The six principles of safeguarding are empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability.
They are set out in England’s Care and Support Statutory Guidance and underpin adult safeguarding work. They help professionals and organisations protect adults from abuse or neglect while respecting each person’s rights, wishes and individual circumstances.
The principles apply across sectors and settings in England, including health and social care, housing, education, local government, policing and the voluntary sector. They are not six separate laws and should not be presented as one UK-wide framework for every child and adult.
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Last reviewed: 20 July 2026
The six principles are found in chapter 14 of the statutory guidance that supports the Care Act 2014.
The Care Act provides the legal framework for adult care and support in England. Section 42 places a duty on a local authority to make enquiries, or cause enquiries to be made, when it has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult in its area:
The statutory guidance explains how local authorities, partner organisations and professionals should apply the law. It states that the six principles underpin all adult safeguarding work and should inform how professionals and staff work with adults.
The principles are sometimes called the “Care Act principles”. This is useful shorthand, but the precise position is that they are set out in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance rather than presented as a standalone list in the Act itself.
The guidance says the principles apply across sectors and settings, including care and support services, health services, housing, further education, social work, welfare benefits, local authority functions and the criminal justice system.
They are relevant to people who make safeguarding decisions and those whose work may bring them into contact with adults at risk. This can include:
The level of responsibility is not the same for every role. Workers should understand their own organisation’s policy, local safeguarding procedures and any professional or regulatory duties that apply to them.
Empowerment means supporting and encouraging adults to make their own decisions and give informed consent wherever possible.
Safeguarding should not automatically remove a person’s control because somebody else believes they know what is best. The adult should be listened to, given accessible information and asked what outcome they want. Their views should directly inform what happens next.
Empowerment can include:
Example: An adult reports financial abuse by a relative but is worried that taking formal action will end the relationship. The worker listens to the adult’s concerns, explains the available options and agrees immediate safety steps with them. The adult remains involved in deciding the outcome rather than the process being taken over without discussion.
Empowerment does not mean that professionals can always do nothing when a person refuses support. Action may still be needed if the adult lacks capacity for the relevant decision, another person may be at risk, a serious crime may have occurred or a legal duty applies. Any decision to act should be properly justified and recorded.
Prevention means it is better to act before harm occurs.
Good safeguarding is not limited to responding after abuse or neglect has happened. Organisations should reduce risk, help people recognise concerns and make it easy to seek support at an early stage.
Prevention can include:
Example: A supported living service notices that several residents are receiving suspicious calls asking for bank details. Staff share accessible information about financial scams, review support plans and help residents use call-blocking tools before money is lost.
Prevention should not become an excuse to restrict everybody because a risk might exist. Preventive action should still respect rights, choice and proportionality.
Proportionality means using the least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented.
Safeguarding responses should be strong enough to address the concern without unnecessarily restricting the adult’s freedom, privacy or choices. The response should reflect the seriousness, likelihood and immediacy of the risk, as well as the person’s wishes and circumstances.
Proportionality can include:
Example: A neighbour raises a concern that an adult’s home is very cluttered. There is no immediate danger and the adult has capacity. A proportionate response may begin with a conversation and an offer of practical support rather than entering the property, removing possessions or imposing a solution without the adult’s agreement.
Proportionality does not mean minimising abuse or delaying urgent action. If somebody is in immediate danger, the response should match that level of risk.
Protection means providing support and representation for people in greatest need.
Some adults may face barriers that make it difficult to report abuse, understand their options or take part in a safeguarding process. Protection is about responding promptly, reducing further harm and ensuring the adult can access the support they need.
Protection can include:
Example: A care worker notices unexplained injuries and a sudden change in an adult’s behaviour. They record the facts, report the concern immediately through the correct procedure and ensure the adult receives appropriate medical and safeguarding support. They do not confront the suspected person or investigate the allegation themselves.
Protection should be combined with empowerment. The purpose is not simply to take control but to help the adult be safer and participate in decisions as far as possible.
Partnership means services working with the adult, each other and their communities to prevent, identify and respond to abuse and neglect.
Safeguarding concerns are rarely solved by one person or organisation alone. Effective partnership work depends on clear communication, appropriate information sharing and an understanding of who is responsible for each action.
Partnership can include:
Example: An adult is experiencing neglect at home and is at risk of eviction. Adult social care, health professionals and the housing provider work with the adult to address care needs, improve safety and stabilise the tenancy. Each service contributes information and action that the others could not provide alone.
Partnership does not mean sharing every piece of information with everybody involved. Only information that is relevant, necessary and lawful should be shared.
Accountability means being clear and transparent about safeguarding responsibilities, decisions and actions.
Adults should understand who is involved and what each person or organisation is responsible for. Organisations also need systems that allow them to monitor practice, challenge failures and learn when something goes wrong.
Accountability can include:
Example: After a safeguarding referral, the manager records who will contact the local authority, who will support the adult and when the plan will be reviewed. If an action is missed, it is escalated rather than assumed to have happened.
Accountability is not about creating paperwork for its own sake. Records and review processes should help protect the adult, explain decisions and make sure action is completed.
The principles are not a six-step process and one principle should not be used in isolation.
For example, a response that focuses only on protection may become overly restrictive if it ignores empowerment and proportionality. A person-led decision may still leave somebody unsafe if prevention, protection and partnership are not considered. Strong partnership work can also fail if nobody is accountable for completing the agreed actions.
In practice, a good safeguarding response asks:
The balance between these questions will depend on the individual situation.
Making Safeguarding Personal is a person-led, outcome-focused approach to adult safeguarding.
It means having a conversation with the adult about how they want the safeguarding situation to be addressed, then involving them in decisions in a way that supports choice, control, wellbeing and safety.
This approach is closely connected to empowerment, but all six principles contribute:
Making Safeguarding Personal does not guarantee that the adult’s preferred outcome can always be followed. Where a different course of action is necessary, professionals should explain why, involve the adult as far as possible and record the decision.
The six principles are formally presented as principles for adult safeguarding work in England. They are not an official six-point child safeguarding framework.
Ideas such as prevention, partnership and accountability are also important when safeguarding children, but child safeguarding has its own legal duties and statutory guidance. In England, this includes the Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026.
When a concern involves a child, follow the child safeguarding procedure and guidance that applies to your setting. Our guide to safeguarding legislation in the UK explains the main child and adult frameworks in more detail.
The six principles on this page come from statutory guidance supporting the Care Act 2014 in England.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own adult safeguarding law, policy and guidance:
Some organisations outside England may use similar values or language, but the legal status and exact framework should not be assumed to be the same. Check the current guidance for the nation where you work.
The principles should inform everyday practice, not only formal safeguarding enquiries.
Before a concern arises
When somebody shares a concern
When decisions are made
The adult’s views and consent are central to person-led safeguarding, but consent is not the only consideration.
Action or information sharing without consent may be necessary when:
Decisions should be made case by case. Workers should follow their organisation’s procedure and obtain advice from the appropriate safeguarding lead or professional rather than making complex decisions alone.
If somebody is in immediate danger or a crime is in progress, call 999.
For other adult safeguarding concerns in England, follow your organisation’s procedure and contact the relevant local authority adult safeguarding team when required. If you believe a crime has been committed, contact the police.
You do not need to prove that abuse or neglect has happened before reporting a genuine concern. Record what you saw, heard or were told, use factual language and avoid carrying out your own investigation.
You can read our step-by-step guide on how to report a safeguarding concern or use the GOV.UK information on reporting abuse of an older person.
If you want to develop your knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities, procedures, online safety and the Prevent duty, explore our free online safeguarding training course with a Level 2 certificate.
The course is studied online with tutor support and includes units on understanding safeguarding, understanding the Prevent duty and understanding online safety.
Government funding is subject to eligibility and availability in your area. Funded places are for eligible adults living in England. Complete the short eligibility form on the course page and we will match you with an appropriate training provider where a funded place is available.
You can also browse our wider range of free online safeguarding courses or read our guide to the safeguarding of adults at risk.
Training builds knowledge, but it does not replace employer-specific induction, current local procedures or professional advice.
The six principles are empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability. They underpin adult safeguarding work in England.
What are the six principles of safeguarding?
They are set out in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance that supports implementation of the Care Act 2014. They are commonly called the Care Act safeguarding principles, but they do not appear as a standalone list in the Act itself.
Are the six safeguarding principles part of the Care Act 2014?
There is no official hierarchy. The principles work together and their relative importance will depend on the situation. Empowerment is central to person-led practice, but it must be balanced with prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability.
What is the most important safeguarding principle?
No. They are not a step-by-step process. Practitioners should consider all six throughout prevention, assessment, decision-making, action and review.
Do the six principles have to be followed in order?
Proportionality means using the least intrusive response that is appropriate to the risk. Action should protect the adult without restricting their rights or choices more than necessary.
What does proportionality mean in safeguarding?
Empowerment focuses on supporting the adult to make decisions and express their desired outcomes. Protection focuses on providing help and representation for people in greatest need. Good safeguarding considers both rather than assuming safety can only be achieved by taking control away from the adult.
What is the difference between empowerment and protection?
They are formally set out for adult safeguarding work in England. Similar themes can support good child safeguarding practice, but children are protected through a separate legal and statutory guidance framework.
Are the six principles used for child safeguarding?
Not as a single statutory framework. The principles on this page come from England’s Care and Support Statutory Guidance. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own adult safeguarding frameworks.
Do the six principles apply across the UK?
Training requirements depend on the role, setting, regulator and organisation. Regulated services and employers must ensure workers understand the duties relevant to their work, but there is no single course or qualification that is legally required for every person in every safeguarding role.
Is safeguarding training a legal requirement?
The six principles help keep adult safeguarding person-led, preventive, proportionate, protective, collaborative and accountable. They should shape how concerns are prevented, reported, assessed and reviewed rather than being treated as a list to memorise.
Always use the current law, statutory guidance, local procedures and organisational policy that apply to your role and location.
This article provides general information, not legal or safeguarding advice. If you are dealing with a current concern, follow your organisation’s safeguarding procedure and contact the appropriate official service. In an emergency, call 999.
Lois is a marketing professional with experience in digital engagement, learner outreach, employability and customer communication.
She has a strong interest in health and social care, with a focus on mental health and wellbeing, and is dedicated to producing helpful, easy-to-understand content that connects people with the resources and courses they need.
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