Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP) is an outcomes focused approach and can be considered part of person-centred support. Essentially this means ensuring that the person whom the safeguarding concern refers to, is engaged with by professionals who should ensure that the person concerned has a choice, control, involvement and that their voice is heard in the process, rather than having the safeguarding process completed for them, without their input.
MSP is important because it represents a recognition amongst practitioners that there is a substantial power imbalance in traditional approaches to safeguarding, and care and support work in general. By recognising this imbalance, MSP empowers people to recognise that they are the experts on their own life and ensures that the process sis led by the individual, rather than the process.
The Pan-Sussex Policies and Procedures website (opens in a new window) has a section on MSP which includes the key principles that inform the policy.
Local Government Association (opens in a new window) also have an MSP Toolkit (opens in a new window) which provides information and support in safeguarding, how to achieve resolution and recovery in safeguarding and how to uphold the rights of people involved in safeguarding.
Learning resources
We have developed a number of Making Safeguarding Personal resources to assist practitioners and providers across agencies to understand what is meant by Making Safeguarding Personal and how to apply it to safeguarding situations: