Sir Michael Bichard’s report was the first to focus on safeguarding:

‘ .. for those agencies whose job it is to protect children and vulnerable people, the harsh reality is that if a sufficiently devious person is determined to seek out opportunities to work their evil, no one can guarantee that they will be stopped.  Our task is to make it as difficult as possible for them to succeed…’

In the UK, the safeguarding of children and adults at risk is achieved by a combination of measures, which include these best practice resources:

• The Six Safeguarding Principles –  enshrined in the Care Act 2014:
• Safeguarding Children – Template of a policy by the NSPCC
• Safeguarding Adults – A pocket guide from the NHS
• Personal/Individual Budgets for adults at risk. Organisations working with people who have very specialised needs  produced a practical guide about the factors to consider – Putting Everyone First 
• Safer recruitment and whistleblowing procedures
• Guidance about the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act  which ensures that those with past offences are not unfairly excluded from working, including with vulnerable groups.