The safeguarding process – what to expect

SAFEGUARDING / WHAKAHAUMARUTIA

Making a referral for safeguarding / whakahaumarutia assistance

If you’re unsure which agency to approach directly, VisAble will assist you find the right organisation to respond to your situation of concern. We’ll listen carefully to understand your needs.

When you’ve been referred to a safeguarding organisation, their team will then work with you to understand your situation and help determine whether you’re an Adult at Risk.

Every referral is important.

Every referral is triaged, so the high-risk situations are prioritised.

The triage process decides whether the referral can be accepted for action and, if yes, whether a SAFA Co-ordinator or an independent advocate is needed (or both).

Every referral accepted by a safeguarding agency is called a “situation of concern”.

The role of a SAFA Co-ordinator

The person who leads and co-ordinates the safeguarding response is a trained professional, called a SAFA Co-ordinator.
This person co-ordinates the “Safeguarding Adults From Abuse” (SAFA) response or intervention, leading the SAFA team. 
They’ll work closely with you (the Adult at Risk) and your support crew to understand your needs and create a plan to enable your safety.
Your SAFA Co-ordinator will set up a multi-agency team to develop the plan - including family / whānau members or a friend, if they are people you trust and want to have involved.
The multi-agency team might have a range of professionals and other people who can help you and the SAFA Co-ordinator achieve the plan. There’s more information on this below.
The SAFA Co-ordinator will work hard to ensure your safety, choice and dignity.

Keeping you at the heart of the safeguarding process

The SAFA Co-ordinator will listen to and respect your wishes and choices. It’s their job to keep you and your needs at the centre of the safeguarding response. We call that ‘understanding your will and preferences’.

They will take this approach: “nothing about you without you”, keeping you and your needs, and choices (will and preferences) at the heart.
The safeguarding / whakahaumarutia agency will talk with you about consent - as a key part of the safeguarding response.  (They need to obtain the consent of the Adult at Risk as early as possible in the process.)
Find out about consent.

Ko koe tonu te pūtake o te kaupapa.

You are the central focus. The matter begins and ends with you.

This means:

your voice matters
your wishes, values, and preferences guide what happens.

What else you can expect – a multi-agency team

The agency’s approach to safeguarding / whakahaumarutia is get the right people involved – so that your situation of concern can be addressed and better outcomes achieved. 

So, for each Adult at Risk, the SAFA Co-ordinator will set up and co-ordinate a “multi-agency team”. This means that several different agencies and individuals might be involved. 
Sometimes the multi-agency team is called a SARG. This stands for: Safeguarding Adult Response Group.
Closely involving you, and these other key people as your support crew, the SAFA Co-ordinator will work hard to address your situation of concern, and to help stop, reduce or prevent the violence, abuse or neglect.
Where you might need some assistance with making your own decisions, you and your SAFA Co-ordinator will involve people in the multi-agency team who can enable your supported decision-making – rather than substituted decision-making (i.e. where others make decisions for you).

Learn about supported decision-making.

What people experiencing effective safeguarding responses have said

“... Now it feels like mum hears me. It feels like I can be me.”

— An Adult at Risk

“When I was first contacted by the safeguarding team I would never have thought I would receive such outstanding support. Their expertise and knowledge were invaluable.”

— An Adult at Risk

“The SAFA Co-ordinator was wonderful. She set up and led a team of specialists and whānau members, who together become Andy’s support crew. Each person had their own lens and their own special role, and together we ensured Andy could safely move out of his harmful, controlling and abusive environment and move into a much better situation.

“Two years later, Andy is thriving – safe and well, growing in independence, and living his best life. It wouldn’t have been possible without each of those amazingly skilful and dedicated people involved.”

— A whānau member who requested safeguarding for an Adult at Risk

The safeguarding team or multi-agency team is sometimes called the SAFA team or Safeguarding Adult Response Group (SARG).
Members of the safeguarding team or multi-agency team might involve:  
- the disabled person and/or
- an independent advocate, whose role is to help understand what the disabled person needs and wants, and to help them have a voice (especially if they’re afraid to say what they want, in case they are further harmed or worried they might upset or disappoint a family member) 
- their whānau / welfare guardian / safe people
  - Sometimes, if the situation of concern is particularly high-risk, and someone else has sought safeguarding assistance on behalf of the disabled person, it might not be immediately possible to involve the disabled person directly, without increasing their risk.
  - If possible, an independent advocate will be assigned in these situations, who can help advocate for the disabled person.
- a caregiver or potential caregiver 
- a support worker
- ‘needs assessors’ (sometimes referred to as NASC assessors) who might be able to provide funding support to the person being harmed or at risk of harm, if necessary, so they no longer have to live in that situation of concern
- various specialists, as needed (for example, doctors or lawyers) 
- ‘supported residential care’ services, if needed 
The combined experience of Aotearoa’s / New Zealand’s safeguarding agencies, during the past two years, tells us that each situation of concern can take (on average) 3-12 months to resolve. 
No, there is no cost for safeguarding services at present (accurate as at March 2026).
Safeguarding is currently funded by Disability Support Services (DSS) in the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), as part of the Disability Abuse, Prevention and Response (DAPAR) contract.
Independent advocacy services might attract a fee or a donation, as these services are not currently funded by DSS/MSD. Please check with your safeguarding agency / provider.
“... Now it feels like mum hears me. It feels like I can be me.”
(An Adult at Risk)
—
“When I was first contacted by the safeguarding team I would never have thought I would receive such outstanding support. Their expertise and knowledge were invaluable.”
(An Adult at Risk)
—
“The SAFA Co-ordinator was wonderful. She set up and led a team of specialists and whānau members, who together become Andy’s support crew. Each person had their own lens and their own special role, and together we ensured Andy could safely move out of his harmful, controlling and abusive environment and move into a much better situation.
“Two years later, Andy is thriving – safe and well, growing in independence, and living his best life. It wouldn’t have been possible without each of those amazingly skilful and dedicated people involved.”

(A whānau member who requested safeguarding for an Adult at Risk.)
VisAble has provided four case studies to help explain what safeguarding is about. These personal stories / He kōrero whaiaro have had names and some other details changed, which might otherwise have enabled people to be identified.
Safeguarding / whakahaumarutia is a confidential process, where maintaining privacy is important.