Professional Curiosity in Safeguarding Adults

This is an essential text for students at all levels studying social work, nursing and allied health and social care, focusing on the need for professional curiosity and partnership work in safeguarding adults. Professional curiosity is a vital element of professional health and social care practice, yet information and guidance are scarce. Considering the post-pandemic landscape and the legal policy context of partnership work, this text provides a detailed examination around definitions of professional curiosity and what those mean in practice in relation to vulnerable adults. Real life examples are woven throughout based on serious case reviews, safeguarding adults’ reviews, domestic homicide reviews and extensive research, and there are numerous opportunities for readers to test their knowledge and skills.

Ann Anka is an Associate Professor in Social Work at University of East Anglia (UEA) and her specialist area of practice is social work with adults. She has taught on safeguarding adults and adult social care law at undergraduate, postgraduate and at Continuing Professional Development (CPD) levels in England. She worked as a social worker at the London Borough Havering before going into academia. She is a Trustee at Abbeyfield Norwich, a residential care home for older people.

Helen Thacker is Head of Service for Safeguarding Adults at Norfolk County Council (East England). She is a member of Safeguarding Adults Board and has sat in a number of SAR review panels. She has written various practice guidance documents on safeguarding adults and on professional curiosity and partnership work in this role.

Bridget Penhale is an Emeritus Professor in Health Sciences at UEA. She has an extensive research and practice knowledge and understanding in of safeguarding adults. She has also published extensively on partnership work and safeguarding adults. Following extensive experience as a social worker and (front-line) manager, the latter part of her career was spent in academic settings, with a specialist focus in gerontology.

Walter Lloyd-Smith has a professional qualification in Occupational Therapy. He has been a Manager and Business Lead for Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board since 2015. He previously worked as the Research Assistant for the Cambridgeshire Elders Occupational Therapy Trial, a DoH-funded community-based randomised control trial hosted by University of East Anglia between 1999 and 2002.

Becky Booth is a Deputy Manager, Safeguarding Adults Boards at Norfolk. Becky has worked in adult social care since 1994. She worked as a Safeguarding Adult Practice Consultant, prior to taking up the position as the Deputy Manager. She has over ten years’ experience in supporting social care staff, partner agency colleagues and providers in s42 Care Act 2014 enquiries and associated safeguarding work, working across all specialisms.