Purpose - Whether social workers should have a power of entry in cases individuals seem to be hindering safeguarding enquiries for community-dwelling adults at risk is a topical question in England. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a re-examination of relevant sections of the 2012 Government Safeguarding Power of Entry Consultation.
Design/methodology/approach - Re-analysis of responses to question three of the 2012 Government's Safeguarding Power of Entry Consultation was undertaken in late 2015-early 2016. The consultation submissions were located and searched for information on views of the prevalencce of the situations where access to an adult at risk (with decision-making capacity) is being hindered by a third party and the nature of examples where a new power of entry might be considered appropriate by consultation respondents.
Findings - The majority of respondents to the consultation generally reported that situations when a new power of entry would be required were not encountered regularly; however a minority of respondents stated these situations occurred more frequently. Examples of situations where third parties appeared to be hindering access were given across the different categories of adults at risk and types of abuse and current practices were describe. Respondents observed that the risks of excessive or inappropriate use of any new powers needed to be considered carefully.
Originality/value - This re-analysis sheds light on the prevalence and circumstances of the problems encountered about access to adults at risk. The legal framework f adult safeguarding continues to be of intersr to policy makers, researchers and practitioners.