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Safeguarding adults includes:

  • Protecting their rights to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.
  • People and organisations working together to prevent the risk of abuse or neglect, and to stop them from happening.
  • Making sure people’s wellbeing is promoted, taking their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs into account.

We help to safeguard people by:

  • Using information we receive (particularly when concerns are raised about abuse, harm or neglect) to look at the risks to people who use care services.
  • Referring concerns to local councils and/or the police for further investigation.
  • Carrying out inspections, where we talk to people who use services to help us identify safeguarding concerns.
  • Publishing our findings on safeguarding in our inspection reports.
  • Taking action if we find that care services don’t have suitable arrangements to keep people safe.
  • Working with partners such as the police, local councils, health agencies, other regulators and government departments.
  • Taking part in multi-agency children’s safeguarding inspections to get a picture of children’s and young people’s experiences and how well they are being safeguarded.

What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.

The safeguarding duty under the Care Act 2014 applies to any adult who:

  • has needs for care and support (whether or not the Local Authority is meeting any of those needs) and;
  • is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
  • as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect.

Who is at Risk?

Adult abuse can happen to anyone who is over 18. However adults may be at ‘greater risk’ of abuse and neglect:

  • If they have a physical, mental, sensory, learning or cognitive illness or disability
  • Linked to above; if they need assistance with everyday tasks
  • If they rely on others for some kind of social care or health support
  • If they are in receipt of care – purchased or funded through:
    • Personal budgets
    • Local Authorities and/or Health Services
    • By themselves
  • If they are informal carers, family and friends who provide care on an unpaid basis.

This list is not exhaustive.

What is abuse?

Abuse exists in various forms and can be carried out by one or more people. In any form or situation, abuse is unacceptable and a violation of a person’s basic human rights.

Abuse can be:

  • physical – hitting, slapping, pushing or physically restraining, or the mismanagement of medication
  • emotional or psychological – shouting and swearing to make a person afraid
  • sexual – unwanted touching, kissing or sexual intercourse
  • financial – money or belongings taken under pressure or stolen
  • neglectful – not being properly cared for, mismanaging medication or being denied privacy, choice or social contact
  • discriminatory – suffering abuse or neglect on the grounds of religion, culture, gender, sexuality or disability

Abuse can take place in a person’s own home, in a residential home or a day centre or hospital. Unfortunately those being abused are often the least likely to bring the situation to anyone’s attention.

If you are concerned that an Adult is experiencing or at risk of harm, abuse or neglect please report it to your local authority area by returning to the home page and clicking on your areas link.

In an emergency always call 999.

 

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