Adult Safeguarding Level 1 & 2

Course Overview

Safeguarding adults is not a box to tick during induction and forget. It is a live, ongoing professional responsibility that sits with every person who works with adults who have care and support needs.

And the decisions it demands are rarely simple.

An adult with capacity has the right to make choices others might consider unwise, including choices about their own safety. A concern does not need to be confirmed to be reportable. A pattern of behaviour across several shifts may be more significant than any single incident. The line between a bad day and a safeguarding concern is not always obvious, and the consequences of getting it wrong in either direction are real.

Our Adult Safeguarding Level 1 and 2 training is built for care and support staff who need to go beyond basic awareness. It develops a genuine working understanding of adult safeguarding: what it means in practice, how the legal and regulatory frameworks apply in real situations, how to recognise concerns that are subtle or complex, and how to respond, record and escalate in a way that is both defensible and person-centred.

This is not generic safeguarding awareness. It is practical, legally grounded training designed specifically for staff working with adults who have care and support needs, in care homes, domiciliary settings, supported living services and community care.

The course aligns with the Care Act 2014 and its statutory guidance, Section 42 safeguarding enquiry duties, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, CQC Regulation 13: Safeguarding Service Users from Abuse and Improper Treatment, and Care Certificate Standard 10: Adult Safeguarding, as updated in March 2025 by Skills for Care. It also reflects guidance from Skills for Care and local Safeguarding Adults Board expectations.

Course Details

  • Duration: Half day or full day
  • Delivery: Face-to-face in-house, or remote via Zoom or Teams
  • Certificate: CPD-accredited Adult Safeguarding Level 1 or 2 certificate
  • Validity: Refresher recommended every 1–2 years, or in line with organisational policy, role changes or legislative updates
  • Group size: Flexible

Who the Course Is For

This course is suitable for care and support staff at all levels who work directly with adults who have care and support needs, including:

  • Care assistants and support workers
  • Senior carers and team leaders
  • Domiciliary care staff
  • Residential and nursing home staff
  • Supported living staff
  • Personal assistants working under Personal Health Budgets or Direct Payments

It is particularly relevant for staff who:

  • Work directly with adults with care and support needs on a regular basis
  • May encounter, recognise or need to report a safeguarding concern
  • Support individuals who have the capacity and may make complex or risky decisions
  • Need to understand how the law and regulations apply in real care situations
  • Are completing or refreshing their Care Certificate Standard 10

This course sits above awareness-level training. If your team needs a broader introduction covering both adults and children, our Safeguarding Adults and Children Awareness training provides that foundation. For staff taking on designated safeguarding lead responsibilities, a higher-level course is recommended.

Why This Training Is Important

Safeguarding adults is a legal duty, a professional responsibility and, when it fails, a matter with serious consequences for the people in your care.

The Care Act 2014 established the statutory framework for adult safeguarding in England. Under Section 42, a local authority must make or cause to be made whatever enquiries it thinks necessary where it has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult in its area has needs for care and support, is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, and as a result of those needs is unable to protect themselves. That is a precise three-part test. Understanding when it may be met, and what that means for a frontline care worker’s responsibilities, is exactly what this course teaches.

The six principles underpinning all adult safeguarding work under the Care Act statutory guidance are: empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability. These are not abstract values. They are working principles that should shape every safeguarding decision, including the decision about whether to raise a concern at all. They reinforce that safeguarding is not about overriding people’s choices. It is about ensuring those in greatest need get proper support while respecting the autonomy of those who retain the capacity to make their own decisions.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 sits directly alongside adult safeguarding. An adult must be presumed to have capacity unless it is established that they do not. They have the right to make decisions that others consider unwise. Where capacity is genuinely absent for a specific decision, any action taken must be in the person’s best interests and represent the least restrictive option. The intersection of capacity, consent and safeguarding is one of the most complex areas in care practice and one of the most important for staff to understand correctly.

Under CQC Regulation 13: Safeguarding Service Users from Abuse and Improper Treatment, providers must have a zero tolerance approach to abuse, unlawful discrimination and restraint. Staff must receive safeguarding training at a level appropriate to their role, as part of induction and at appropriate intervals thereafter. Inspectors assess whether staff can actually apply their safeguarding knowledge in practice, not just whether training has been completed.

Care Certificate Standard 10: Adult Safeguarding, updated by Skills for Care in March 2025, now includes the legal definition of an adult at risk, expectations around restrictive practices and the organisation’s policies on them, and the range of potential risks associated with technology and how to support individuals to be safe without being risk-averse. This course covers Standard 10 in full and supports competency assessment for both new and existing staff.

Safeguarding adults reviews consistently identify the same patterns. Concerns were noticed but not acted on. Information held by different staff members was never joined up. Patterns were visible in retrospect, but no one connected the dots at the time. This course is designed to change that.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Understand the legal definition of an adult at risk and the duties placed on providers and frontline staff under the Care Act 2014 and Section 42
  • Explain the six principles of adult safeguarding and apply them to real decisions, including the decision about whether to raise a concern at all
  • Recognise all categories of abuse and neglect, including less visible forms, and identify early signs, patterns and indicators of harm
  • Apply the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in safeguarding situations, including how to balance duty of care, autonomy and the right to make unwise decisions
  • Respond appropriately to concerns and disclosures, follow reporting and escalation procedures correctly, and record concerns in a way that supports the safeguarding process
  • Understand multi-agency safeguarding processes, the role of Safeguarding Adults Boards, and where frontline staff sit within that wider system

Course Content

  • Introduction to adult safeguarding and why it matters
  • Legal framework: Care Act 2014, Section 42 and the statutory guidance
  • The legal definition of an adult at risk
  • The six principles of adult safeguarding
  • Care Certificate Standard 10: Adult Safeguarding (updated 2025)
  • Types of abuse and neglect: physical, emotional, financial, sexual, neglect and acts of omission, psychological, discriminatory, organisational, modern slavery, domestic abuse, self-neglect
  • Recognising signs, patterns and indicators of harm
  • Risk factors, vulnerability and protective factors
  • Consent, capacity and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in safeguarding contexts
  • Risk, autonomy and the right to make unwise decisions
  • Restrictive practices: when they may be lawful and what staff responsibilities are
  • Technology risks and supporting individuals safely without being risk-averse
  • Section 42 safeguarding enquiries: recognising when the threshold may be met
  • Responding to concerns and disclosures
  • Reporting and escalation procedures
  • Multi-agency safeguarding processes and the role of Safeguarding Adults Boards
  • Reporting and record-keeping in safeguarding
  • Lessons from safeguarding adults reviews

How the Course Is Delivered

Training is delivered face-to-face at your workplace or chosen venue, or remotely via Zoom or Teams.

Sessions are practical and grounded in real care scenarios, not textbook theory. Learners are encouraged to work through genuine situations they may face, applying legal principles and professional judgement rather than memorising rules.

Training includes:

  • Real-life safeguarding scenarios drawn from adult care settings
  • Discussion around complex situations: capacity, consent, risk and autonomy
  • Exploration of the Section 42 threshold in practical terms
  • Application of reporting and recording procedures
  • Reflection on professional responsibilities and where they begin and end

Where appropriate, we can incorporate your:

  • Organisational safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Local Safeguarding Adults Board arrangements and contacts
  • Service-specific risks and the adults you support
  • Any previous safeguarding incidents or inspection feedback relevant to your team

Training that reflects your actual working environment is training that holds when a real concern arises.

Certification and Validity

Learners receive a CPD-accredited Adult Safeguarding Level 1 or 2 certificate on completion.

Refresher training is recommended every 1–2 years, or sooner, where:

  • Legislation or guidance has been updated
  • A safeguarding incident or concern has occurred in the service
  • A staff member’s role changes and brings new responsibilities
  • Inspection feedback identifies gaps in staff knowledge or confidence

In-House and Bespoke Training

All training is delivered in-house or remotely and built around your organisation and the adults you support. We can:

  • Align training with your safeguarding policy and organisational procedures
  • Incorporate your local Safeguarding Adults Board arrangements and contacts
  • Focus on the specific risks and challenges relevant to your service type
  • Support staff at different levels of existing safeguarding knowledge

This is not an off-the-shelf course with your logo added. It is training built around the legal responsibilities, the real risks and the specific people your staff are responsible for protecting.

Course Location and Service Areas

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue, which means staff learn in the environment they actually work in, with examples and discussions grounded in the adults they support every day.

Our trainers work across Manchester and Greater Manchester, with regular delivery throughout the North West. We also deliver nationwide, covering the North East, Midlands, London, Surrey and across South England via our experienced associate network.

Every session, wherever it’s delivered, is held to the same Prima Cura standard.

FAQs

What is Adult Safeguarding Level 1 or 2 training?

It is practical, legally grounded safeguarding training designed for care and support staff who work directly with adults with care and support needs. It goes beyond basic awareness to develop a working understanding of the law, the frameworks, and how safeguarding decisions are made in real care situations. It covers the full scope of Care Certificate Standard 10: Adult Safeguarding as updated in March 2025, and supports competency assessment for both new and existing staff. Level 1 provides the foundation knowledge. Level 2 builds on that with more complex situations, professional judgement and the application of the Mental Capacity Act alongside safeguarding responsibilities.

What does the Care Act 2014 require in relation to adult safeguarding?

The Care Act 2014 created the first statutory framework for adult safeguarding in England. Under Section 42, a local authority has a duty to make enquiries where it has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult has needs for care and support, is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, and as a result of those needs is unable to protect themselves. That duty can be triggered by information from any source, including frontline care staff. The Act also established Safeguarding Adults Boards and the Making Safeguarding Personal approach, which places the adult’s own wishes and outcomes at the centre of the safeguarding process.

What is Making Safeguarding Personal, and why does it matter for frontline staff?

Making Safeguarding Personal is the approach embedded in the Care Act statutory guidance that requires safeguarding to be led by the adult’s own desired outcomes, not just by what professionals think is best. In practice, that means asking the adult what they want to happen, involving them meaningfully in the process and measuring success by whether their outcomes were achieved, not just whether procedures were followed. For frontline staff, it means understanding that a safeguarding response should never feel like something that is done to someone.

How does the Mental Capacity Act 2005 affect adult safeguarding decisions?

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 sits directly alongside safeguarding and creates some of its most complex situations. An adult must be presumed to have capacity unless there is evidence to the contrary, and having capacity means having the right to make decisions others consider unwise, including decisions about their own safety. This is not a gap in the law. It is a deliberate recognition of autonomy. Where an adult genuinely lacks capacity for a specific decision, any action taken must be in their best interests and represent the least restrictive option available. Staff need to understand how capacity assessments inform safeguarding responses, and what happens when an adult with capacity declines help.

Is safeguarding adults training a legal requirement?

There is no single law that mandates a specific named course. But the legal and regulatory obligations on providers are substantial. Under CQC Regulation 13, providers must ensure staff receive safeguarding training relevant to their role as part of induction, and that it is updated at appropriate intervals. The CQC has a zero tolerance expectation around abuse and takes enforcement action where safeguarding systems and staff competence are inadequate. Demonstrating that staff have completed training at the right level and can apply it in practice is one of the most direct ways a provider evidences compliance.

Can this course be tailored to our setting?

Yes. We can adapt the content to reflect your service type, the adults you support, your organisational policies, your local Safeguarding Adults Board procedures and any specific risks or challenges within your service. A care home supporting people with dementia, a domiciliary service visiting people in their own homes, and a supported living service for people with learning disabilities all face different safeguarding risks, even though the legal framework is the same. We make sure the training reflects your world.

Related Courses

Book or Enquire

If your organisation needs staff who understand their adult safeguarding responsibilities clearly, recognise concerns with confidence and respond in a way that is both legally sound and genuinely person-centred, get in touch and we’ll build a session around your service.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice.

All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

Training is regularly reviewed against updates from the Care Quality Commission, Skills for Care, Safeguarding Adults Boards and UK legislation, including the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin– Owner & Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer
Last reviewed: April 2026 | Next review: April 2027

This course provides guidance on adult safeguarding in line with current UK legislation and statutory guidance. It does not replace organisational safeguarding policies, designated safeguarding lead responsibilities or legal obligations. All concerns must be managed in accordance with local Safeguarding Adults Board procedures. This page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

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