a conversation about how best to respond to their safeguarding situation in a way that enhances involvement, choice and control and contributes to improving their quality of life, wellbeing and safety.
MSP does not replace or remove safeguarding duties and responsibilities, but we have a shared responsibility to move safeguarding from a process model to one that focuses on building relationships with people. This requires organizational and cultural commitment to make this happen.
What this means for adults at risk
The key focus is on developing a real understanding of what adults at risk wish to achieve. This includes agreeing, negotiating and recording their desired outcomes, working out with them (and their representatives or advocates if they lack capacity) how best those outcomes might be reached, and the extent to which desired outcomes have been realised.
Making safeguarding personal is based on the Care Act 2014 six principles of working with people, families and carers:
- Empowerment –People being supported and encouraged to make their own decisions and informed consent. “I am asked what I want as the outcomes from the safeguarding process and these directly inform what happens.”
- Prevention–It is better to take action before harm occurs. “I receive clear and simple information about what abuse is, how to recognise the signs and what I can do to seek help.”
- Proportionality –The least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented.“I am sure that the professionals will work in my interest, as I see them and they will only get involved as much as needed.”
- Protection –Support and representation for those in greatest need. “I get help and support to report abuse and neglect. I get help so that I am able to take part in the safeguarding process to the extent to which I want.”
- Partnership –Local solutions through services working with their communities.“I know that staff treat any personal and sensitive information in confidence, only sharing what is helpful and necessary. I am confident that professionals will work together and with me to get the best result for me.”
- Accountability – Accountability and transparency in delivering safeguarding.“I understand the role of everyone involved in my life and so do they.”
By truly implementing the six principles into every day practice, we will ensure safeguarding starts and ends with the individual, by working alongside the adult at risk we may be able to empower them to take control of their safety and protection in the future and seeing people as experts in their own lives.
In the short clip below, Kerrie Todd introduces Making Safeguarding Personal and provides an example of this in practice.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Adult Safeguarding Board - MSP activity and resources
Healthwatch engagement project
CIoS SAB commissioned Healthwatch Cornwall to engage with local people to understand their experiences of adult safeguarding services. The findings from this study are detailed in the final report and a task group has been set up to plan how the 16 recommendations can be implemented across the Partnership. You can find further information and the final report under our Projects page.
Local MSP resources
To find out more please access the Seven minute briefing. Making Safeguarding Personal is essential to all safeguarding work and a poster which promotes the correct language to be used to support our person centred culture in adult safeguarding has been produced.
Cornwall Council MSP staff guide
National MSP resources
The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and the Local Government Association (LGA) appointed the Institute of Public Care (IPC) at Oxford Brookes University and Research in Practice for Adults (RiPfA) to develop a Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) outcomes framework that will provide a means of promoting and measuring practice that supports an outcomes focus for safeguarding adults work.
Additional information about making safeguarding personal is available on these sites: