​WHAT IS SAFEGUARDING

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Who is at risk of harm and abuse?

​Safeguarding means protecting an adult’s right to live in safety and free from abuse and neglect. An adult has a right to have their views, wishes, feelings and beliefs considered when any action is planned. 

People have complex lives and so it is important that organisations promote a person’s well-being in any safeguarding arrangements. It is important that those people providing care work with the adult to understand what being safe means to them and how this can be achieved. Safeguarding is Everyone’s business.

An adult at risk of harm or abuse is any person who:

• has needs for care and support 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.

​Organisations continue to have a duty of care to adults who purchase their own care independently i.e. self-funders.

Types of Abuse

​Abuse can take many forms:

Physical abuse

This is causing someone physical harm or injury on purpose; for example, by hitting pushing, kicking or restraining someone inappropriately. It also includes misusing medication, controlling what someone eats or denying someone of their liberty.

Psychological or Emotional abuse

This includes intimidation, threats, humiliation, extortion, racial, verbal or psychological abuse. It includes exploitation, coercion, harassment, online or mobile phone bullying and isolation.

Sexual abuse

​This may involve a person in a sexual activity which is unwanted or not understood. It includes rape, indecent exposure, inappropriate looking or touching, or sexual activity where the other person is in a position of power or authority.

Neglect and acts of omission

This includes not providing food, clothing, attention or care; it also includes withholding of aids or equipment (continence, walking, hearing, glasses) and putting someone at risk of infection.
Failure to provide access to appropriate health or social care and misuse of medication by inappropriately giving medication, overdosing or withholding it are also examples, imposed isolation or confinement are also included.

Financial or material abuse

​This includes the theft or misuse of money, property or personal possessions; it also includes putting pressure on a person in connection with wills, property or inheritance. It also includes postal or internet scams.

Self-neglect

This may involve a person being unable, or unwilling, to care for their own essential needs, including their health or surroundings (for example, their home may be very unclean, or there may be a fire risk due to their hoarding).

Discriminatory

​This includes treating people less favourably and unfairly on the grounds of a person’s race, ethnicity, religion or belief, age, gender, gender identity, disability, culture, sexuality or mental health needs. Self-inflicted injury may be a sign that abuse is taking place, e.g. because someone feels disturbed. Hate crime is a form of discriminatory abuse.

Domestic abuse

​Domestic abuse is any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between adults who are or have been in a relationship together, or between family members, regardless of gender or sexuality.
This may be a one-off incident or a pattern of incidents or threats, violence or controlling behaviour. It also includes being forced to marry, honour based violence and female genital mutilation (FGM).

Modern Slavery

​This includes slavery, a person being forced to work for little or no pay (including in the sex trade), being held against their will, tortured, abused or treated badly by others. 

Organisational Abuse

​This includes neglect and providing poor care in a care setting such as a hospital or care home, or in a person’s own home. This may be a one-off incident, repeated incidents or on-going ill-treatment. 

Other websites you may be interested in

• Home Office on county lines
• Home Office on modern slavery
• NHS on female genital mutilation (FGM)

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