Concerns and Safeguarding Policy

Hub Care Support is committed to dealing with concerns in a clear, fair and responsible way.

Hub Care Support is a business management platform for Personal Assistants that provides free introduction services for all. We introduce people looking for care and support to independent Personal Assistants who have been approved by QCAS, the Quality Care Approval Scheme.

Hub Care Support does not employ Personal Assistants and does not manage, supervise, monitor or control the support they provide. The working arrangement is agreed directly between the service user and the Personal Assistant.

This policy explains what to do if you have a concern and how Hub Care Support may respond.

Concerns about a Personal Assistant

If your concern relates to the conduct, reliability, behaviour or support provided by a Personal Assistant, this should usually be raised directly with the Personal Assistant in the first instance, where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Personal Assistants introduced through Hub Care Support are independent. Hub Care Support cannot investigate disputes between a service user and a Personal Assistant, determine legal liability, decide whether care has been provided correctly, or manage the working arrangements between you.

If your concern relates to whether a Personal Assistant has met the standards expected under QCAS approval, you may also raise this directly with QCAS.

QCAS is responsible for considering concerns about a Personal Assistant’s approval status and whether the Personal Assistant has complied with the standards and Code of Conduct expected of QCAS-approved Personal Assistants.

Safeguarding or criminal concerns

If someone is at immediate risk of harm, or a crime is taking place, call 999.

If you believe an adult may be experiencing, or at risk of, abuse, neglect or exploitation, you should contact the relevant local authority adult safeguarding team. If you believe a crime may have been committed, you should contact the police.

If Hub Care Support receives information that appears to raise a safeguarding concern, criminal allegation, or immediate risk of harm, we may share relevant information with the appropriate local authority safeguarding team, police, emergency services, QCAS, or another appropriate body.

We will only share information where we believe it is necessary and appropriate to help protect someone from harm, support a safeguarding response, comply with legal obligations, or assist the relevant authority.

Hub Care Support does not carry out safeguarding investigations. Safeguarding enquiries are the responsibility of the appropriate statutory authorities.

Concerns about Hub Care Support

If your concern relates to the service provided by Hub Care Support, you can contact us directly.

Examples may include concerns about:

• how your enquiry was handled

• the information provided by Hub Care Support

• the introduction process

• communication from Hub Care Support

• administrative or platform issues

• the conduct of a Hub Care Support team member or branch

We will acknowledge your concern within 5 working days.

We will review the concern and may contact you for further information. We aim to provide a response within 20 working days. If we need more time, we will let you know and explain why.

Where appropriate, our response may explain what happened, provide further information, correct an error, apologise, or explain any steps we have taken in relation to Hub Care Support’s own service.

Hub Care Support cannot use this process to investigate, manage or make findings about the independent Personal Assistant’s care delivery, conduct, fees, working arrangements or legal liability.

If your concern involves both Hub and a Personal Assistant

Some concerns may involve both Hub Care Support and an independent Personal Assistant.

In those cases, Hub Care Support will consider any part of the concern that relates to our own introduction service. Concerns about the Personal Assistant’s conduct, care delivery or QCAS approval may need to be raised directly with the Personal Assistant, QCAS, the local authority safeguarding team, the police, or another appropriate organisation.

How to raise a concern

Please contact us with:

• your name and contact details

• the name of the person receiving support, if different

• the name of the Personal Assistant or Hub branch involved, if relevant

• a clear summary of your concern

• any dates, times or documents that may help us understand the issue

• what outcome you are looking for

If your concern is urgent or someone may be at risk of harm, please do not wait for a response from Hub Care Support. Contact 999, the police, NHS 111, or your local authority adult safeguarding team as appropriate.