Legal developments since No Secrets

Abstract

No Secrets: Guidance on developing and implementing multiagency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse was introduced as formal guidance in 2000 (Department of Health, 2000). In July 2009, the government published Safeguarding Adults: Report on the consultation on the review of the ‘No Secrete’ guidance (Department of Health, 2009), paving the way for revised guidance. In the 10 years since the introduction of No Secrets, we have seen many changes in the field of adult protection, including reconceptualisation of this area of practice in terms of ‘safeguarding’. As guidance, No Secrets operates within the context of current legislation and case law. This legal landscape has developed considerably over the last 10 years and it is apposite to review those changes; the effect of which must be integrated into any review. 2010 also marks 10 years since the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HM Government, 1998) and while its influence is clear in some developments, certain case law decisions have been disappointing.

Citation

Brammer, A. (2009), "Legal developments since No Secrets", The Journal of Adult Protection, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 43-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/14668203200900027