Safeguarding
Vulnerable adults
Abuse is a violation of an
individual's human or civil rights by another person or people. It is the
result of deliberate intent, negligence or ignorance
Vulnerable adults are adults over
the age of 18 years who are unable to protect themselves against abuse or
neglect as a result of their care and support needs. They may be certain older
people, people with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities,
people with mental health needs or those with a short or long term illness
Examples of
abuse
The Care Act 2014 sets out the
following areas which are recognised forms of abuse:
Physical abuse: this includes
hitting, slapping, pushing, shaking, kicking, misuse of medication, chemical
restraint.
Domestic violence – this includes
psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse; so called 'honour'
based violence
Sexual abuse: this includes rape
and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the vulnerable adult has not, or
could not, consent and/or was pressured into consenting
Psychological abuse: this
includes emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of
contact, humiliation, verbal or racial abuse, or isolation from others
Neglect: this includes ignoring
medical or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate
health, social care or educational services, the withholding of the necessities
of life - such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating
Financial or material abuse: this
includes theft, fraud, internet scamming, exploitation, pressure in connection
with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions; or the misuse of
property, possessions or benefits
Modern slavery: this includes
human trafficking, forced labour & domestic servitude
Discriminatory abuse: this
includes harassment, slurs or similar treatment: because of race, gender and
gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.
Institutional abuse: this is
repeated instances of poor care of individuals or groups of individuals. It can
be through neglect or poor professional practice as a result of structures,
policies, processes and practices within an organisation.
What might you
see?
Multiple bruising or finger
marks, a history of unexplained minor falls or injuries, injuries not
consistent with explanations, deterioration of health for no apparent reason,
loss of weight, inappropriate or soiled clothing, withdrawal/mood changes,
carer or person in a position of power to the victim being unwilling to allow
access to the victim, the victim is unwilling to be alone with the particular
carer/ person in a position of power, unexplained shortage of money
What to do about
it
Take immediate actions to
safeguard anyone at immediate risk of harm.
If a crime is in progress or
there is a medical emergency: phone 999
Phone NHS 111 for urgent medical
help/ advice if it's not a life threatening situation
If there are others with care and
support needs at risk of harm, take appropriate steps to safeguard them too
If something seems not right,
wherever it is safe to do so, speak to the victim alone & ask an open ended
question such as "What's been happening?" "What's going
on?"
Do listen carefully to what the
person is saying. Accept what is said.
Do not ask questions or go into
detail about the abuse or suspicion of abuse
If the person has special
communication needs, provide support and information (if there is time) in a
way that is most appropriate to them e.g. via an interpreter
If you have seen an injury, don't
look for further injuries
Don't take photographs - they
don't stand up in the Crown Prosecution Service unless taken with a special
camera e.g. police camera
Do not speak with the alleged perpetrator
about what has happened
Do not be judgemental or jump to
conclusions.
Reassure the victim that they
will be involved in decisions about what will happen.
Do ask the victim what they want
done about it (so long as they have capacity to make an informed decision –
otherwise the decision will be made in best interests)
Explain that you have to tell the
BRWR Designated Safeguarding lead or deputy/s about what you have been told
and/or what you have seen
Check out how the victim feels
about involving the Police, Adult Social Care and/or other agencies.
Preserve any physical evidence if
a crime has been committed (physical or sexual assault) – do not clean up and
leave things as they are.
As soon as possible, write an
accurate record of the allegations or grounds for suspecting abuse. Write down
exactly what you are told or what you saw, where it was said/seen, when it was
said/seen, and what is said to be in the victim's own words if possible. Record
clearly what you said and what you did, and exactly when.
As soon as possible, phone the
Designated Safeguarding Lead or deputy/s. If you are not able to contact them
straight away, phone Adult Social Care or the police and report your concerns
direct to them
Adult Social Care – tel: 01905
768053 (Access Centre) or 01905 768053 (Adult Safeguarding Team)
Worcestershire Police tel: 101- to report
physical, sexual or financial abuse or raise a concern about a crime, or if a
crime is in progress dial emergency 999
For further information and to
find out what happens when abuse is reported:
https://ylyc.worcestershire.gov.uk/information-and-advice/adult-safeguarding
Safeguarding
Children
Safeguarding children involves:
Protecting children from
maltreatment, preventing impairment of children's health or development,
ensuring children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision
of safe and effective care. And remember that what is fine in another country
may not be appropriate here and could be viewed as neglect or significant harm.
BRWR befrienders must never be alone with a child.
If you are worried about a child
and think that he or she may be a victim of, or at risk from neglect, abuse or
cruelty, phone the BRWR Designated Safeguarding lead or deputy/s tel:
…..........
Otherwise phone Worcestershire
Children's Services – 01905 822666 or 01905 768020 (evenings, weekends, bank
holidays).
Web link to Children's Social Care in Worcestershire:
http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/cms/children-and-families/making-a-referral.aspx
E-mail social
care@worcestershire.gov.uk