Self Neglect

The Care Act 2014 and Care and Support Statutory Guidance includes Self-Neglect in the categories of abuse relevant to safeguarding adults with care and support needs. Self-Neglect covers a wide range of behaviours such as an individual neglecting to care for personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes ‘hoarding’. 

Self-neglect features in a significant number of national and local Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs), highlighting the fact that self-neglect is a complex area for intervention as issues of capacity, lifestyle and choice are often involved which requires the judgement of individual practitioners about what is an acceptable way of living and the degree of risk some lifestyle choices pose to the individual. 

Darlington Safeguarding Partnership has developed procedure and guidance following learning highlighted through a number of Learning Lesson Reviews undertaken by the Partnership in 2022 to 2023. It has developed practice guidance, including examples of positive, flexible and creative approaches to support practitioners in engaging with people who are self-neglecting to help understand the barriers organisations pose for those who consistently refuse support, including Mental Capacity Act guidance and establish a multi-agency risk escalation meeting to manage those complex cases.

Detailed guidance in respect of Self–Neglect and Hoarding is available on DSP website, see:  
DSP Self-Neglect and Hoarding Multi-Agency Procedure and Practice Guidance.[New Page]

See SCIE: Types of Self –Neglect [external link].